Easy Sausage Stuffing Recipe
Posted Oct 27, 2019, Updated Nov 11, 2024
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This Easy Sausage Stuffing Recipe is the best! This buttery, savory, flavorful, herb-infused Thanksgiving stuffing (dressing) will become your go-to stuffing recipe! Use it to stuff a turkey or bake it on it’s own!
Everyone in my family has a different favorite must-make dish on Thanksgiving. Mine is sweet potato casserole, my kids love dinner rolls and cranberry sauce, and Ritch’s is this sausage stuffing!
It’s an easy and delicious Thanksgiving stuffing that’s always a crowd-pleaser (along with this cornbread dressing)! Loaded with herbs, garlic, onion and of course, sausage, this recipe is bursting with flavor.
Honestly, this sausage stuffing could be a meal all by itself. But we love serving it with our Thanksgiving dinner!
Sausage Stuffing Recipe: Ingredients
Before we dive into the process of making this stuffing recipe, let’s chat about the ingredients! The big players are pictured below!
- Herb stuffing mix. I recommend using a 12 ounce package of herbed stuffing. If you can only find 10 or 14 ounce packages they work well too! You will simply need to either add less or a touch more chicken broth, depending on the size. But keep all other ingredients the same. If you want to make it without a mix, try this homemade stuffing recipe made from scratch.
- Maple Sausage. Use your favorite sausage. I use mild, but you can also use hot or spicy to give the sausage stuffing a little kick.
- Herbs (rosemary, parsley, sage). fresh herbs are the star of the show in this sausage stuffing recipe. In a pinch you can use dried herbs, but the flavor won’t be as fresh.
- Celery. celery adds both flavor and crunch to this stuffing recipe, and I don’t recommend omitting it. You could also use carrots or bell peppers.
- Onion. If your family doesn’t love onion you can substitute onion powder for the freshly diced onion.
- Salted butter. olive oil, unsalted butter & ghee are good substitutions.
How to Make Sausage Stuffing
Let’s walk through this recipe step-by-step, and don’t forget to watch the video.
The first step is combining the stuffing mix and chicken broth. Stir the mixture every few minutes to ensure that the stuffing is absorbing the broth! Set it aside while you prepare the rest of the recipe!
While the stuffing is setting, sauté the sausage, spices, vegetables and herbs in a non-stick fry pan. Start by sautéing the sausage until it is just starting to brown, then add the rest of the ingredients.
Next, add the sausage mixture to the stuffing/broth and stir gently until everything is evenly combined. Taste and adjust the salt and pepper to your liking if necessary.
Bake
There are a few different ways you could go about baking this sausage stuffing.
- Stuff it in a turkey. If you are making this stuffing recipe to go inside your turkey, stuff it according to the recipe you’re using to cook your bird!
- Bake uncovered. If you like a crunchy top (like I do) then bake the stuffing uncovered for about 20 minutes!
- Bake covered. If you like a softer stuffing, then bake it in a casserole dish with a lid or cover the baking dish with foil!
Store/Freeze
Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days, or in the freezer for up to 2 months.
Sausage Stuffing Recipe FAQs
I almost always make this sausage stuffing recipe the day before Thanksgiving. To do this, follow these steps:
1. Follow the recipe completely, including baking.
2. Let stuffing cool to room temperature.
3. Cover with foil or a lid (if your baking dish has one).
4. Store in the refrigerator overnight.
To reheat: Cover stuffing and bake in the oven at 350 degrees until warmed through. Remove cover in the last 5-10 minutes of baking to restore the crunchy top!
I don’t recommend doing this. If you want to refrigerate or freeze stuffing, I recommend baking it first. Then, cover it tightly and put it in the fridge or freezer. That way on the day of Thanksgiving (or Christmas or Easter, etc.) you can just warm it up in the oven!
Yes! Cooked sausage stuffing freezes exceptionally well! Just make sure to store it in an airtight container, and warm it in the oven.
Technically speaking, it’s called “stuffing” when it is actually stuffed inside of a bird, and “dressing” when baked separately. However I grew up calling it stuffing no matter how it happened to be cooked! 🙂 So basically, they are one in the same!
