This easy sausage stuffing recipe elevates a classic Thanksgiving side dish. Ground pork is sauteed with crisp apples for a sweet and savory combination.
Recipe Science
- Drying the bread removes moisture, allowing it to absorb the flavorful chicken stock and infuse your stuffing with a rich taste.
- Use 1 egg and 1 cup chicken stock for every 4 cups of bread. This creates an airy custard that binds the bread and keeps it moist.
- Cover the sausage stuffing to trap steam and cook the custard evenly. This prevents a rubbery texture and helps the eggs puff up.
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Why It Works
Everyone has their favorite holiday side dish they look forward to each year. This one is mine. When I set this sausage stuffing on the table, it tends to disappear quickly! I’ve turned my classic stuffing recipe into a heartier dish. Each serving includes savory pork and bits of sweet and tangy cranberries, apples, and crunchy nuts. It’s like a complete Thanksgiving feast in just one forkful.
The good news is that it’s easy to prepare, and I include a few make-ahead options to lessen the stress on the day of your big feast. The base of the recipe is dried bread cubes soaked in custard. When baked, the eggs help bind everything together while puffing up to create a light souffle texture. It’s the perfect pairing next to pieces of roast turkey and a pile of homemade mashed potatoes.
Ingredients You’ll Need
- Bread: Use a large loaf of French or sourdough bread. The light texture and airy crumb keep the casserole from becoming too dense. Sourdough adds a nice tangy flavor, which would complement the sweeter ingredients. Typically, you use day-old bread. But it’s okay to grab a fresh loaf since we slice and dry it using a quick staling process.
- Meat: You can use any mild pork, chicken, or turkey sausage. For those who like a spicy kick, use hot Italian sausage or sprinkle in red pepper flakes or cayenne.
- Apples: I use chopped green apples to balance out the sweet and savory flavors of the stuffing.
- Butter: Used to saute the apples, vegetables, and aromatics for the stuffing.
- Vegetables: To build a flavorful stuffing base, use fragrant vegetables like onions, garlic, and celery.
- Herbs: I use a trio of fresh herbs, such as sage, rosemary, and thyme, that pair well with turkey.
- Dried Fruit: Dried cranberries add a chewy, sweet, tangy texture and flavor.
- Nuts: Walnuts add a hint of crunch in the stuffing.
- Seasoning: Salt and pepper help to enhance the savory taste of the stuffing ingredients.
- Custard: An equal mixture of eggs and chicken stock adds moisture, richness, and a creamier souffle-like texture to the traditional stuffing recipe.
See the recipe card below for all ingredients and measurements (US and metric).
Ingredient Substitutions
This sausage stuffing recipe is easy to customize! Try these delicious options:
- Bread Options: For convenience, if you want to use store-bought products, you’ll need 12 cups of dried bread or stuffing mix. Other types of bread, like white bread or wheat, can be used. For a rustic texture, use a baguette or artisan loaf.
- Apple Swaps: Other types of apples like Honeycrisp or Fuji are also delicious choices.
- Using Dried Herbs: If you only have dried herb options, use half the amount called for since they are more concentrated in flavor. Herbs de Provence or pre-blended poultry seasoning also works for a quick swap. I like the addition of lavender in the French-style seasoning.
- Cranberry Substitute: Add fresh cranberries, raisins, dried cherries, or apricots.
- Nuts Options: Add chopped pecans, cashews, or almonds.
How to Make Sausage Stuffing
Step 1: Preheat the Oven
Set your oven racks to the lower and upper-middle positions, then preheat to 350ºF (177ºC). This moderate temperature is used to dry the bread and cook the stuffing.
Step 2: Dry the Bread
Cut the bread into ¾-inch cubes. This size allows the starches to absorb the liquid while maintaining their shape. Drying out the moisture from the crumb is essential. I use the oven at 350 degrees to quickly remove the water. It only takes 10 minutes, similar to making homemade croutons.
Tips for Perfect Execution: Driving off moisture allows the bread to make space to soak up the more flavorful chicken stock, infusing it into the stuffing. You could dry the bread five days in advance and store it in an airtight container to save oven space on the day you plan to cook.
Step 3: Cook the Sausage
Brown the sausage in a large skillet over medium heat until the surface is golden brown and the meat is no longer pink. The fat drippings will add a ton of depth to the dish.
