The Best Sausage Stuffing Recipe

Name: The Best Sausage Stuffing Recipe
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 50 min
Total time: 80 min
Yield: 10
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 1 lb good quality breakfast sausage; 1 large yellow onion, chopped; 3 celery stalks, chopped; 2 cloves garlic, minced; 1 loaf day-old French bread, cubed; 3 cups chicken broth; 2 large eggs; 1/4 cup unsalted butter; 1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped; 1 tbsp fresh sage, chopped; 1 tsp fresh thyme leaves; Salt and black pepper to taste

I’ll never forget the first time I tried to make this sausage stuffing. It was for my husband’s family Thanksgiving and I was so nervous. I thought I could just throw everything in a pan and be done. Big mistake. It came out so dry you could’ve used it as a hockey puck. My mother-in-law, god love her, took a bite and her smile just froze on her face. That was the moment I became obsessed with figuring out The Best Sausage Stuffing Recipe for real.

Recipe Card

Recipe Title	The Best Sausage Stuffing Recipe
Servings	8-10 people
Prep Time	30 minutes
Cooking Time	45-50 minutes
Calories	About 380 per serving

Ingredients

1 lb good quality breakfast sausage
1 large yellow onion, chopped
3 celery stalks, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 loaf day-old French bread, cubed
3 cups chicken broth
2 large eggs
1/4 cup unsalted butter
1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
1 tbsp fresh sage, chopped
1 tsp fresh thyme leaves
Salt and black pepper to taste

That breakfast sausage is key. I once used a fancy Italian sausage thinking it would be gourmet. It was not. The fennel seeds took over everything and it tasted like I was stuffing the turkey with pizza. Stick with a good, plain breakfast sausage. And for the bread, don’t use fresh, soft bread like I did that one time. It turns into absolute glue. Day-old, slightly stale bread is your best friend here, it soaks up all the good stuff without getting mushy.

Directions

Preheat your oven to 375°F and grease a 9×13 baking dish.
Spread your cubed bread on a baking sheet and toast it in the oven for about 10 minutes until it’s dry. Let it cool.
In a large skillet, cook the sausage over medium heat, breaking it up until it’s browned. Use a slotted spoon to move it to a big bowl.
In the same skillet with the sausage drippings, melt the butter. Add the onion and celery and cook until they’re soft, about 8 minutes.
Add the garlic, parsley, sage, and thyme and cook for one more minute until it smells amazing.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the chicken broth and eggs.
Add the toasted bread cubes and the veggie mixture to the big bowl with the sausage. Toss it all together gently.
Pour the broth and egg mixture over everything and stir until it’s all combined and the bread is moist.
Transfer the whole mix to your greased baking dish and cover it tightly with foil.
Bake for 30 minutes covered, then take the foil off and bake for another 15-20 minutes until the top is golden and crispy.

The step where you whisk the eggs into the broth is a big one. The first time, I didn’t whisk it enough and I just dumped the whole eggs in. I ended up with little cooked white bits throughout the stuffing, which was… not great. Whisk it really, really well so it’s totally smooth. And don’t skip toasting the bread! I was in a rush once and it was a disaster. The stuffing was so soggy it just slumped in the dish. Toasting the bread is the secret to getting that perfect texture.

This stuffing has saved my butt more than once. One year, I completely forgot to buy a turkey. Don’t ask me how, I just did. We had a giant pan of this sausage stuffing, some green beans, and a whole lot of pie. And you know what? No one even complained. It’s that kind of comfort food that can carry a meal. The leftovers are honestly maybe the best part. I fry up a big scoop in a skillet the next morning with an egg on top. It’s incredible.

I love that it’s basically a one-pot wonder, well, one skillet and one baking dish. Cleanup is a breeze, which is a big win on a busy holiday. I’ve tried to make it healthier a few times, using whole wheat bread and turkey sausage. It works okay, but my family always asks for the “real” version. So now I just make the real deal and we all enjoy it as our once-a-year treat.

If I had to change one thing next time, I’d maybe add some chopped apples. I had it at a friend’s house like that and the little sweet bites were so good with the savory sausage. I’m always a little scared to mess with a good thing though, you know? This recipe is my baby now after all my early fails.

Nutrition Info (per serving)

Calories	Carbs	Fat	Protein
380	28g	24g	14g

Okay, so it’s not a salad. I know that. But honestly, for a holiday side dish, it could be a lot worse. I was surprised the protein was that high, but I guess the sausage and eggs do their job. If you’re watching carbs, using a whole grain bread is a solid swap. For my gluten-free friends, I’ve used a GF baguette and it worked perfectly, just make sure your sausage and broth are GF too.

Ingredient Swaps

Ingredient	Substitution
French Bread	Sourdough or Italian Bread
Breakfast Sausage	Mild Italian Sausage (casings removed)
Celery	Fennel Bulb
Fresh Herbs	1 tsp each of dried herbs

The sourdough swap is my favorite, it gives it a nice little tang. But be careful with the fennel. I swapped celery for fennel once thinking it would be a fun, fancy twist. It was way too strong and licorice-y for my crowd. They were not fans. Dried herbs work in a pinch, but the flavor is just so much brighter and cleaner with fresh. I learned that the hard way after using dried sage that had been in my cupboard since, I don’t know, 2015. It tasted like dust.

Tips

Let the toasted bread cool completely before you mix everything. If it’s hot, it can start to cook the eggs in your liquid.
Don’t skip the foil for the first half of baking. It traps the steam and makes the stuffing super moist.
Season as you go! Taste your sausage and veggie mixture before you add the bread. It’s way easier to adjust then.

That last tip about seasoning I learned the hard way. I once just followed the recipe without tasting and ended up with the blandest stuffing known to man. I had to basically drown it in gravy to make it edible. Now I taste at every stage. And that foil thing? I was impatient one year and just baked it uncovered the whole time. The top was burnt and the inside was still kinda wet. It’s a crucial step, I promise.

FAQ

Can I make this sausage stuffing ahead of time?
Oh yeah, absolutely. I do it all the time. Just assemble the whole thing in the baking dish the day before, cover it tightly, and keep it in the fridge. When you’re ready, just pop it in the oven. You might need to add 5-10 minutes to the bake time since it’s going in cold.

Why is my stuffing so dry?
I feel your pain, this was my biggest problem for years. It’s usually one of two things. Either your bread was too dry to start with (toast it just until it’s *dry*, not rock hard) or you didn’t use enough broth. The bread should look really saturated before it goes in the oven. Don’t be shy with that liquid.

Can I cook this inside the turkey?
You can, but I don’t. I know it’s traditional, but I always found it so stressful. The turkey was done but the stuffing wasn’t hot enough, or the turkey would be dry waiting for the stuffing to cook through. Baking it separately in a dish means everything is done perfectly at the same time. And you get all those delicious crispy edges.

That’s everything I know about making The Best Sausage Stuffing Recipe! Hope you give it a try, and if you mess it up, you’re in good company—I do it all the time.