Best Sausage Stuffing Dressing Recipe (2024)

By Rebecca Hubbell on | Updated | 1 Comment

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This Sausage Stuffing Recipe is a delicious side dish for Thanksgiving or big family dinners! This classic and simple dressing is made with cubed French bread, spices, chicken broth, and ground sausage, it’s the perfect addition to any holiday spread.

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This Sausage Stuffing Recipe is a delicious side dish for Thanksgiving or big family dinners! This classic and simple dressing is made with cubed French bread, spices, chicken broth, and ground sausage, it’s the perfect addition to any holiday spread.

Serve this signature side dish alongside turkey, corn casserole, and salt roasted sweet potatoes for a Thanksgiving meal the whole family will love!

Best Sausage Stuffing Dressing Recipe (2)

Looking for a Thanksgiving Sausage Stuffing that will really “wow”? This scratch-made side dish kicks the premade stuff to the curb!

Filled with comforting flavors, this is the best stuffing recipe to share with your loved ones. Even those who aren’t usually fans will be reaching for seconds!

Serve it alongside your favorite holiday sides like Green Bean Casserole, Orange Cranberry Sauce, and Mashed Potatoes!And if you’re a cornbread fan, try my Cornbread Dressing recipe!

Table of Contents

Why This Sausage Stuffing Recipe Works

  • Homemade croutons give you more control over the final texture and flavor of the stuffing.
  • This is a dressing recipe, so it’s cooked in its own dish but is still super flavorful!
  • Chicken broth makes up for the moisture you would normally get from the bird while cooking.
  • A lot of the prep work can be done in advance to free up time and kitchen space on Thanksgiving day.
Best Sausage Stuffing Dressing Recipe (3)

Sausage Stuffing Ingredients

  • French bread – Cut into cubes, this bubbly bread is soft and delicious but dries out when baked.
  • Ground sausage – The key to a rich and flavorful stuffing. I like to use a mild Italian sausage, but feel free to use your favorite ground selection.
  • Salted butter – Be sure to have a little extra for greasing the pan.
  • Garlic cloves, yellow onions, and celery – These are sauteed in butter and sausage drippings to release mouthwatering flavor.
  • Rosemary, thyme, sage, and parsley – I use fresh herbs for the best taste.
  • Eggs – These bind the entire dish together.
  • Chicken broth – To add moisture and flavor to the dish. It softens the bread cubes as it bakes and the liquid is absorbed and evaporates in the oven.
Best Sausage Stuffing Dressing Recipe (4)

How To Make Stuffing With Sausage

Step 1: Bread – Prepare the bread by cutting the loaf into cubes and spreading them out on a large baking sheet and baking at 200 degrees F for 1 hour.

Prepare your bread the day before Thanksgiving by cubing and baking to save on time. Store the bread crumbs in a large mixing bowl covered with plastic wrap so they’re ready when you need them.

Best Sausage Stuffing Dressing Recipe (5)

Step 2: Cook – In a large skillet, cook the sausage then transfer to a bowl and set aside. Next, melt the butter into the sausage drippings and add in the onions, celery, and garlic and cook until soft, about 10 minutes. Then add the sausage back into the skillet along with the herbs.

If using dried herbs instead of fresh, you’ll only need 1/4 of the listed amount in the recipe. So for the sage, this recipe calls for 2 tablespoons fresh, but you can use 1/2 tablespoon dried instead.

Best Sausage Stuffing Dressing Recipe (6)

Step 3: Bake In a large bowl, combine the baked bread crumbs and the sausage mixture. Beat the eggs in a separate bowl and then mix them with the rest of the ingredients along with the chicken broth.

Press the mixture into a greased 9×13-inch baking dish and bake.

Best Sausage Stuffing Dressing Recipe (7)

Sausage Stuffing FAQs

How do you make stuffing from scratch?

It’s actually really easy. The key components in traditional stuffings include bread cubes, herbs, eggs, and chicken broth. Ground sausage is also a common addition, like in this recipe!

Do you put an egg in stuffing?

Yes. The eggs bind everything together and prevent the mixture from completely crumbling apart.

What is the difference between dressing and stuffing?

Stuffing is traditionally cooked right inside a chicken or turkey, while dressing is cooked separately. So, this recipe is technically a dressing!

Can you assemble it the night before?

You can do plenty of prep work ahead of time to make assembly quick and easy on Thanksgiving day.

You can prepare most of your ingredients the night before. Just keep the sausage and wet ingredients separate until you’re ready to start cooking.

You can bake the cubed bread the night before too to dry it out so it’s good and ready to use.

Should dressing be cooked covered or uncovered?

The pan should be covered with foil and baked for the first 45 minutes in the oven to prevent over-drying. Uncover it for the last 15 minutes of baking.

How does it taste?

This sausage stuffing is soft and tender with a slightly crisp top. The butter and sausage add a mild richness and the herbs, garlic, onion, and celery really make this whole dish taste cozy and delicious.

