What You'll Need
1 box Hayden Flour Mills Heritage Cornbread Mix
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 ½ lbs breakfast sausage links, casings removed
1 large leek, finely chopped
1 fennel bulb, finely chopped
2 celery stalks, finely chopped
3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 tablespoon rosemary, finely chopped
1 tablespoon sage, finely chopped
1 tablespoon thyme, finely chopped
Fine sea salt
2 bunches kale (or collards), destemmed and roughly chopped
1 ½ cups heavy cream
2 ½ cups chicken or turkey broth
3 large eggs, beaten
1 cup parmesan cheese, grated
Herbs for garnish
Directions
1-3 days ahead of time: Make the Hayden Flour Mills Cornbread Mix according to the directions on the box. When the cornbread is cool, cut it into 1-inch cubes and spread them out on a baking sheet to dry at room temperature, cover lightly with a tea towel. This recipe will work better if the cornbread has had a chance to dry as it will absorb the liquid better.
**Day before or day of: **
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Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease a 9x13 inch baking pan.
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In a Dutch oven or heavy-bottomed pot, add the olive oil and cook the sausage, breaking it up with a wooden spoon, about 8-10 minutes. Allow the sausage to brown and cook through, then pour into a separate bowl and set aside.
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In the same pot, over medium heat, sauté the leeks, fennel, celery, garlic, herbs and salt until soft, about 10 minutes.
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Add the kale and continue cooking until bright green and wilted, another 10 minutes.
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Remove the pot from the heat and stir in the cream, broth and eggs.
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Add the sausage back in and combine.
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Very gently, add the cornbread squares and fold them into the mixture allowing them to start soaking up the liquid. Pour the contents of the pot into the prepared baking pan and spread evenly.
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Sprinkle the top with parmesan cheese and herbs, cover with foil.
** At this point, you can place the baking pan in the fridge overnight and bake the stuffing the next day **
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Bake for 40-50 minutes.
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Remove foil for the last 20 minutes to allow the stuffing to brown on top. Bake until the top is golden and crisp.
