Sausage Stuffing – Skinny Taste

This delicious sausage stuffing made with chicken sausage, celery, onions, herbs, and French bread is my favorite Thanksgiving stuffing recipe!

sausage filling

This recipe takes the traditional fillings you know and love and enriches them with flavorful chicken or turkey sausage, caramelized vegetables, and aromatic herbs. Hearty, versatile, and a dish destined to steal the spotlight from your table. This is the stuffing I make every Thanksgiving. Dry-brined turkey served with a delicious cranberry and pear sauce. If you need a gluten-free filling, this cornbread filling is perfect. Check out more Thanksgiving recipes to eat with turkey this year!

ingredient

Here are the ingredients you need to make sausage stuffing at home: See recipe card below for measurements.

• Bread cubes: Use whole wheat French bread or baguette. You can also use sourdough or rustic bread.
• butter: I use whipped butter, but it doesn’t matter what kind you use. You can use salted butter, unsalted butter, vegan butter, and even olive oil.
• vegetable: Finely chopped yellow onion and finely chopped celery
• sausage: Use sweet Italian sausage, chicken, or turkey, but you can also use pork sausage if you prefer.
• Fresh herbs: Fresh sage and fresh thyme are used. If you like, add fresh flat leaf parsley or fresh chopped rosemary for extra flavor.
• broth: You can use homemade chicken or turkey broth, or store-bought reduced sodium chicken broth.
• spices: I use salt and freshly ground pepper to taste. You can also add poultry seasoning.

How to stuff sausages

1. bread: To make bread cubes, start with a whole wheat baguette, cut the bread into cubes the night before and let it set overnight. You can put it in the oven the same day, but I personally like to prepare it as much as possible the night before. (A faster way: If you don’t have time to do this overnight, you can place the bread on a rimmed baking sheet and bake in a 350°F oven for about 20 minutes or until the bread is dry.)
2. Stir in sausage and vegetables. Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and celery and sauté, stirring occasionally, until softened and translucent, about 8 minutes. Transfer to a large bowl. In the same pan over medium heat, cook the sausages, breaking them up with a wooden spoon, until lightly browned, about 10 minutes.
3. Combine ingredients in a bowl. Transfer sausage to bowl with onion/celery mixture. Stir bread, sage, and thyme into bowl with sausage/onion mixture. Pour in the chicken broth and stir to evenly coat the bread. Adjust salt and pepper to taste and stir until well combined.
4. Filling mixture: Transfer the bread cube mixture to the prepared casserole dish and bake for 30 minutes. Stir lightly using a wooden spoon. Continue baking until golden brown. Bake for about 30-35 minutes more. About 1 hour total.

Tips for Success

• Bread texture is important: Old bread works best because it absorbs the liquid without turning mushy. If the bread is fresh, bake it in the oven as directed.
• Sausage options: If you want variety, try Italian chicken sausage, Italian turkey sausage, or even apple sausage.
• egg: This recipe doesn’t call for eggs, but you can add them as a binder.
• Sweetly: If you want to add some sweetness, try adding dried cranberries or apples.
• For a crispier top: Bake the ingredients for the last 2 to 3 minutes of baking.

Sausage Stuffing Pairing

This sausage stuffing goes well with roasted turkey, air fryer turkey breast, glazed ham, or roasted vegetables. Add a simple green salad and cranberry sauce and your meal is complete.

Storage and leftovers

Store leftovers in an airtight container for up to 4 days. You can also freeze it for up to 3 months.

Additional Thanksgiving side dishes:

Photo by Sarah Fennel.