Even though there are eggs in the mixture, it’s not eggy. The dish tastes and smells like Thanksgiving: warm, inviting, and delicious!

What kind of bread should I use?

This recipe uses French bread, but that’s just my personal preference. You could also use recipe white bread, Italian bread, challah, or sourdough bread. Just make sure to follow the same process for drying it out.

Best Sausage Stuffing Dressing Recipe (8)

Stuffing Substitutions & Variations:

  • Salt and pepper: If you prefer adding salt and pepper to taste, I suggest using unsalted butter and low-sodium chicken broth.
  • Dried herbs: While fresh minced herbs definitely taste best, you can use dried ones instead. If you can get at least one or two fresh herbs, use a mix of fresh and dried.
  • Poultry seasoning: You can also use poultry seasoning instead of adding the herbs individually.
  • Bread: If French bread isn’t available, you can use another kind of white bread that has a slight crust on the outside and is soft on the inside.
  • Vegetarian: If you’re looking for a meatless alternative, I recommend making this Vegetarian Stuffing recipe!

More Holiday Side Dish Recipes:

  • Roasted Delicata Squash – Roasted with cinnamon and brown sugar, it’s a tasty (and easy!) way to add some veggies to the table.
  • Perfect Yeast Rolls – These fluffy pull-apart rolls taste like they were made in a bakery. Serve with Herb Butter for even more deliciousness!
  • Sweet Potato Casserole – Filled with brown sugar, cinnamon, and pecans, this scrumptious recipe tastes like a dessert.
  • Orange Braised Carrots – Marinated in fresh orange juice, shallots, and spices, these colorful carrots are full of flavor.
  • Candied Yams – These honey-glazed yams will have picky eaters begging for more!

👋 Let’s Connect!

If you’ve tried thisrecipe, please let me know how you liked it in the comments below and leave a review. I love hearing from you!

Don’t forget to tag me – @sugarandsoulco on Instagram and Pinterest with your photos or join our Sugar & Soul Show-offs Community and share them there, where you can join our recipe challenges!

Best Sausage Stuffing Dressing Recipe (10)

Best Sausage Stuffing Dressing Recipe (11)

5 from 15 votes

Sausage Stuffing Recipe


Author Rebecca Hubbell

Course Side Dish

Cuisine American

Prep Time 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time 2 hours hours 15 minutes minutes

Total Time 2 hours hours 35 minutes minutes

This Sausage Stuffing Recipe is a delicious side dish for Thanksgiving or big family dinners! This classic and simple dressing is made with cubed French bread, spices, chicken broth, and ground sausage, it’s the perfect addition to any holiday spread.

Ingredients

  • 8 cups french bread cubed
  • 1 lb ground mild Italian sausage
  • ¾ cup salted butter plus more for greasing
  • 1 large yellow onion diced
  • 4 stalks celery leaves on and diced
  • 2 garlic cloves minced
  • 1 tablespoon fresh rosemary minced, (1 teaspoon, dried)
  • 1 tablespoon fresh thyme minced, (1 teaspoon dried)
  • 2 tablespoons fresh sage minced, (2 teaspoons dried)
  • cup parsley minced
  • 2 large eggs
  • 2 cups chicken broth

Instructions

Bread

  • Preheat oven to 200°F and cut French bread into slices and cut slices into cubes. Spread the cubes out on a baking sheet and bake for one hour.

  • Preheat the oven to 350°F and grease a 9×13-inch cake pan with butter.

  • Cook sausage in a skillet over medium heat until browned. Remove the sausage and put it in a medium bowl; set aside.

  • Add the butter to sausage dripping and melt. Once melted, add the diced onions, celery, and minced garlic. Cook for 10 minutes over medium heat or until onions are translucent.

  • Add the sausage and herbs to the onions, and remove from the heat stove.

  • Place the baked bread cubes in a large bowl and add the sausage and onions and mix to combine.

  • Beat the eggs in a separate bowl, then add them to the bread and sausage mixture with the chicken broth and mix well.

  • Press the mixture into the prepared baking dish, making sure there are no pieces sticking up or they will dry out during baking.

  • Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 45 minutes. Remove aluminum foil and bake an additional 15 minutes.

  • Remove from oven and let rest for 5 minutes before serving.

Video

Notes

  • You can do plenty of prep work ahead of time to make assembly quick and easy on Thanksgiving day. Cut and dice all your components the night before, but keep the sausage and wet ingredients separate until you’re about to bake the dish. You can bake the cubed bread the night before too to try it out so it’s good and ready to use.

