This savory sausage stuffing recipe is a delicious classic dish.

Ground pork sausage, onions, and celery are baked along with seasoned cubes of bread and fresh herbs.

casserole dish of Sausage Stuffing

You’ll Be Making This Savory Sausage Stuffing on Repeat Because…

  • It’s so savory and aromatic from the fresh herbs.
  • The sausage adds a rich and hearty taste to the stuffing.
  • Bread crumbs soak up all the flavors and remain soft and chewy with a crispy topping.
  • Sausage stuffing is a delicious meal on its own topped with homemade gravy or stuffed into chicken thighs.
unmixed ingredients of stuffing in a dish

What You’ll Need for Sausage Stuffing

Sausage: Ground pork sausage adds juicy flavor to this recipe. You can also use a package of sage, maple, or Italian sausage.

Bread Cubes: Buy them or make them with the bread you have on hand. Cornbread will add a sweet balance to salty sausage.

Broth: Homemade chicken or turkey broth or any canned or boxed variety can be used in this recipe. Use just enough to moisten the bread since the other ingredients add flavorful moisture to the recipe.

Get Creative!

  • Add chopped pieces of red or green apple or dried cranberries and currents for a festive and fruity dish.
  • For a little extra crunch, toss with toasted pecan or walnuts.
  • Stir in sauteed mushrooms or sun-dried tomatoes for some extra savory depth.
ingredients of stuffing with celery in a pan

Your Guide to Sausage Stuffing Perfection

  1. Brown sausage and reserving the drippings.
  2. Saute garlic, vegetables, and seasonings in butter.
  3. Combine all ingredients, toss with broth, and bake (full recipe below).

Stuff The Turkey!

The stuffing should be room temperature or cooled and not stuffed in the turkey until just before roasting. Remember the center of the stuffing needs to reach 165°F as the drippings from the turkey enter the stuffing when cooking.

Save It & Savor It

Make Ahead: Prepare up to two days ahead and keep covered in the refrigerator until ready to bake. Remove from the fridge at least 30 minutes before baking, and bake as directed (adding 5-10 minutes if necessary).

Fridge: Keep leftover sausage stuffing covered in the refrigerator for up to 3 days and reheat in the microwave.

Freezer: Sausage stuffing can be frozen in zippered bags for up to 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight. Reheat in the oven, covered in foil at 325°F until heated through. Use leftovers to stuff bell peppers or to top a casserole.

Classic Thanksgiving Sides

Did you enjoy this Sausage Stuffing Recipe? Leave a comment and rating below.

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cooked Sausage Stuffing
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Sausage Stuffing Recipe

This sausage stuffing recipe is the perfect side dish for any holiday dinner.
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 35 minutes
Total Time 50 minutes
Servings 10 servings
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Ingredients  

  • 1 pound ground pork sausage
  • 1 tablespoon butter
  • 1 large onion diced
  • 1 cup celery diced
  • 2 cloves garlic minced
  • 2 tablespoons fresh herbs 2 tbsp total of any combination of parsley, thyme, rosemary and/or sage or 1 teaspoon dried herbs
  • ½ teaspoon poultry seasoning
  • ¼ teaspoon black pepper
  • 8 cups dry bread cubes
  • 2 to 3 cups chicken broth
  • ¼ cup butter melted

Instructions 

  • Preheat the oven to 375˚F
  • In a large skillet, brown the sausage over medium-high heat until no pink remains. Transfer the sausage to a bowl, reserving the drippings.
  • Add 1 tablespoon butter to the skillet along with the drippings. Add onion, celery, garlic, and poultry seasoning and cook over medium heat until softened, about 5 minutes.
  • In a large mixing bowl, add dried bread cubes, cooled sausage, onions mixture, and fresh herbs. Toss to combine.
  • Add 1 cup of broth, gently tossing it with the bread, and let it sit briefly to absorb. Add more broth as needed to moisten the bread cubes, you may not need all of the broth. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
  • Place in a 2 ½ qt casserole dish and drizzle with ¼ cup melted butter.
  • Bake uncovered for 25 minutes or until golden.

Notes

Broth: The amount of broth needed will vary based on the type of bread used. Start with 1 cup and add more as needed to ensure the bread isn’t mushy. 
Seasoning: Broth and sausage can vary in salt levels. It’s okay to taste the stuffing for seasoning once the bread has been tossed with the broth, as all ingredients in the recipe are cooked. 
To Dry Bread Cubes: Cube the bread and leave on a baking tray at room temperature for at least 24 hours or up to 1 month.
To quickly dry bread, place the cubes in a single layer and dry in the oven at 250°F for 15 to 20 minutes. Cool before using. Measure bread cubes after drying.
Make Ahead  Prepare the recipe as directed without baking. Cover and refrigerate for up to 48 hours.  Remove the stuffing from the fridge at least 30 minutes before baking. Bake as directed, adding 5 to 10 minutes if needed.
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3 days or freeze for up to 3 months.
5 from 36 votes

Nutrition Information

Calories: 334 | Carbohydrates: 24g | Protein: 13g | Fat: 21g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 8g | Trans Fat: 0.3g | Cholesterol: 49mg | Sodium: 729mg | Potassium: 254mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 262IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 79mg | Iron: 2mg

Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.

