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This Best Sausage Stuffing recipe is hearty and delicious. This recipe makes our holiday table complete as the sausage gives it a ton of flavor for the best 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! You may also like these Stuffing Muffins Recipe for an easy Thanksgiving Side Dishes Recipe.
Table of Contents
- What is the Best Bread for Stuffing?
- What is the Difference Between Stuffing and Dressing?
- Ingredients:
- Variations Ideas:
- How to Make Sausage Stuffing:
- Best Sausage to Use for Stuffing:
- Expert Tips:
- Can You Freeze?
- Frequently Asked Questions:
- More Easy Stuffing Recipes:
- More Thanksgiving Side Dish Recipes:
- Best Sausage Stuffing Recipe
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. See Best Bread for Stuffing.
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.
Ingredients:
- Loaf of Bread
- Ground Sausage Casings
- Onion, diced
- Stalks of Celery, diced
- Butter
- Minced Garlic
- Salt and Pepper
- Chicken Broth
- Fresh Rosemary, diced
Scroll to the bottom for the full recipe in the recipe card.
Variations Ideas:
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.
How to Make Sausage Stuffing:
Step 1 – Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. While the oven is preheating, slice the bread into about 1 inch pieces.
Step 2 – 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.
Step 3 – Brown the sausage in a large skillet using medium high heat with a meat grinder.
Step 4 – 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.
Step 5 – 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.
Step 6 – In a large bowl and add the bread. Then add the onions and celery mixture and stir stuffing mix together really well. Finally, pour the broth over the bread cubes mixture. Slowly add in the broth and stir as you gradually add it.
Step 7 – 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.
Step 8 – During the last 15 to 20 minutes, remove the foil and bake uncovered until it cooked through. Also, the top should be browned slightly. Serve warm and enjoy the best side dish.
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 Italian sausage in the recipe. You can also use a turkey based sausage to cut down on grease. You can also use homemade sausage.
Expert Tips:
- Switch out the Fresh Herbs: I used fresh chopped 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, turkey stock, and turkey broth.
- Adding Broth – 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.
Can You Freeze?
Yes, you can also freeze the stuffing for up to 2-3 months. See Can You Freeze Stuffing.
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.
Frequently Asked Questions:
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.
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.
More Easy Stuffing Recipes:
- Crockpot Stuffing
- Cornbread Sausage Stuffing Recipe
- Easy stuffing recipe
- 41 Thanksgiving Stuffing Recipes
More Thanksgiving Side Dish Recipes:
- Crockpot Mashed Potatoes
- Green Bean Casserole with Bacon Recipe
- Cracker Barrel Sweet Potato Casserole Recipe
- Green Bean Casserole
We love hearing from you. If you make this Easy Sausage Stuffing Recipe, make sure to leave a comment or a star review.
Best Sausage Stuffing
Ingredients
- 1 loaf of Bread
- 1 lb Ground Sausage
- 1 Onion diced
- 4 stalks of Celery diced
- 1/2 cup Butter
- 1 Tbsp minced garlic
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 2-3 cups Chicken Broth
- 2 Tbsp Fresh Rosemary diced
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Slice the bread into approximately 1 inch pieces. Place the bread on a large baking sheet and bake for 20-25 minutes, stirring occasionally, to dry out the bread.
- Brown the sausage in a large skillet over medium high heat.
- Then add in the butter, onion and celery. Cook over medium heat until the veggies are tender (approximately 5-6 minutes).
- Stir in the minced garlic, salt, pepper and fresh rosemary. Heat for 2-3 minutes until well combined.
- Then place the bread in a large mixing bowl. Add in the onion mixture and stir to combine.
- Then pour the broth over the top of the bread mixture. Gradually add in the broth and stir as you add. You want the bread to be moist by not soggy. You may not need all of the broth.
- Then place the mixture in a 9X13 baking pan sprayed with a non-stick cooking spray.
- Cover the baking dish with foil and bake at 350 degrees F for 30 minutes. Remove the foil and bake uncovered for 15-20 minutes until the stuffing is cooked through and the top is browned slightly.
- Serve warm and enjoy!
