Preparation time: 1 hour with 2 people preparing the stuffing. Makes about 6 qts., which is enough for a 20 lb. turkey with several cups leftover.

Ingredients:
2 14oz. bags of Herb Seasoned Stuffing
3 lbs. of Italian sausages, casings removed and discarded, meat crumbled up*
4 large onions, coarsely chopped – about 6 cups
2 lbs. Crimini mushrooms, sliced – about 10 cups**
¾ cup of chopped fresh sage
¼ cup chopped fresh thyme, stems removed and discarded
½ lb. (2 sticks) unsalted butter
2 tbsps. Bell’s Poultry Seasoning
2 tbsps. ground black pepper
8 cups of boiled water

Preparation:

1.    In a large non-stick skillet, fry the crumbled sausage meat on medium heat until all of the pink color is gone.
2.    Empty stuffing bags into an 8 qt. bowl or pot.
3.    Add 5 cups of boiled water and mix well.
4.    Remove the cooked sausage meat with a slotted spoon, leaving the rendered fat behind in the skillet. Add the sausage meat to the stuffing and mix well.
5.    Melt 1 stick of the butter in the sausage fat and sauté the onions for about 5 minutes on medium low heat.
6.    Add the sage and thyme to the onions, stirring well and continue sautéing until onions are translucent. Transfer the onions to the stuffing and mix well.
7.    Melt the remaining stick of butter in the skillet, add the mushrooms and sauté on high for about 10 minutes until the mushrooms give off their liquid and it evaporates. Transfer the mushrooms to the stuffing and mix well.
8.    Add the remaining 3 cups of boiled water to the stuffing mixture, so that it is easily mixed.
9.    Add the Bell’s Seasoning and pepper and continue to mix well.
10.    Set the stuffing aside until ready to stuff the turkey.

Timesaving hints:
*If you can find it, buy loose sausage meat
**If you can find them, buy pre-sliced Baby Bella mushrooms

Please also see: The Turkey that Keeps Giving