Course Side Dish
Cuisine American
ingredients to make Sausage Stuffing in a bowl and cooked in the dish with a title
hearty and filling Sausage Stuffing with writing
homemade Sausage Stuffing with a title
baked Sausage Stuffing in a casserole dish with a title

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About the author

Holly Nilsson is the creator of Spend With Pennies, where she creates easy, comforting recipes made for real life. With a passion for nostalgic flavors and simplified techniques, Holly helps busy home cooks create delicious meals that always work. She is also the author of “Everyday Comfort,” which promises to inspire even more hearty, home-cooked meals.
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Comments

  1. This was a dish my mother used to make for stuffing the turkey at Christmas. I had never made it because I didn’t have the recipe.
    I wasn’t sure how much liquid to put in and I think it was a bit too moist but my whole family loved it. Even the grandchildren who I thought wouldn’t touch it because of some of the ingredients. Wrong. When we went to our daughters at the weekend for a family dinner, my grandson asked why hadn’t I made the stuffing to go with the roast instead of his Mums packet mix. I won’t let that happen again!

    Thank you Holly for this happy memories recipe.5 stars

    1. Dorothy, what a heartwarming story! It’s amazing how food can bring back cherished memories and even create new ones with family. So glad this recipe helped you reconnect with a special tradition—sounds like your stuffing is now a must-have at family dinners!

  2. Hi Holly, I’ve been following you a very very long time lol, love your recipe’s.
    If I use store bought bread cubes I assume I need more broth right? They are bigger and have white and brown bread.

    :)

    1. It can vary a little bit based on the density of the bread and how much liquid it soaks up—usually store bought will need a bit more. I would suggest adding broth a little at a time, stir and let rest so the bread can soak up the broth, and then add a little more. Repeat until the bread is moist but not soggy.

  3. I am planning to make this, but was going to stuff the bird. Can I do that? Any advice or adjustments I should factor in? thank you!

    1. You absolutely can use this recipe to stuff a bird. If stuffing a turkey, stuffing should be room temperature or cool and not stuffed in the turkey until just before roasting, no other changes needed. Completely cool the stuffing first, the center of the stuffing should reach 165°F as the drippings from the bird enter the stuffing.

  4. EXCELLENT recipe! I made this into stuffing balls. I prepared the recipe as is and rolled into balls. I baked what I needed and froze the rest unbaked to be used another time. Easy peasy and SO GOOD!5 stars

  5. recipe is similiar to mine but I add sauerkraut and mushrooms……love your recipes.
    Have a Happy Thanksgiving.

    1. Hi Barbara, you want to use a total of 2 tablespoons fresh herbs. If using parsley, thyme, rosemary, and sage you will want to use 1/2 tablespoon each. I hope this helps!

      1. I add chopped apples, craisins and chopped cranberries along with mixing chicken broth with apple cider. Delicious! Along with the sausage and bread etc.

  6. Hi Holly!

    Love this recipe and trying it for our late Thanksgiving dinner tomorrow. Hope yours was great! For the fresh herbs, is it two TBSP each? Or altogether?

    Thanks for sharing this! It sounds amazing!

    1. Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family too Mike. This is 2 tablespoons total. Let us know how it works out for you!

  7. First time making the stuffing I wanted to make it before Thanksgiving to make sure that it came out great and it absolutely did…. great flavors perfect texture can’t wait to make it for Thanksgiving fir Family and Friends this will be a yearly addition to the Thanksgiving day table, gobble gobble5 stars

  8. Hi Holly.. I would like to make this stuffing for Thanksgiving and was wondering how much to add of each ingrediant to make 12 servings instead of 10? Can I use your Easy Stuffing Recipe and just add the sausage? Thanks

    1. If you click “PRINT” on the print page you can increase the servings to 12 and it will give you the amounts to use. You can also add stuffing to the other recipe if you’d like!

  9. Have not made this recipe but plan to soon. In looking at another one of your recipes, I saw you do not add raw eggs – is this only when stuffing a turkey but you add eggs to the dressing recipe? Thank you.

    1. You can add raw eggs if you’d like. Some recipes do and some don’t, it helps to bind the stuffing a little bit. I do add it to my crock pot stuffing recipe.

  10. Used this recipe over the weekend for an early thanksgiving dinner, and it was excellent! I’d definitely use it again. Oh, and leftovers are the best :)5 stars

    1. Yes this will work just fine in a slow cooker. I would suggest following the directions for Crock Pot Stuffing.

  11. I have a question about making this the night before. Do you add all ingredients.. even the broth.. and bake fully then put in the fridge or do you add all ingredients, even broth and refrigerate then bake the next day?

    1. Hi Tiffany, we add all the ingredients together in the casserole dish, cover and store in the fridge up to 24 hours ahead. Then take it out and bake as directed on the day.