The Best Sausage Stuffing Recipe (2024)

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This flavorful Sausage Stuffing made with chicken sausage, celery, onions, herbs and french bread is my go-to Thanksgiving stuffing recipe!

The Best Sausage Stuffing Recipe (1)

Sausage Stuffing

I don’t know about you, but for me the ONE thing I crave most on Thanksgiving is this stuffing with sausage! Sure, the turkey and gravy are all great too, and yes, even the vegetables and cranberry sauce. But personally, no Thanksgiving is complete without the homemade sausage stuffing, and this recipe never disappoints. This is the stuffing I make every Thanksgiving along with my dry brine Turkey and this delicious Cranberry and Pear Sauce. If you need a gluten-free stuffing, this Cornbread Stuffing is perfect. See more Thanksgiving Recipes to go with your turkey this year!

The Best Sausage Stuffing Recipe (2)

Ingredients

  • Bread Cubes: whole wheat French bread or baguette are used. You can also use sour dough or a rustic loaf.
  • Butter: whipped butter, salted butter, unsalted butter, vegan butter or even olive oil can be used
  • Vegetables: diced yellow onion and diced celery, from about 4 celery stalks
  • Sausage: sweet Italian sausage, chicken or turkey is used but you can also use pork sausage if you prefer.
  • Fresh herbs: fresh sage and fresh thyme are used. If you wish, add some fresh flat-leaf parsley or fresh chopped rosemary for more flavor.
  • Broth: homemade chicken stock or turkey stock can be used or store bought reduced sodium chicken broth
  • Spices: I use salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste. You can also add some poultry seasoning.

How To Make Sausage Stuffing

  1. Bread: To make the bread cubes, start with whole wheat baguettes and cut the bread in cubes the night before to let it sit out and harden overnight. You can also do this in the oven the day of, but I personally like to prep as much as possible the night before. (QUICKER METHOD: If you don’t have time to do this overnight, you can place the bread on a rimmed baking sheet and bake in a 350°F oven about 20 minutes, or until the bread is dried out.)
  2. Saute the sausage and vegetables: In a large skillet, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the onion and celery and sauté, stirring occasionally, until tender and translucent, about 8 minutes. Transfer to a large bowl. In the same pan over medium heat, cook the sausage, crumbling with a wooden spoon, until lightly browned and cooked through, about 10 minutes.
  3. Combine ingredients in a bowl: Transfer the sausage to the bowl with the onion/celery mixture. Add the bread, sage and thyme to the bowl with the sausage/onion mixture and stir to combine. Pour the chicken broth and stir to evenly coat the bread. Adjust salt and pepper to taste and stir to mix well.
  4. Stuffing Mixture: Transfer the bread cube mixture to the prepared casserole dish and bake for 30 minutes. Using a wooden spoon, gently stir. Continue baking until golden, about 30 to 35 minutes more. About 1 hour total.

Variations

  • If you can’t find a good Italian chicken sausage, turkey sausage would also be great.
  • If you prefer to use pork sausage, feel free to swap it out. Calories will increase.
  • I don’t use egg in this recipe, but if you want to add one as a binder, you can.
  • If you want to add a touch of sweetness, add dried cranberries or apples.

Storage and Leftovers

Store leftovers in an airtight container for up to 4 days. You can also freeze for up to 3 months.

The Best Sausage Stuffing Recipe (3)

The Best Sausage Stuffing Recipe (4)

More Thanksgiving Side Dishes:

  • Mashed Potatoes
  • Spinach Gratin
  • Roasted Green Beans with Caramelized Onions
  • Pumpkin Mac and Cheese with Roasted Veggies
  • Stuffing Muffins

The Best Sausage Stuffing Recipe (5)

Sausage Stuffing Recipe

4.92 from 12 votes

This flavorful, savory Sausage Stuffing recipe made with chicken sausage, fresh herbs and french bread, my go-to Thanksgiving stuffing recipe!

