Chicago Italian Beef Combo Stuffing

I'm blessing you with the most Chicago Thanksgiving side dish around, a deconstructed Italian beef and sausage combo complete with sweet peppers, giardiniera, and of course au jus. 

This is how you celebrate Turkey Day, the real Chicago way.

Read the recipe below, or..

Recipe Details:

Yields 6 servings

Cook Time: 45-60 minutes

Difficulty: Medium

Ingredients:

2 Italian beef sandwiches (sweet and wet)
1/2 lb Italian sausage
1 cup diced onion
1/2 cup of diced celery
5 garlic cloves minced
2 tbsp italian seasoning
4 tbsp unsalted butter
1 cup mild or hot giardiniera (drained off oil)
2 eggs
1 cup beef stock
Salt to taste

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1. Seperate beef and sweet peppers from the bread.  Roughly chop the peppers and set aside.  Cut bread into large cubes and spread on a baking sheet.  Bake at 350 F for 25 minutes or until completely dried and toasted.  Place in a large bowl and let cool. 

2. In a skillet, cook off sausage until brown and fat renders, about 6-8 minutes.  Remove from pan and place in a bowl, leaving fat in the skillet. Add 2 tbsp of butter to the reserved fat and add your onion, celery, garlic, pinch of salt, and italian seasoning seasoning.  Cook until onions are transluecent, about 5-7 minutes.  Remove from heat and add your reserved sausage, beef, sweet peppers, and drained giardiniera peppers and mix. Let the mixture cool for 10-15 minutes. Whisk eggs with beef stock.  

3. Pour cooled beef mixture over the dried beef bread and add egg/stock mixture and combine.  Pour mixture into a buttered 8x10 baking dish and cover with aluminum foil.  Bake at 400F for 30 minutes covered, and then another 10-15 minutes uncovered until the top is well brown and crisp. 

4. Let rest for 10 minutes, then slice.  Top with au jus and additional giardinera.