Sausage Herb Stuffing will show up the traditional dish at your holiday table, with loads of ground sausage, fresh herbs like sage and rosemary, and the perfect balance of soft bread cubes and a crispy top! Learn how easy it is to make the best and most classic Thanksgiving and Christmas side dish, completely from scratch.
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Whether you call it stuffing or dressing, this broth-soaked bread cube casserole is one of the BEST and most iconic Thanksgiving side dishes!
We’ll be going over all of the nitty-gritty details of how to make this dish completely from scratch, but you’ll also learn a few shortcuts if you’d prefer to save a little time making the best Thanksgiving stuffing.
(And if you prefer your stuffing made from cornbread, check out this Southern Cornbread Sausage Dressing!)
Ingredients
For the exact measurements and detailed instructions, you can jump to the recipe.
- Bread. There are a few options you can choose from. Baguette is what was used when testing this recipe. It has a nice crust and soft middle giving the finished dish a delightful crisp. White bread is easy to find. It will come out a little bit mushier, but it does come together into a cohesive dish easily. Challah bread is a little on the sweet side but forms a great bread pudding-like texture. “French” bread can be used, but it has a tendency to turn into mush after baking. Grab a bag of bread cubes from the grocery store, they are the easiest to use since they are already dried out and prepared.
- Ground sausage. There are a ton of different types of sausage you can use when making stuffing. The type you use depends on whether you want the dish to have a bit of a spicy kick or be more on the mild side. You can choose ground Italian-style spicy sausage, ground Italian-style mild sausage, ground breakfast sausage, or Andouille sausage links (more of a Cajun flair!)
- Broth. Chicken or vegetable broth can be used. If using a low-sodium broth, make sure to adjust the amount of salt you use. For a richer taste, you can go with chicken stock if you prefer.
- Fresh Herbs. Sage, rosemary, and thyme are all used to give this dish tons of herbal flavor. If using dried herbs, use 1 teaspoon of dried for every 1 tablespoon of fresh called for in the recipe.
- Veggies. Both onion and celery add so much flavor to this dish. Be sure to dice the onion and celery into small pieces.
How to Make Sausage Stuffing
Jump to the recipe for the full instructions, ingredient amounts, and a printable recipe.
- Cut the bread cubes. It’s best if you can cut your bread into similarly sized ½-inch cubes. Cut your loaf of bread into slices using a serrated bread knife. (If it’s not already.) Then, cut each slice of bread into ½-inch cubes.
- Dry out the bread: You can dry bread on the counter by placing cubes on a large baking sheet and let sit at room temperature for 24-48 hours. To bake in the oven, place bread cubes on one or two large baking sheets and spread out until they’re almost in a single layer. Bake in a preheated 275°F oven for 40 minutes, tossing halfway through. The cubes should be dried out but not as hard as a crouton.
- Cook the veggies. Add the butter or oil along with the onion, celery, minced garlic, and ½-teaspoon salt to a large saucepan or skillet over medium heat. Sauté for 7 to 8 minutes, or until the veggies are tender.
- Add the meat. Push the sautéed onions and celery to the side of the skillet. Drop in the ground sausage and cook for 8 to 10 minutes. Be sure to crumble sausage into small pieces with a potato masher. Stir the veggies into the sausage mixture.
- Whisk the eggs and broth. Add the eggs, herbs, paprika, 1 cup of the chicken broth, and the remaining salt and black pepper to a medium-sized bowl. Use a whisk to thoroughly mix everything together.
- Add the bread. Pour the dry bread cubes into an extra-large mixing bowl. Trust me, you want some space to stir everything together. Carefully drizzle the egg mixture over the bread. Use a large wooden spoon to stir the eggs into the bread.
- Add the sausage and veggies. Stir the sautéed veggies and cooked sausage into the bread and egg mixture. Thoroughly toss to ensure everything is mixed well. Lightly coat a 9×13-inch baking dish a with non-stick cooking spray, then add the stuffing mixture to the prepared baking dish. Then, pour 2 more cups of broth over the entire dish.
- Bake in the oven. Cover the mix with a sheet of aluminum foil. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes. Then, remove the foil. Check to see if it needs any more broth. If it’s looking dried out, pour another ½- to 1-cup of broth over the bread. Bake for another 20 to 30 minutes uncovered. It will be golden brown on top.
Cook’s Tip: To get the top extra crispy, brush with 2 tablespoons of butter and broil for an additional 2-3 minutes.
