Donatella Arpaia’s Mushroom and Italian Sausage Rice Stuffing

An Italian sausage stuffing, a family recipe, melds Donatella Arpaia's Italian and American roots. (Courtesy of Donatella Arpaia)

Mushroom and Sausage Rice Stuffing

Italian meets American in Donatella Arpaia’s Italian sausage stuffing, created by her parents when they came to the United States over 50 years ago. Read more about Arpaia’s Thanksgiving family traditions here.

Serves 12

• 9 cups low-sodium chicken stock, divided
• 1 small onion
• Bay leaf
• 1 1/2 teaspoons coarse salt
• 1 1/2 cup wild rice
• 1 1/2 cup Arborio rice
• 1 1/2 pound sweet Italian sausage, casing removed
• 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided
• 1 large onion, diced
• 4 stalks celery, diced
• 4 large cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 6 to 8-ounce container of mixed gourmet mushrooms
• 1/2 cup chopped flat leaf parsley
• 1 egg
• Salt and pepper, to taste

In a large saucepan, heat 4 1/2 cups chicken stock with the onion, bay leaf, and 1 1/2 teaspoons coarse salt. Add wild rice. Cover and bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the rice is tender, about 1 hour; add a little water during cooking if necessary.

Cook the Arborio rice in remaining chicken stock according to instructions on the box. Set aside.

In a large nonstick skillet, brown the sausage meat over medium heat, breaking it up with a wooden spoon, until cooked through, about 8 minutes. Transfer to a plate and let cool slightly, then coarsely chop.

Heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil in the skillet. Add the onion, celery, and garlic, and season with salt and pepper. Cook over medium heat, stirring often, until translucent.

Heat the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil in the skillet. Add the chopped mixed mushrooms and cook over high heat, stirring, until softened and browned, about 5 minutes. Stir in the wild rice, Arborio rice, and sausage, and season again with salt and pepper. Combine all together, add parsley and the egg, and stir to bind together. Transfer to baking dish. Stuffing can be prepared up to one day ahead; cover and refrigerate, and let return to room temperature before baking.

Preheat oven to 400°F. Cover the dish with foil and bake the stuffing for about 20 minutes.

Recipe courtesy of Donatella Arpaia