This homemade Sausage Stuffing Recipe is packed with savory sausage, tender bread cubes, and simple herbs for a delicious holiday side dish. Serve it alongside a Thanksgiving turkey with a little gravy poured over the top. It’s a must-have for your holiday menu!
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Holly’s Recipe Highlights: Sausage Stuffing Recipe
- Why Make It: The vegetables cook in the sausage drippings, adding extra savory flavor to every bite without needing any extra ingredients.
- Skill Level: Easy! Just brown the sausage, sauté the vegetables, toss everything together, and bake until golden.
- Time-Saver: Use packaged dry bread cubes to save prep time.
- Total Time:
- 50 mins
- Serves:
- 10 servings
- Rating:
- 5.0/5
Ingredient Notes
- Pork Sausage: Use seasoned ground pork sausage for the best flavor. If using sausage links, remove the casings before browning.
- Celery: Dice the celery into small, even pieces so it softens nicely and blends well with the bread cubes.
- Poultry Seasoning: Use store-bought or try homemade poultry seasoning.
- Fresh Herbs: Parsley, thyme, rosemary, and sage add classic stuffing flavor. Finely chop rosemary and sage so their stronger flavors are evenly distributed, or substitute with dried herbs.
- Dry Bread Cubes: White bread makes a softer stuffing, while French bread or sourdough adds a heartier texture. If drying your own bread, let it dry completely before measuring, or use plain, unseasoned packaged bread cubes for convenience and better control over the seasoning.
- Chicken Broth: Different breads absorb different amounts of liquid, so start with a little broth and add more as needed until the bread cubes are evenly moistened. Use low-sodium broth or make homemade chicken stock so you can easily adjust the seasoning to taste.
Variations
- Dried Cranberries: Fold in a small handful for a touch of sweetness.
- Mushrooms: Sauté chopped mushrooms with the vegetables until their moisture evaporates to add extra savory flavor.
- Bread Blend: Combine white bread and sourdough for a stuffing with soft, tender pieces and a little extra chew.
How to Make Sausage Stuffing
- Brown the sausage, and sauté the vegetables with butter and poultry seasoning.
- Toss with dried bread and herbs, adding broth until moistened (full recipe below).
- Transfer to a casserole dish, drizzle with melted butter, and bake.
Make Ahead and Leftovers
- Prep Ahead: Dry the bread cubes and cook the sausage and vegetable mixture in advance. Refrigerate the cooked mixture promptly, then combine everything with the bread and broth just before baking.
- Refrigerator: Keep leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Add a splash of broth when reheating to keep it moist.
- Freeze: Bake, cool, and freeze portions in an airtight container for up to 3 months.
- Reheat: Place the leftover stuffing in an oven-safe dish, add a splash of chicken broth to keep it moist, cover with foil, and bake at 350°F for 20 to 30 minutes or until heated through. Remove the foil for the last few minutes if you’d like to crisp up the top.
Serve leftover stuffing with turkey and gravy, tuck it into turkey roll-ups, or use it as a flavorful filling for stuffed pork chops.
Round Out Your Turkey Dinner
Did you enjoy this Sausage Stuffing Recipe? Leave a comment and rating below.
Sausage Stuffing Recipe
This sausage stuffing combines browned pork, tender bread cubes, and herbs with a buttery golden top. It’s a savory side for turkey, chicken, or holiday dinners.
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground pork sausage
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 large onion diced
- 1 cup celery diced
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- ½ teaspoon poultry seasoning
- 8 cups dry bread cubes
- 2 tablespoons fresh herbs 2 tbsp total of any combination of parsley, thyme, rosemary and/or sage or 1 teaspoon dried herbs
- 2 to 3 cups chicken broth
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 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.
Mix gently and spoon the stuffing loosely into the baking dish without pressing it down.
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.
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
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I want to try this. Most often, I make a casserole, chill it for a day before baking, or freeze it unbaked to bake much later. My question is if I chill it unbaked for a day before baking it, will I want to add less or more broth? Will it just not matter?
Hi Laurel! I typically recommend to Ddry the bread cubes and cook the sausage and vegetable mixture in advance. Refrigerate the cooked mixture promptly, then combine everything with the bread and broth just before baking. If you combine everything before hand you may want to use less broth and then add more right before baking. If you try it I would love to hear how it turns out!
If I were to use store bought bread cubes, what flavor should I use and should the other herbs in the recipe be adjusted?
I would recommend plain, unseasoned packaged bread cubes so you can control the seasoning with this recipe.