If you typically turn to a stuffing mix when you want to make a side dish, this Sausage Stuffing is going to change your mind! With plenty of fresh herbs, hearty ground pork sausage, and irresistible crispy golden edges, this easy stuffing will become a new family favorite.
Ingredients
These easy-to-find ingredients are all you need to make this hearty and flavorful sausage stuffing recipe.
- White Bread – You can usually nearly any kind of bread but French bread, challah, and even white sandwich bread all work well. For the best results, it may be helpful to use slightly stale bread so that it soaks up all of the butter and the stock.
- Unsalted Butter – Use unsalted butter so that you can better control the saltiness of the stuff.
- Yellow Onion – Chop the onion into evenly sized pieces.
- Celery – Slice the celery so that the pieces are thin and uniform.
- Garlic – Be sure to use fresh garlic cloves for the best flavor.
- Fresh Flat-Leaf Parsley – Use a sharp knife or kitchen shears to cut up the parsley.
- Fresh Sage – Sage gives the stuffing a touch of earthy flavor.
- Fresh Rosemary – The woodsy flavor of rosemary complements the Italian sausage.
- Sweet Italian Sausage – Use ground sausage and cook it ahead of time.
- Coarse Kosher Salt – Just a bit of salt makes all of the other flavors pop.
- Ground Black Pepper – Black pepper rounds out the dish with its subtle heat.
- Low-Sodium Vegetable Stock – Use the stock to moisten the bread and add an extra layer of flavor.
Variations
Add your own twists to make this your signature stuffing. These are just a few ideas for inspiration!
- Stock – Use chicken stock, chicken broth, or turkey broth instead of vegetable stock for a different flavor profile.
- Fruit – Add a touch of sweetness with diced apples or dried cranberries.
- Mushrooms – For a bit of earthy flavor, add chopped mushrooms.
- Sausage – Use regular Italian sausage or hot Italian sausage instead of sweet. Or, for a fun and flavorful twist try using breakfast sausage or sage sausage.
- Spiciness – Sprinkle in some crushed red pepper flakes or cayenne pepper powder for a little heat.
- Seasoning – Shake in a little poultry seasoning to complement turkey or chicken if either of those are the main dish.
How to Make Sausage Stuffing
With minimal prep time, this stuffing comes together quickly and easily.
- Prep the bread cubes. Place the cubed bread on a rimmed baking sheet. Place the baking sheet in the preheated oven to bake. Once they have browned, turn them over and continue to cook briefly before taking them out of the oven to cool.
- Saute. Place the butter in a large skillet and saute the diced onion and celery. Once softened, add the garlic parsley, rosemary, and sage and saute briefly.
- Combine. Place the dried bread in a large bowl and toss it with the cooked sausage, melted butter mixture, salt, and pepper. Then, add the vegetable stock to moisten the bread. Adjust as needed.
- Bake. Transfer the seasoned bread and sausage to a prepared baking dish coated with cooking spray. Be sure to spread it out in an even layer. Place in the oven to bake for the recommended time, turning it over halfway.
- Serve. When the edges become crisp and the stuffing is golden brown, remove the stuffing from the oven and serve.
Pro Tip
I like a crispy stuffing, so I toss it halfway through baking to make sure all of the pieces of bread have time to brown nicely and any leftover liquid pooled at the bottom is absorbed.
What to Serve With Sausage Stuffing
Roast turkey or chicken are both classic pairings, but you can also serve this stuffing as a side dish with other proteins! Try it with pork or beef, too.
You can also serve it with lots of other sides like green bean casserole, mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce, or roasted vegetables. And it’s fantastic with a little turkey gravy or brown gravy drizzled over the top of it.
And don’t forget dessert! From Pumpkin Icebox Cake to Sweet Potato Pie, we’ve got you covered with Thanksgiving dessert ideas.
Storage and Freezing
You can store leftover stuffing in the fridge or freezer for several days, making it the perfect side to quickly reheat in the oven before serving. Be sure to cover the top with aluminum foil when reheating.
Prepping Ahead
You can brown the sausage ahead of time and refrigerate it overnight so that it’s ready when you want to assemble the stuffing. You can also crisp the bread the day before, as well.
How to Store Leftover Sausage Stuffing
Once the stuffing has come to room temperature, cover the casserole dish with plastic wrap or transfer the stuffing to an airtight container and keep it in the fridge for 3-4 days.
Can I Freeze Stuffing?
Keep the stuffing in a freezer-safe container or resealable freezer bag for up to 1 month in the freezer.
Common Questions
This simple stuffing is a combination of sausage and white bread all seasoned with buttery fresh herbs and garlic and moistened with vegetable stock.
Stuffing can be kept moist by using enough stock when preparing it so that the bread can absorb it before and during cooking.
Stuffing can become mushy if too much stock is added or if it’s not cooked long enough. Also, be sure to flip it while cooking so that there’s plenty of crispy goodness that forms throughout. Also, be sure to use day-old bread so that it crisps up perfectly.
More Savory Side Dishes
If you’re on the search for more side dishes, we have no shortage here!
Sausage Stuffing
Ingredients
- 1 loaf white bread , cut into 1-inch cubes*
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter
- 1 cup yellow onion , chopped
- 1 cup celery , thinly sliced
- 4 cloves garlic , finely chopped
- 1/4 cup flat leaf parsley , chopped
- 1 tablespoon fresh sage , chopped
- 1 tablespoon fresh rosemary , chopped
- 1 pound sweet Italian sausage , cooked and crumbled
- 1 teaspoon coarse kosher salt
- 1/2 ground black pepper
- 1 1/2 cups low sodium vegetable stock
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spread the bread cubes on a rimmed baking sheet. Bake them for 7 minutes, turn and bake until brown and crispy, approximately 3-4 more minutes. Remove and allow them to cool. Leave the oven on.
- In a large skillet, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the onion and celery, sauteing for 2-3 minutes until they start to soften. Stir in the garlic, parsley, rosemary and sage. Continue to saute for 2 minutes.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the dried bread, vegetable and herb mixture, cooked sausage, salt and pepper, tossing well. Pour the vegetable stock over the mixture. The bread should be slightly moist. If it isn’t, add an additional 1/2 cup of vegetable stock.
- Coat a 9×13 baking dish with cooking spray and spread the stuffing mixture evenly into the dish.
- Bake for 30-35 minutes, tossing halfway through cooking or until the top is crispy. For some folks, this took closer to 40 minutes to get crispy edges.
Nutrition
This was FANTASTIC! My in-laws and I absolutely loved it. It was so flavorful and the bread cubes had perfectly toasty corners. Everyone was asking me for the recipe after Thanksgiving dinner so it’s definitely a keeper. I was able to assemble it in the baking dish and keep it cool ahead of time for a few hours until it was time to bake. Will definitely be making again!