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Hawaiian Stuffing

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Hawaiian stuffing is the perfect side dish to many recipes, especially for a Hawaiian Thanksgiving. Sweet bread tossed with savory Portuguese sausage and baked to perfection.

hawaiian stuffing on a plate

I love a good side dish recipe during Thanksgiving, especially non-traditional recipes. Things like sweet potato mash, taro rolls, and sweet potato gnocchi.

But Hawaiian stuffing is one that can’t be beat. A little sweet, a little savory, and oh so delicious. This will even have the non-stuffing fans coming back for more.

And what’s better than making homemade stuffing to share with your family and friends?

close up of hawaiian stuffing

First let’s talk ingredients. . .

Hawaiian stuffing ingredients

(Full recipe instructions and ingredient amounts are in the recipe card at the bottom of this post)

hawaiian stuffing ingredients
  • Portuguese sausage. You can use sausage in the casing or the ground sausage type.
  • Unsalted butter. This will give your stuffing a rich flavor. If using salted butter, omit added salt.
  • Sweet Maui onion. A subtle, yet slightly sweet flavored onion. If you can’t get your hands on one, yellow or white onions will do.
  • Celery. Adds an earthy taste. Not a celery fan? You can opt to leave it out.
  • Garlic. Garlic and Portuguese sausage just go so well together.
  • Salt. Salt helps enhance the flavors in this dish.
  • Pepper. Add a little bit of spice to the mix.
  • Chicken broth. This helps create the base of this recipe and adds moisture. You can use turkey or vegetable broth as well.
  • Eggs. Eggs will help bind your stuffing mix.
  • Cilantro. Fresh is best, but if you can’t find any feel free to use dried cilantro.
  • Sweet bread. You can make your own homemade sweet bread https://keepingitrelle.com/easy-homemade-portuguese-sweet-bread-recipe/ or pick up some from the store
spoon scooping hawaiian stuffing

How to make Hawaiian stuffing

  1. Preheat the oven to 350F.

2. Set a large saute pan over medium high heat. Add Portuguese sausage to the pan and cook for 2-3 minutes.

portugese sausage for hawaiian stuffing
frying pan of portuguese sausage for hawaiian stuffing

3. Next add butter, onions, and celery. Cook for 3-5 minutes or until the veggies have softened.

vegetables cooking in a pan for hawaiian stuffing

4. Add in garlic, salt, and pepper. Stir to combine.

5. To a small bowl add chicken broth and egg. Whisk to combine. Pour the mixture into the sausage and vegetable mixture. Add the cilantro. Mix until well combined.

6. Add sweet bread cubes into a large bowl. Pour the sausage mixture into a bowl and mix gently until the bread has moistened.

sauce for hawaiian stuffing

7. Pour the stuffing mixture into a greased 9×13 baking dish. Bake for 30 minutes or until heated through and the top has browned.

8. Cool slightly and ENJOY!

hawaiian stuffing in a pan

Tips to make the best sausage stuffing

  • Be sure to use dried bread. You can do this by using stale bread, leave a fresh loaf of bread out at room temperature or cube up and toast in the oven prior to making. Fresh bread will fall apart easily when mixing with the liquid.
  • If using the casing type of Portuguese sausage, be sure to cut into bite sized pieces.
  • Don’t skip mixing the eggs with the broth. You don’t want the eggs to scramble while mixing in with the hot vegetables.
  • Mix stuffing gently so as to not crumble the bread.
pan with hawaiian stuffing

FAQs

  • What sausage is best for sausage stuffing?
  • My favorite type of sausage to use for sausage stuffing is Portuguese sausage.
  • How to store?
  • Once cool, place in an airtight container and store in the refrigerator. This will keep for 3-5 days.
  • Can stuffing be made ahead of time?
  • Yes. Stuffing can be made up to three days in advanced. Store in the refrigerator until time to serve.
  • Can you freeze Hawaiian stuffing?
  • Yes. Once cooled, place in an airtight container. This will keep for up to 3 months.
  • How to reheat?

