Slow Cooker Sage and Sausage Stuffing

Ingredients

• 2 1/2 pounds high-quality sandwich bread or soft Italian or French bread, cut into 3/4-inch dice
• 8 tablespoons butter, plus more for buttering slow cooker
• 1 1/2 pounds sage sausage, removed from casing
• 1 large onion, finely chopped
• 4 large ribs celery, finely chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced or grated on a Microplane
• 1/4 cup minced fresh sage leaves
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, if needed
• 24 ounces low-sodium chicken or turkey broth, preferably homemade
• 3 whole eggs
• 1/4 cup minced parsley leaves, divided

Directions

1. Set one oven rack in the lower-middle slot and another in the upper-middle slot, then heat the oven to 275 degrees F (135 degrees C). Divide the bread between 2 rimmed baking sheets in an even layer. Place the pans on separate racks and bake until the bread is fully dried out, about 50 minutes total, stirring the cubes and switching the pans around a few times as they bake. Take the bread out, let it cool, and shut off the oven.
2. In a large Dutch oven, warm the butter over medium-high heat until the bubbling settles down, about 2 minutes, taking care not to brown it. Add the sausage and crush it with a sturdy whisk or potato masher so it breaks into small bits, with the largest pieces no bigger than 1/4 inch. Cook, stirring often, until just a little pink is left, about 8 minutes. Stir in the onions, celery, garlic, and sage, and continue cooking, stirring often, until the vegetables have softened, about 10 minutes. Take the pot off the heat and stir in half of the chicken stock.
3. In a medium bowl, whisk the remaining chicken stock with the eggs and 3 tablespoons parsley until smooth and combined. While stirring the sausage mixture steadily with a wooden spoon, pour in the egg mixture in a slow stream. Add the bread cubes and gently fold everything together until evenly combined.
4. Butter the inside of a slow cooker. Spoon the stuffing into the slow cooker, set it to low heat, and cook for 5 hours. Hold it warm, or finish with the remaining parsley before serving.