Name: Rice Dressing with Sausage
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 1 h
Total time: 1 h 15 min
Yield: 8 servings
Ingredients: 1.5 lbs Italian Sausage, ground; 1 cup celery, chopped; 1 cup onion, chopped; 2 cloves garlic, minced; 8 oz mushrooms, chopped; 1 cup white rice; ⅓ cup white wine; 2 cups chicken broth; 1 cup parmesan cheese; 2 teaspoon poultry seasoning; 1.5 teaspoon salt; 1 teaspoon pepper; 1 tablespoon olive oil; 3 tablespoon butter

Rice Dressing with Sausage is the perfect side dish for Thanksgiving or the holidays. This is a classic Italian version that you can serve on the side or stuff inside your Turkey or Chicken.

Another delicious side dish like this is our Italian Mac and Cheese or Crispy Garlic Parmesan Potatoes.

Rice dressing in an oven dish with a spoon.

Looking for more classic vegetable sides? TryItalian Cabbage or Italian Green Bean Salad.

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Why This Dish

This Rice Dressing with Sausage is a classic Italian-American dish served on Thanksgiving in the Northeast. It is not spicy like its cajun counterpart and doesn't have the bread like Traditional Thanksgiving Italian Sausage Stuffing. This dish along with Garlic Parmesan Green Beansand Maple Bacon Brussels Sprouts are the cornerstone of the side dishes for your Turkey or Ham!

The rice makes this dressing slightly lighter than stuffing made with bread or breadcrumbs. You can also use this recipe to make stuffed mushrooms, which makes it easy to cut down on work for the holidays.

Ingredient Notes and Substitutions

Mushrooms. Baby Bella mushrooms are the perfect mushrooms for rice dressing with their slightly mild and buttery flavor.
Italian Sausage. Use sweet Italian sausage, which will add the most flavor to the dish. Make your own sausage in just 15 minutes with Homemade Italian Sausage Seasoning. Hot sausage would change the dish dramatically but could be a great addition.
Rice. White rice will give you the creamiest texture after baking, but you can also make this dressing with wild rice.
Parmesan. Parmesan is the best cheese to add because it will come with that intense flavor and salt to add to the dish.

*Please see the recipe card below for more information on ingredients.

How to Make Rice Dressing

Step 1: Bring a large saucepan to medium-high heat. Add 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Add the ground sausage to the pan and sear untouched for 3 minutes.

Step 2: Break apart the sausage and continue cooking until browned. Use a slotted spoon to remove the sausage from the pan and set aside in a large bowl.

Step 3: Lower the heat to medium. Add 3 tablespoon of butter to the pan. Add the chopped celery and onion. Saute for about 8 minutes, stirring occasionally. Season with salt, pepper, and poultry seasoning. Add the garlic and saute for another minute. Transfer the mixture to the bowl with the sausage.

Step 4: Add the mushrooms to the pan. Allow them to saute for 5 minutes or until they turn a deep brown color. Stir occasionally and then remove and add them to the bowl.

Step 5: Add the rice to the saucepan. Toast for about 2 minutes stirring often. Add the white wine and stir until it is completely absorbed.

Step 6: Add the chicken broth and bring to a boil. Lower to a low simmer and cover. Simmer for 15 minutes.

All dressing ingredients combine with parmesan in a bowl.

Step 7: Preheat the oven to 375℉. When the rice is finished, add it to the bowl with the sausage, celery, onions, and mushrooms. Combine everything and mix in the parmesan cheese.

Rice dressing spread out in a pyrex pan.

Step 8: Oil the baking dish. Add the stuffing to the dish and bake it in the oven for 30 minutes. Remove and serve.

Dressing or stuffing, whatever you choose to call it, is a classic Fall recipe. It's the perfect dish to warm you up with a saucy dish like Pork Tenderloin Medallions in Marsala and a vegetable side like Roasted Carrots and Fennel or under a delicious braised dish like Easy Chicken Cacciatore.

This rice dressing is the perfect stuffing to use in our Italian Sausage Stuffed Mushrooms if you want to switch it up from bread stuffing! You may also like our White Bean Pumpkin Chili in the cooler weather!

Pro-Tips

When searing sausage leave it untouched for at least 3 minutes to develop a crust. This texture and sear will develop the flavor throughout the whole dish. You don't have to cook the sausage all the way through because we are going to bake it. Just cook until it is brown.
Don't add more oil to saute the mushrooms. They are filled with water and will saute to the best texture if sauteed in an almost dry pan.

Stuffing a Turkey or Chicken with Dressing

It is generally not recommended to stuff a turkey with dressing, or stuffing in this case. Although it will get all of the juices from the bird, it could take a lot longer to cook the turkey, and it may not get cooked all the way through in some instances.

If you're going to stuff the bird, it is recommended to microwave the stuffing first and then stuff it in the bird. It will take more time but it won't be as hard to get everything cooked to the right temperature.

It's much easier to serve alongside a Rolled Stuffed Turkey Breast or serve along with an Authentic Italian Porchetta.

If you're just cooking for a few people, serve it alongside Cast Iron Chicken Breast or Grilled Stuffed Pork Chops.