    Warm up stuffing in the microwave or oven. Frozen stuffing should be defrosted in the refrigerator over night and reheated thereafter.

    Other great Thanksgiving recipes

    hawaiian stuffing on a plate

    Hawaiian Stuffing

    Relle Lum
    Hawaiian stuffing is the perfect side dish to many recipes, especially for a Hawaiian Thanksgiving. Sweet bread tossed with savory Portuguese sausage and baked to perfection.
    4.48 from 19 votes
    Prep Time 10 minutes
    Cook Time 40 minutes
    Total Time 50 minutes
    Course Sides
    Cuisine Local
    Servings 12 servings
    Calories 840 kcal

    Ingredients
      

    • 12 ounces Portuguese sausage diced
    • ¼ cup unsalted butter
    • 1 small sweet Maui onion diced
    • 2 stalks of celery diced
    • 2 cloves garlic finely minced
    • ¼ teaspoon salt
    • ¼ teaspoon pepper
    • 2 cups chicken broth
    • 2 eggs
    • 1 tablespoon cilantro finely minced
    • 10 cups cube sweet bread

    Instructions
     

    • Preheat the oven to 350F.
    • Set a large saute pan over medium high heat. Add Portuguese sausage to the pan and cook for 2-3 minutes.
    • Next add butter, onions, and celery. Cook for 3-5 minutes or until the veggies have softened.
    • Add in garlic, salt, and pepper. Stir to combine.
    • To a small bowl add chicken broth and egg. Whisk to combine. Pour the mixture into the sausage and vegetable mixture. Add the cilantro. Mix until well combined.
    • Add sweet bread cubes into a large bowl. Pour the sausage mixture into a bowl and mix gently until the bread has moistened.
    • Pour the stuffing mixture into a greased 9×13 baking dish. Bake for 30 minutes or until heated through and the top has browned.
    • Cool slightly and ENJOY!

    Notes

  • Be sure to use dried bread. You can do this by using stale bread, leave a fresh loaf of bread out at room temperature or cube up and toast in the oven prior to making. Fresh bread will fall apart easily when mixing with the liquid.
  • If using the casing type of Portuguese sausage, be sure to cut into bite sized pieces.
  • Don’t skip mixing the eggs with the broth. You don’t want the eggs to scramble while mixing in with the hot vegetables.
  • Mix stuffing gently so as to not crumble the bread.
  • Nutrition

    Serving: 1gCalories: 840kcalCarbohydrates: 110gProtein: 23gFat: 35gSaturated Fat: 9gPolyunsaturated Fat: 15gTrans Fat: 2gCholesterol: 116mgSodium: 883mgFiber: 5gSugar: 26g
    Keyword Hawaiian food, hawaiian stuffing, hawaiian sweet rolls. sweet bread, keeping it relle, portuguese sweet bread, stuffing
    Did you make this recipe?Share a photo and tag @keeping.it.relle on Instagram so I can see all your delicious creations and Let me know how it was!

    © Relle Lum for Keeping It Relle. Please do not copy and paste or screenshot recipes online or on social media. I’d love it if you share a link with a photo instead. Mahalo!

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    By on November 23rd, 2021

    About Relle

    Aloha, my name is Relle and welcome to my little home on the internet where I like to share all my favorite Hawaiian recipes (and local ones too).

    I am a wife, mom of two, and nurse practitioner here in the beautiful state of Hawai’i. I was born and raised in Hawai’i and I am of native Hawaiian descent. In my spare time I love to cook and bake and I have compiled many of my favorite recipes here for you to enjoy.

    More posts by this author.

    6 thoughts on “Hawaiian Stuffing”

    1. 5 stars
      The idea to use sweet bread for stuffing is genius! Thanks for the tips for substitutions for ingredients I couldn’t easily find. This recipe is a keeper for sure!

      Reply
    2. 5 stars
      I love trying new stuffing recipes and the ones with sausage are always a huge hit. I love the “outside-the-box” ingredients and can’t wait to give this a try. It sounds heavenly!

      Reply

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