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3.8 from 12 votes

Old Fashioned Sausage & Oyster Dressing

A savory, Cajun inspired stuffing with sausage, oysters and cayenne pepper for a spicy tingle. Recipe can be doubled.

Prep Time
30 mins
Cook Time
30 mins
Total Time
1 hr
Servings: 8
Calories: 355 kcal
Course: Side Dish
Cuisine: American , Cajun

Ingredients

  • 4 cups stale Italian bread (overnight option given) (from about 1/2 loaf of Italian bread) crusts removed and cut into 1" cubes
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 pound Italian sausage or country sausage
  • 1 talk celery chopped
  • ½ red bell pepper chopped
  • ½ green bell pepper chopped
  • 1 medium onion chopped
  • 1 large leek cleaned and chopped into 1/2" slices
  • 3 green onions chopped
  • 4 large cloves garlic minced
  • ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
  • ½ teaspoon black pepper
  • 1 tablespoon fresh thyme chopped
  • 1 tablespoon fresh sage chopped
  • 12 ounces fresh oysters in their liquor about 1 to 1 1/2 dozen in their shell (if your shucking them yourself)
  • 1/2-1 cup chicken stock from rotisserie chicken or low-sodium chicken broth
  • 2 tablespoons butter cut into small cubes

Instructions

    Cup of Yum
  1. The day before, trim the crusts from the bread and cut into 1" pieces. Transfer the bread to a large wide bowl and leave out overnight to get stale.
  2. The next day, preheat the oven to 350°.
  3. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat and add the sausage. Break up the meat in the pan with the back of a wooden spoon and cook until most of the sausage has browned.
  4. Stir in the celery, bell peppers, onions and leeks to the skillet and cook until the vegetables are softened and fragrant. You can cover the pan to accelerate the cooking, but stir occasionally so they don't stick or burn.
  5. Add the green onions, garlic, cayenne pepper, black pepper, thyme and sage and stir into the sausage mixture, cooking for 2-3 minutes until very fragrant. Set aside.
  6. Place a fine mesh sieve over a small bowl and pour the oysters into the sieve. Reserve the oyster liquor and set aside.
  7. Pick through the oysters to remove any shells that may have been missed during processing. (I found 4 in mine). If your oysters are large, roughly chop them into 1" pieces.
  8. Add the oysters to the sausage mixture and stir just to combine.
  9. Add the sausage mixture to the stale bread and toss well with a wooden spoon or rubber spatula. Drizzle with the reserved oyster liquor and toss. Add half of the chicken broth and toss well. You want the bread to be moistened, but not sopping. Add more chicken broth as needed. The key is to have the bread moist all the way through, but not sopping wet.
  10. Transfer the oyster dressing to a 2 quart casserole dish and spread evenly into the pan. Dot the top of the casserole with cubes of butter.
  11. Bake for 35-40 minutes or until the casserole is golden and fragrant.

Nutrition Information

Calories 355kcal (18%) Carbohydrates 13g (4%) Protein 10g (20%) Fat 29g (45%) Saturated Fat 11g (55%) Cholesterol 52mg (17%) Sodium 504mg (21%) Potassium 286mg (8%) Fiber 2g (8%) Sugar 6g (12%) Vitamin A 709IU (14%) Vitamin C 22mg (24%) Calcium 38mg (4%) Iron 2mg (11%)

Nutrition Facts

Serving: 8Serving

Amount Per Serving

Calories 355

% Daily Value*

Calories 355kcal 18%
Carbohydrates 13g 4%
Protein 10g 20%
Fat 29g 45%
Saturated Fat 11g 55%
Cholesterol 52mg 17%
Sodium 504mg 21%
Potassium 286mg 6%
Fiber 2g 8%
Sugar 6g 12%
Vitamin A 709IU 14%
Vitamin C 22mg 24%
Calcium 38mg 4%
Iron 2mg 11%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.