Lou shares his mom's Thanksgiving Stuffing recipe

Every year, for more than 30 years, we’ve shared my mom's stuffing recipe as a way to honor her memory. Alexandra "Sandy" Sipolt passed away in 1989. She was an amazing woman and the heart and soul of our family. As the saying goes, "the kitchen is the heart of the home" and this was one her greatest creations. When I think of Thanksgiving, THIS is what comes to mind. Thank you to all the families that have included this recipe at their gathering for over 30 years… I’m sure Mom is smiling right now.

Mom's original recipe is enough to feed a race team (trust me), but during the pandemic viewers requested a recipe for smaller gatherings. You can find both of them below.

 A few things to keep in mind:

Try and use the brands you see in the video, including REAL BUTTER, Original Cooking Wild Rice Mix and Stuffing Cubes.  It’s also pretty important that you get the SAGE FLAVORED pork sausage… Mom sent Big Lou back to the store when he got the wrong kind!

Sandy Sipolt's Famous Thanksgiving Stuffing

Original Recipe

Ingredients

• 2-12 Oz bags of herb seasoned cubed stuffing 
• 6oz box of long grain & wild rice mix
• 2 eggs
• 1 large chopped onion
• 1 bunch of chopped celery
• 8 oz sliced/slightly chopped water chestnuts
• 1 pound of sage pork sausage
• 2-14.5 oz cans of chicken broth
• ¼ pound (one stick) of real butter
• 1 clove of chopped garlic
• ½-1 teaspoon of coarse ground black pepper

Directions

1. Cook long grain & wild rice mix according to directions
2. Place the 2 full bags of herb seasoned cubed stuffing in large bowl and add 2 full 14.5oz cans (or 29-30 oz) of chicken broth and stir
3. Sauté sage pork sausage and remove from heat
4. Using a large pan…sauté your chopped onion & garlic
5. Add the cooked sage pork sausage, chopped celery, and slightly chopped water chestnuts
6. Add beaten egg to rice and mix
7. Add cooked long grain & wild rice mix to the sausage mixture
8.  Gently fold all cooked ingredients in pan into the herb seasoned cubed stuffing/chicken broth bowl. A larger bowl may be necessary. Punch or Salad Bowls work well.
9.  Place stuffing in roasting pan cover with foil and simply heat to about 165F. For a crunchy crust, remove foil for last 10-15 minutes. Should take about 45-60 minutes to heat up.

Single Bag Batch - Designed for smaller gatherings

Ingredients

• 12 Oz bag of herb seasoned cubed stuffing
• 6oz box of long grain & wild rice mix
• 1 egg
• ½ large chopped onion (or 1 medium sized)
• ½ bunch of chopped celery
• 4 oz sliced/slightly chopped water chestnuts (1/2 standard can)
• ½ pound of sage pork sausage
• 1-14.5 oz can of chicken broth
• 4 Tablespoons (half a stick) of real butter
• ½-1 clove of chopped garlic
• ¼- ½ teaspoon of coarse ground black pepper

Directions

1. Cook long grain and wild rice mix as directed and divide in half. You’ll only be using half of the rice for the single batch recipe.
2.  Place the full bag of herb seasoned cubed stuffing in large bowl and add full 14.5oz can of chicken broth
3.  Sauté sage pork sausage and remove from heat
4.  Using a large pan… sauté your chopped onion & garlic
5.  Add the cooked sage pork sausage, chopped celery, and slightly chopped water chestnuts
6.  Add beaten egg to rice and mix
7.  Add the ½ batch of cooked long grain and wild rice to the sausage mixture
8.  Stir the contents of the herb seasoned cubed stuffing/chicken broth bowl to distribute moisture evenly.
9.  Gently fold all cooked ingredients in pan into the herb seasoned cubed stuffing/chicken broth bowl. A larger bowl may be necessary. Punch or Salad Bowls work well.
10.  Place stuffing in roasting pan, cover with foil and simply heat in 325F oven to about 165F. For a crunchy crust, remove foil for last 10-15 minutes. Should take about 30-45 minutes to heat up.