Course: Side Dish

Cuisine: American

The Best Sausage Stuffing Recipe (6)

Prep: 15 minutes mins

Cook: 1 hour hr 20 minutes mins

Total: 1 hour hr 35 minutes mins

Print Rate Pin SaveWW Points

Yield: 12 Servings

Serving Size: 3 /4 cup

Equipment

Ingredients

  • 14 ounces whole wheat French bread or baguette, crusts removed (weight after crust is removed)
  • 2 tablespoons whipped butter
  • 1 1/2 cups diced yellow onion
  • 1 3/4 cups diced celery, about 4 celery stalks
  • 13 ounces fresh sweet Italian sausage, chicken or turkey, casing removed
  • 1/4 cup chopped fresh sage
  • 1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme
  • 3 cups reduced sodium chicken broth, plus more if needed
  • salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
  • cooking spray

Instructions

  • Cut the bread into 1/2-inch cubes. Spread the bread out on a sheet pan and let it dry overnight - OR - place the baking sheet in a 350°F oven and bake about 20 minutes, or until the bread is dried out. Set aside.

  • Preheat oven to 375°F. Spray a large baking dish with oil.

  • In a large skillet, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the onion and celery and sauté, stirring occasionally, until tender and translucent, about 8 minutes. Transfer to a large bowl.

  • In the same pan over medium heat, cook the sausage, crumbling with a wooden spoon, until lightly browned and cooked through, about 10 minutes. Transfer the sausage to the bowl with the onion/celery mixture.

  • Add the bread, sage and thyme to the bowl with the sausage/onion mixture and stir to combine. Add the chicken broth and stir to evenly coat the bread. Adjust salt and pepper to taste and stir to mix well.

  • Transfer to the baking dish and bake for 30 minutes. Using a wooden spoon, gently stir. Continue baking until golden, about 30 to 35 minutes more. Serve immediately.

Last Step:

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Video

Notes

Makes about 9 cups.

Nutrition

Serving: 3 /4 cup, Calories: 166 kcal, Carbohydrates: 19 g, Protein: 9 g, Fat: 6.5 g, Saturated Fat: 2.2 g, Cholesterol: 30 mg, Sodium: 549 mg, Fiber: 2.5 g, Sugar: 2.9 g

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Categories:

  • Chicken Recipes
  • Christmas
  • Egg Free Recipes
  • Fall
  • Freezer Meals
  • Holiday Recipes
  • Kid Friendly
  • Recipes
  • Sides
  • Thanksgiving Recipes
  • Weight Watchers – WW Recipes

Photography by Sarah Fennel.

The Best Sausage Stuffing Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What does adding egg to stuffing do? ›

Eggs: Two lightly beaten eggs help hold the dressing together and add moisture.

Who has the best stuffing? ›

Best Classic: Pepperidge Farm Herb Seasoned Classic Stuffing

Enter this iteration of Pepperidge Farm: The bread is exactly right, resulting in some bites that are creamy in the middle and some with bewitching crunchy little edges. Consider this a close store-bought cousin of a more homemade stuffing.

What temperature should sausage meat stuffing be when cooked? ›

Remove the sausage meat from the packaging. Preheat your oven to 200°C for fan assisted or 210°C for ovens without a fan. Place onto a roasting tin in the centre of the oven. Roast for 30 minutes until the stuffing has a golden crust & thoroughly cooked to a minimum of 72°C.

What is sausage stuffing made of? ›

Sausage Stuffing Ingredients

Vegetables: You'll need finely diced celery and a chopped onion. Bread: The white bread cubes should ideally be slightly stale. If your bread seems too soft, lightly toast it in the oven. Seasonings: Season the sausage stuffing with poultry seasoning and ground black pepper.

