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 took a few years of being married for me to get this sausage stuffing to be just perfect, and I can honestly say it's the best Thanksgiving stuffing I've ever had (along with this cornbread dressing)! Loaded with herbs, garlic, onion and of course, sausage, this stuffing 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 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.
- Maple Sausage. I love the flavor of maple pork sausage in this stuffing recipe. It's so delicious. However, feel free to use your favorite sausage. I use mild, but you can also use hot or spicy to give the sausage stuffing a little kick. Turkey sausage is a great option too.
- Herbs (rosemary, parsley, sage). fresh herbs are the star of the show in this sausage stuffing recipe. As much as you can, please try to use them! In a pinch you can use dried herbs, but the flavor won't be as fresh.
- Garlic. I recommend using minced garlic, however fresh roasted garlic or garlic powder also work well.
- 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.
- Chicken broth. from a carton, can or homemade it all works perfectly in this sausage stuffing.
- Butter. there is only 1 TBS of butter in this sausage stuffing, and it adds just enough buttery flavor without overwhelming the other ingredients. I personally don't recommend leaving it out, but you could use 1 TBS olive oil, ghee or canola oil instead if you'd prefer.
- Olive oil. any neutral oil works well if you don't have olive oil (avocado oil, canola oil, etc.)
How to make sausage stuffing
Ok, now that we've discussed the ingredients, let's move on to walking through this stuffing recipe step-by-step!
Combine stuffing mix & broth
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!
Sauté sausage, vegetables & herbs
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.
FAQs about how to make Stuffing
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! Here are some of the recipes we make on Thanksgiving:
- Turkey: this Roast Turkey and the best Turkey Gravy are must-makes on the Thanksgiving or any holiday!
- Sweet Potatoes. This is the best sweet potato casserole ever, or try this healthy sweet potato casserole! If you like crisp potatoes (as opposed to mashed) try these maple roasted sweet potatoes!
- This butternut squash soup makes a great appetizer!
- Green Beans. I always make these apple cider sautéed green beans on Thanksgiving! These Parmesan roasted green beans are also a huge hit!
- Brussels Sprouts! This recipe for Balsamic Roasted Brussels Sprouts will turn a sprouts-hater into a sprouts-lover! Also try this Brussel Sprout Salad!
- Beets! We LOVE these balsamic roasted beets! They're like vegetable candy!
- Apples. These sautéed cinnamon apples always make an appearance on our holiday table. Or you can combine them with sweet potatoes and make roasted sweet potatoes and apples!
- Cranberry Sauce. I'm all about homemade cranberry sauce! Try our favorite traditional cranberry sauce or our healthy cranberry sauce.
- PIE! Try this apple pie, pumpkin pie (from scratch), dairy-free pumpkin pie, apple crumble pie, or this chocolate peanut butter pie!
- Apple crisp is also a favorite dessert!
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Sausage Stuffing Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 lb. maple pork sausage (or your favorite variety)
- ½ cup onion diced
- ½ cup celery diced
- 1 tsp minced garlic
- 1 TBS butter
- 1 TBS olive oil
- ¼ tsp sea salt
- ¼ tsp black pepper
- 1 TBS minced fresh rosemary
- 1 TBS minced fresh sage leaves
- 1 TBS minced fresh parsley
- 12 oz package herb seasoned stuffing
- 4 cups chicken broth
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Grease a 9x13” 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 olive oil and butter and stir until butter 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
How to make this Stuffing Recipe in advance:
I almost always make this sausage stuffing recipe the day before Thanksgiving. To do this, follow these steps:- 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!
Ingredient Substitutions
- 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.
- Maple Sausage. I love the flavor of maple pork sausage in this stuffing recipe. It's so delicious. However, feel free to use your favorite sausage. I use mild, but you can also use hot or spicy to give the sausage stuffing a little kick. Turkey sausage is a great option too.
- Herbs (rosemary, parsley, sage). fresh herbs are the star of the show in this sausage stuffing recipe. As much as you can, please try to use them! In a pinch you can use dried herbs, but the flavor won't be as fresh.
- Garlic. I recommend using minced garlic, however fresh roasted garlic or garlic powder also work well.
- 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.
- Chicken broth. from a carton, can or homemade it all works perfectly in this sausage stuffing.
- Butter. there is only 1 TBS of butter in this sausage stuffing, and it adds just enough buttery flavor without overwhelming the other ingredients. I personally don't recommend leaving it out, but you could use 1 TBS olive oil, ghee or canola oil instead if you'd prefer.
- Olive oil. any neutral oil works well if you don't have olive oil (avocado oil, canola oil, etc.)
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.Nutrition
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Susie
Can I mix everything together and bake the next day? Or just wait
Laura
Yes I do this all the time!
Kathy Hughes
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
Beck & Bulow
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.
Gail
oh my gosh! YUM! This looks amazing. Thank you! We just made your Mac and Cheese. The kids LOVED it!