Serving Suggestions for Sausage Stuffing
Obviously I recommend making this sausage stuffing recipe as part of your Thanksgiving feast! Check out our favorite Thanksgiving Recipes.
Or, serve it on other holidays with main dishes like Roast Turkey, Slow Cooker Pot Roast, etc.
If you make and love our recipes, it would mean so much to me if you would leave a comment and rating! And don’t forget to follow along with us on Instagram, Pinterest, Facebook, and Youtube – be sure to tag @joyfoodsunshine and use the hashtag #joyfoodsunshine so we can see your creations!
Sausage Stuffing Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 pound maple pork sausage (or your favorite variety)
- ½ cup onion diced
- ½ cup celery diced
- 1 Tablespoon minced garlic
- 2 Tablespoons salted butter
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 Tablespoon minced fresh rosemary
- 1 Tablespoon minced fresh sage leaves
- 1 Tablespoon minced fresh parsley
- 12 ounces package herb seasoned stuffing
- 4 cups chicken broth
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Grease a 9×13” pan, set aside.
- Combine stuffing mixture and chicken broth in a large bowl, gently stirring every 2 minutes until the liquid is absorbed by the stuffing. Set aside.
- Place sausage in a large skillet and cook over medium heat until it just begins to brown (about 5 minutes), breaking it into small pieces as you cook.
- Once the sausage begins to brown, add butter and stir until it is melted.
- Add onion, garlic, celery, rosemary, sage leaves, and parsley and cook until veggies are soft and sausage is browned (about 5 minutes).
- Add salt and pepper and stir to combine.
- Add sausage mixture to the bowl with the stuffing and mix until evenly combined. Taste the stuffing and adjust the salt and pepper as desired.
- At this point, you can use this stuffing to stuff a turkey or bake as described in the next steps:
- Add stuffing to the prepared baking dish.
- Bake 20-25 minutes in the preheated oven until the top is set and slightly browned/firm. I personally love a crunchy top, but if you like it soft you can bake it covered with foil.
- Serve warm!
Video
Notes
- Follow the recipe completely, including baking.
- Let stuffing cool to room temperature.
- Cover with foil or a lid (if your baking dish has one).
- Store in the refrigerator overnight.
- To reheat: Cover stuffing and bake in the oven at 350 degrees until warmed through. Remove cover in the last 5-10 minutes of baking to restore the crunchy top!
- Herb stuffing mix. I recommend using a 12 oz package of herbed stuffing (like pictured above). If you can only find 10z or 14 oz packages that works too! You will simply need to either add less or a touch more chicken broth, depending on the size. But keep all other ingredients the same. Or try this from-scratch homemade stuffing recipe.
- Maple Sausage. Use your favorite sausage. I use mild, but you can also use hot or spicy.
-
- Herbs (rosemary, parsley, sage). In a pinch you can use dried herbs, but the flavor won’t be as fresh.
- Butter. If you’d prefer, you can use olive oil but butter its the best.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I didn’t see any eggs in this recipe and most of the other sausage recipe s I’ve looked at included them for binding
Should I consider using them?
This recipe doesn’t require eggs.
I just made it a day ahead of time for Thanksgiving.
Although I don’t usually don’t change many recipes I did for the first time with this recipe.
I used half Italian sausage and half chicken sausage. Also added a lot more butter 6 T. and used a medium onion diced, more celery and didn’t have rosemary so used some thyme (my Mom always used in stuffing). Also added a small amount of hot red pepper flakes.
All very delicious tasting before I put it in a zip lock bag and will heat up on Thanksgiving Day in a casserole dish.
Thank you Allie!! Happy Thanksgiving!
Approximately how long do you find it takes to re-warm the stuffing (I’m baking early morning and reheating for dinner time).
I’d say about 20-25 minutes.
Can I mix everything together and bake the next day? Or just wait
Yes I do this all the time!
Can you make it the night before without baking it until the next day? My family likes their stuffing on the dry side can I use less broth
This is amazing! My 10yo daughter is a picky easter, but will eat a whole breast on hey own when I cook this. Thank you so much for sharing this recipe.
oh my gosh! YUM! This looks amazing. Thank you! We just made your Mac and Cheese. The kids LOVED it!