What can you use as a binder instead of eggs in stuffing? ›

16 egg substitutes
  1. Mashed banana. Mashed banana can act as a binding agent when baking or making pancake batter. ...
  2. Applesauce. Applesauce can also act as a binding agent. ...
  3. Fruit puree. Fruit puree will help bind a recipe in a similar way to applesauce. ...
  4. Avocado. ...
  5. Gelatin. ...
  6. Xanthan gum. ...
  7. Vegetable oil and baking powder. ...
  8. Margarine.
Mar 30, 2021

How do you keep stuffing moist when cooking? ›

Typically, baking the stuffing inside the bird helps keep the mixture moist. “I prefer stuffing (in the bird) to dressing (outside of the bird) because all those delicious drippings that come off the turkey gets absorbed right into the stuffing,” Bamford says.

What can I add to stuffing for more flavor? ›

Fruit, especially dried fruit like raisins, cranberries, figs and apricots can seriously improve a dreary box of stuffing. That bit of sweetness plays beautifully with other flavors on the table. I've found that fresh fruits like apples and pears are stellar as well.

Is stuffing better with or without eggs? ›

It's a matter of preference, but adding a beaten egg to your stuffing mixture acts as a binder and keeps the bread moist.

What kind of bread is best for stuffing? ›

You can use any kind; store-bought white bread works well and would probably be my #1 suggestion for stuffing. You could also try using cut up dinner rolls, sourdough bread (actually this would be my personal first pick), challah, or anything else you want to experiment with.

How much water do you put in sausage before stuffing? ›

Add at least 1 oz. of water per pound of meat to aid in the stuffing process. This aid in mixing the meat with the seasoning and will ease the stress put on the gears of your meat mixer and sausage stuffer. Try experimenting with liquids other than water when mixing your next batch of sausage.

Is it OK to make stuffing a day ahead of time? ›

No matter where you fall, getting a head start on what can be prepared before the big day is essential. One question that always crops up: Can you make stuffing ahead of time? The short answer to whether you can making stuffing ahead of time is yes.

How long can sausage stuffing sit out? ›

If stuffing is prepared ahead of time, it must be either frozen or cooked immediately. To use cooked stuffing later, cool in shallow containers and refrigerate it within 2 hours. Use it within 3 to 4 days. Reheat the cooked stuffing to 165 ºF just as for all leftovers.

Can you prepare uncooked stuffing ahead of time and refrigerate? ›

If you don't plan on stuffing the bird, but preparing the dressing as a side dish, you can prepare uncooked stuffing ahead of time as long as you freeze the stuffing immediately after mixing the wet and dry ingredients. USDA recommends that you never refrigerate uncooked stuffing.

What is in Jimmy Dean sausage? ›

PORK, WATER, CONTAINS 2% OR LESS: CORN SYRUP, SALT, NATURAL FLAVOR, VINEGAR, SUGAR, PORK BROTH, MONOSODIUM GLUTAMATE.

Why use an egg as a thickener? ›

Creamy desserts such as crème brûlée also benefit from eggs' ability to emulsify and produce smooth, satiny, hom*ogeneous mixtures. Their ability to hold up to four times their weight in moisture makes eggs a good thickener for sauces, custards and curds. The proteins in eggs coagulate or set at different temperatures.

Why do we need to apply egg yolk in some dressing? ›

You can use boiled egg yolks in scratch-made dressings or whisk them into store-bought dressings for the ultimate creamy upgrade. Boiled egg yolks can thicken a dressing without breaking or clumping while creating a silky consistency that thoroughly coats your salad ingredients.

What makes stuffing unhealthy? ›

Stuffing is not strictly a healthy food, because it is typically high in calories, fat, sodium, and refined carbohydrates. 1 But that doesn't mean you can't enjoy it, All foods can fit into a healthy diet in moderation.

Why do people add eggs to everything? ›

Not only do eggs add an element of creamy indulgence, there's even some science behind their joy. “Eggs are a perfect emulsifier and binder so work really well to make many dishes cohesive,” she continues.

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