The Best Sausage Stuffing Recipe

4.86 from 7 votes

Published on September 15, 2021

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This easy Sausage stuffing is hearty and delicious. This recipe makes our holiday table complete as the sausage gives it a ton of flavor for the best stuffing.

Sausage Stuffing

Take stuffing to the next level when you make this amazing recipe. This sausage stuffing recipes combines ground sausage, bread, vegetables and seasoning to make this a must have at your holiday table.

It is so flavorful and just a really great recipe. I love stuffing anyway but this new variation with sausage is amazing!

Perfect Side Dish!

The sausage stuffing is a great side dish. During the holidays, we usually have the traditional Turkey and Ham. But when I want a second helping, I tend to go back for more sausage stuffing.

This sausage stuffing has now become a holiday tradition to make. I can even make it the night before and put it in the oven before I am ready to serve it.

stuffing in baking dish with serving spoon

What is the best bread for stuffing?

To get the best results for your stuffing and to receiving that golden crispy edges, it is best to use dry bread. Any bread is fine, but we tend to go with white bread, French bread or Baguette bread.

The easiest way to dry out your bread is to place in the oven, once it gets almost crispy it is ready for stuffing. As the holiday approaches I try and plan accordingly and any leftover bread that I know my family isn’t going to eat, I set aside to make the stuffing.

What is the difference between stuffing and dressing?

Traditionally, stuffing is known as the side dish that is stuffed into the Thanksgiving Turkey. It cooks while the Turkey cooks, while soaking up the seasoning that is in the Turkey.

Dressing is cooked outside of the Turkey in a casserole dish. We make dressing in our family, as it has more flavor than your traditional stuffing.

It also can depends on where you are from as to what you are used to calling it.

Let’s start making sausage stuffing!

Ingredients

loaf of Bread
Ground Sausage casings
Onion- diced
stalks of Celery- diced
Butter
minced garlic
salt and pepper
Chicken Broth
Fresh Rosemary- diced

How to make sausage stuffing

First, preheat the oven to 350 degrees. While the oven is preheating, slice the bread into about 1 inch pieces.

Second, put the bread on a large baking sheet and put in the oven for 20 to 25 minutes. Toss the bread occasionally to help dry out the bread.

Next, brown the sausage in a large skillet using medium high heat with a meat grinder.

Once the sausage has been cooked, add the butter, onion and celery. This needs to be cooked until the veggies are tender and normally takes about 5 to 6 minutes.

Now, add the seasoning- minced garlic, salt, ½ teaspoon black pepper and fresh rosemary. Make sure this is combined well with the other ingredients and heat for 2 to 3 minutes.

Next, get out a large bowl and add the bread. Then add the onions and celery mixture and stir everything together really well.

Finally, pour the broth over the bread cubes mixture. Slowly add in the broth and stir as you gradually add it.

The bread needs to be moist but you don’t want it to be soggy. Make sure to add the broth gradually because you may not need it all.

Once everything is well combined, put the stuffing mixture in a 9X13 baking pan. Spray the pan before hand with cooking spray.

Put foil over the baking dish and bake for 30 minutes. During the last 15 to 20 minutes, remove the foil and bake uncovered until it cooked through.

Also, the top should be browned slightly.

It is best served warm. Enjoy!

sausage stuffing in white casserole dish

WHAT IS THE BEST SAUSAGE TO USE FOR STUFFING?

I prefer to use a mild Italian sausage for this recipe. It cooks up perfectly and gives the stuffing the perfect amount of flavor without being too much. I have also had some sausage patties or sausage links, that I grounded up and worked perfectly.

If you like things spicier, use a spicy sausage in the recipe. You can also use a turkey based sausage to cut down on grease. You can also use homemade sausage.

Sausage Stuffing Variations:

This recipes has many variations that you can try. That is what we love about this recipe.

Try Sausage Apple Stuffing – Just add 2 diced apples when you are cooking the celery and onion.
Also a family favorite, Sausage and Cranberry Stuffing – Just adding ½ cup of dried cranberries makes this recipe even better.
My sisters favorite, Sausage and Mushrooms Stuffing – My sister loves mushrooms! You can use a 8 oz size of mushrooms when cooking the celery and mushrooms.

Tips for easy sausage stuffing:

Switch out the Herbs: I used rosemary in this recipe but you can also use fresh thyme or sage in this recipe as well.
Cover with Foil: Don’t forget to cover the stuffing with foil. Skipping this step can result in the stuffing being too brown on top.
Change out the bread: We used a loaf of plain sandwich bread. Feel free to use what you have or can get on sale. This is a great recipe to use older bread that is going stale. Other ideas to try include: Italian bread, French bread or even dinner rolls.
Add in other vegetables: Carrots and water chestnuts also go really well in this recipe.
Use any kind of broth: You can substitute vegetable broth for chicken broth.

Can you make this ahead?

Yes! Just prepare the casserole as normal but don’t bake it. Cover and refrigerate the dressing up to 48 hours before baking.

Let the casserole dish sit at room temperature and then bake as directed.

Sausage Stuffing leftover ideas:

We don’t usually have a lot of leftovers, but if we do just refrigerate in a air-tight container for up to 2-3 days. You can also freeze the stuffing for up to 2-3 months. I like to use a disposable pan when I freeze it and cover with foil. Heavy duty foil is great for keeping it fresh.

Take out of the freezer and allow to come to room temperature before baking. When you are ready to bake, bake at 350 degrees for about an hour. You may need to add about ¼ cup of broth to prevent from drying out.