  • Stuffing Substitutions & Variations:
    • Salt and pepper:If you prefer adding salt and pepper to taste, I suggest using unsalted butter and low sodium chicken broth.
    • Dried herbs:While fresh minced herbs definitely taste best, you can use dried ones instead. If you can get at least one or two fresh herbs, use a mix of fresh and dried. For any substitution of fresh herbs you only need 1/4 of the amount listed for dried herbs.
    • Poultry seasoning:You can also use poultry seasoning instead of adding the herbs individually.
    • Bread substitutes:If French bread isn’t available, look for another kind of white bread that has a slight crust on the outside and soft on the inside, nothing too hard or crunchy.

Nutrition

Calories: 557kcal | Carbohydrates: 73g | Protein: 21g | Fat: 20g | Saturated Fat: 9g | Cholesterol: 68mg | Sodium: 1054mg | Potassium: 328mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 524IU | Vitamin C: 6mg | Calcium: 82mg | Iron: 5mg

Did You Make This Recipe?

Don’t forget to share it with me on Instagram @sugarandsoulco and follow on Tiktok @sugarandsoulco and Pinterest @sugarandsoulco for more!

Reader Interactions

Share your thoughts!

Love this recipe? Share your thoughts with me below and leave a review! And don’t forget to connect on your favorite social platform below!

    Leave A Reply!

    Comments & Reviews

  1. HHarrison says

    Best Sausage Stuffing Dressing Recipe (12)
    My family does not usually like dressing but this recipe got thumbs up from the whole family, Definitely a keeper for me!

    Reply

Best Sausage Stuffing Dressing Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What's the difference between dressing and stuffing? ›

To understand the difference between the two, all you have to do is look at the cooking method. Stuffing is stuffed (literally) inside the cavity of the turkey, while dressing is roasted in a separate casserole dish.

Is stuffing better with or without eggs? ›

It's all about personal preference. If you want a sturdier dressing, eggs can help do that. I don't use eggs in this recipe, though, because I like a lighter, more crumbly texture in my dressing.

What is the difference between stuffing and dressing black folks? ›

The stuffing mixture may be cooked separately and served as a side dish, in which case it may still be called 'stuffing', or in some regions, such as the Southern US, 'dressing'. This is from Wiki. Basically, everyone except a tiny percentage of Black people with family in Alabama calls it stuffing.

Why is stuffing called dressing in the south? ›

But for the Thanksgiving side dish in the South, the term dressing was adopted in place of stuffing, which was viewed as a crude term, during the Victorian era. Although dressing and stuffing are interchangeable terms, the signature ingredient of this Thanksgiving side dish in the South is cornbread.

What is traditional stuffing made of? ›

Turkey stuffing was popularized in the early days of Thanksgiving, as it is written in many 16th-century Boston area documents. Stuffing most often uses dried bread, herbs, and vegetables that are reconstituted with liquid, stuffed into the turkey cavity, and baked until it is firm and finished cooking.

What does adding eggs to stuffing do? ›

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

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.

Is homemade stuffing better than boxed? ›

While the instant stuffing was actually a closer contender than most of our testers anticipated, the homemade won hearts (and palates) for its subtle flavor and pleasing texture.

What makes stuffing mushy? ›

If the stuffing came out too wet and soggy (aka bread soup!) try not to over mix it, otherwise it'll turn into mush. Curtis Stone says to pour it on a large sheet tray and spread it out. Bake it on high heat to crisp it up, but make sure it doesn't burn.

Why is my stuffing so moist? ›

The stuffing should be moist but not wet. If there is a puddle of broth at the bottom of the bowl, you've added too much. Add more bread to soak up the excess moisture.

Why is my dressing gummy? ›

If your dressing doesn't turn out right, don't fret. You can usually fix it. If you find your stuffing is too dry, add additional warmed broth to it, stir well, and return to the oven, checking periodically. If the stuffing is overly wet and too gummy, cook it uncovered for a bit longer, checking periodically.

How wet should dressing be before baking? ›

We recommend adding stock a little at a time--1/2 cup to 1 cup, depending on how much stuffing you're making--and waiting for the bread to absorb the liquid before adding more. Once the bread is moist but not sitting in a pool of stock, it's ready.

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

The short answer to whether you can making stuffing ahead of time is yes.

Do Southerners say stuffing or dressing? ›

Apparently in the South, what we all grew up knowing as stuffing is actually referred to as dressing.

Do Texans call it dressing or stuffing? ›

One funny thing about “stuffing” is that, in Texas, some people say “stuffing” and some people say “dressing.” Traditionally, it was called stuffing, because you stuffed the turkey with it. Other families don't like to stuff the turkey at all – and prepare it in a pan, calling it dressing.

Do Texans say stuffing or dressing? ›

Dressing is more commonly used to refer to the dish in the South, while stuffing is the more frequently used term in the North, Southern Living reported.

What is the difference between stuffing dressing and filling? ›

Both stuffing and filling have the same results, as the bird cooks, juices impart a deep, rich flavor to the bread mixture inside. On the other hand, dressing is the same bread mixture, but it's cooked in a separate vessel outside of the bird.

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