Meal Prep and Storage
- Prep-Ahead: You can make this recipe up to 2 days in advance. To do this, simply follow all of the directions until you would pour the 2 cups of broth over the bread cubes. Stop at this point and cover the dish with aluminum foil.
- Storage: Keep leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3- 4 days.
- Freezing: You can easily freeze this stuffing for up to 3 to 4 months. Just be sure it’s tightly covered in a freezer-safe container.
- Reheating: Pull the stuffing out of the refrigerator at least 1 hour in advance so it can come to room temperature before baking. Then, reheat in a 250°F degree oven to avoid drying out.
FAQs
Traditionally, sausage stuffing is made with ground sausage, dried bread cubes, veggies, and herbs held together with an egg-broth base. This dish is perfect for Thanksgiving Day or Christmas dinner.
Stuffing is much better WITH eggs. Eggs are used to bind the bread cubes together with the meat, veggies, and herbs.
You can definitely freeze sausage stuffing! In fact, it freezes exceptionally well, so feel free to make it ahead of time.
This sausage herb stuffing recipe is perfect to make ahead of time. Follow the instructions, then cover and place in the fridge just before baking for the best results.
More Thanksgiving Side Dish Recipes
Turkey Day wouldn’t be complete without these other side dish recipes! Sides might be the best part of Thanksgiving Dinner, and the holiday season in general.
You’ve got to have a classic side dish like Green Bean Casserole from Scratch and Sweet Potato Casserole with Pecans.
You can also whip up a family favorite like Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes, Butternut Squash Mac and Cheese, and Orange Cranberry Sauce to round out the meal. And don’t miss out on Mashed Butternut Squash.
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Best Sausage & Herb Stuffing
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Ingredients
- 1 pound bread 10-12 cups bread cubes*
- 1 large sweet onion finely diced
- 3 stalks celery finely diced
- 4 tablespoons butter or oil
- 4 cloves garlic crushed
- 1 pound ground sausage mild or spicy Italian sausage
- 1 tablespoon each rosemary sage, thyme, fresh
- 2 eggs
- ½ teaspoon paprika
- 3 – 4 cups chicken broth regular sodium
- 1 ½ teaspoons salt divided
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- Dry Bread Cubes: Cut bread into ½-inch cubes using a serrated knife. Either let bread cubes sit out for 24-48 hours to dry or add to a 275°F oven for 40-45 minutes on a large sheet pan.1 pound bread
- Saute the Veggies: Once breadcrumbs are done drying out, change oven temperature to 375°F. Add butter or oil, onion, celery, crushed garlic, and ½ teaspoon salt to a large saucepan or skillet over medium heat. Saute for 7-8 minutes, or until vegetables become tender.1 large sweet onion, 3 stalks celery, 4 tablespoons butter, 4 cloves garlic
- Add the Meat: Push vegetables to the side of the skillet and add ground sausage. Cook for 8-10 minutes, or until cooked through. Crumble sausage using a potato masher so there are no large clumps remaining.1 pound ground sausage
- Coat Breadcrumbs: Whisk together eggs, herbs, paprika, 1 cup chicken broth, remaining salt, and black pepper in a medium-sized bowl. Add dried bread cubes to an extra-large bowl and toss together with egg mixture. Pour in sautéed veggies and sausage. Mix until well combined.1 tablespoon each rosemary, 2 eggs, ½ teaspoon paprika, 3 – 4 cups chicken broth, ½ teaspoon black pepper, 1 ½ teaspoons salt
- Bake in the Oven: Lightly coat a 13×9-inch baking sheet with non-stick cooking spray and pour in stuffing mixture. Pour 2 more cups of broth over the entire dish. Cover dish with aluminum foil and bake for 30-35 minutes. Remove the aluminum foil and check stuffing to see if it needs more broth. If it does, pour remaining ½ cup to 1 cup of broth over the stuffing and return to oven for 20-30 minutes.
- Serve with a sprinkle of fresh herbs and enjoy!
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Notes
- Topping: To get the top extra crispy, brush with an additional 2 tablespoons of butter and broil for an additional 2-3 minutes.
- Bread: White bread, baguette, Challah, and store-bought bread cubes will all work great.
- Storage: Keep leftover stuffing in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3- 4 days.
- Sausage: You can leave the meat out if you prefer.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Is the entire dish supposed to be baked at 275 degrees as well? I don’t see any other temperature listed.
So sorry for the confusion! The stuffing should be baked at 375°F. Thank you for asking, Kristina!