Step 4: Saute Vegetables and Apples
Melt butter in a pan, then add onions, celery, and apples. They release natural sugars and enhance the flavor profile as they saute and soften. Add garlic to release its volatile compounds, followed by sage, rosemary, thyme, salt, and pepper. These herbs and spices infuse the mixture with aromatic oils.
Stir to evenly distribute the seasonings before transferring the mixture to the bowl with the sausage.
Ingredient Chemistry: Blooming the herbs in hot fat dissolves their fat-soluble compounds, resulting in a more substantial taste and aroma impact.
Step 5: Soak the Bread
Combine the cooked sausage and vegetable mixture with cranberry, walnuts, and dried bread in a large bowl.
Pour a simple savory custard on top and let it sit for at least 5 minutes for the bread to soak.
Expert Tip: For every 4 cups of bread, you need 1 large egg and 1 cup of chicken stock or broth. This combination creates an airy souffle-like custard inside the crumb while locking the pieces together in the casserole once baked.
Step 6: Prepare the Casserole
Grease a 9×13-inch pan with vegetable oil, softened butter, or cooking spray to prevent the stuffing from sticking. Spread the sausage stuffing evenly into the pan, ensuring it’s well-packed but not too dense.
For extra texture and flavor, sprinkle additional cranberries, chopped walnuts, and fresh herbs. This step adds a nice finishing touch with bursts of color and crunch.
Pro Tip: You can place the stuffing in a casserole dish, cover it, and refrigerate it for 1 day before baking.
Step 7: Bake
To ensure that the sausage stuffing cooks all the way through and the custard puffs up, bake the dish covered with foil. This technique traps the steam and creates a hot environment, gently cooking the egg mixture. The foil prevents a rubbery interior texture when only exposed to the oven’s dry heat.
Remove the cover and dry out the surface for a golden brown appearance and additional texture contrast. I like to sprinkle some extra chopped herbs, berries, and nuts on top to add a pop of color.
Frequently Asked Questions
Eggs are added to the stuffing to create a lighter and creamier texture. When combined with stock, the egg creates a custard that bakes inside the bread. Eggs also help to bind the stuffing together.
Pieces of diced precooked sausage can be added to the stuffing. It can be lightly browned in butter or added directly to the stuffing mixture for more flavor.
Cover for the first 20 minutes. This allows the eggs to puff up for a lighter texture. Remove the foil and bake for about 15 minutes. This helps create a more golden surface and gives texture contrast.
The stuffing mixture contains raw eggs, so it’s imperative to ensure that it’s cooked to a specific temperature. Eggs cook when they reach 144ºF (62ºC). I use an instant-read thermometer to check whether the center of the casserole reaches that minimum temperature. However, I usually bake to about 160ºF (71ºC) when the surface becomes golden, and the center is nice and hot.
Serve This With
If you tried this Sausage Stuffing Recipe, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments below!
Herb Sausage Stuffing
Ingredients
- 1 pound french loaf, or sourdough loaf
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
- 1 pound mild Italian sausage, casing removed
- 1 cup diced yellow onion, ¼" dice
- 1 cup diced celery, ¼" dice
- 1 cup diced green apple, ¼" dice
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- 2 teaspoons chopped sage
- 2 teaspoons chopped rosemary
- 2 teaspoons chopped thyme
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ½ cup dried cranberries
- ½ cup walnuts, roughly chopped
- 3 large eggs
- 3 cups unsalted chicken stock, or broth
Instructions
- Preheat the Oven – Set the oven rack to the lower and upper-middle position. Preheat to 350ºF (177ºC).
- Dry the Bread – Slice the bread into ¾" cubes and spread in a single layer on two large sheet pans. There should be about 16 cups. Toast in the oven until the edges are dry and crisp, about 10 minutes, gently stirring after 5 minutes. Allow them to cool completely on the sheet pan while cooking the rest of the stuffing.
- Cook the Sausage – Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add 1 tablespoon of butter. Once hot, add the sausage. Brown the surface and break it into smaller pieces. Cook until no longer pink, about 7 to 8 minutes. Transfer to a large bowl.
- Saute Vegetables and Apples – Melt 2 tablespoons butter in the pan, then add onions, celery, and apples. Saute until tender, 7 to 8 minutes. Add garlic, and saute until fragrant, 30 seconds. Add sage, rosemary, thyme, salt, and pepper, stir and cook for 30 seconds. Transfer the mixture to the bowl with the sausage.
- Soak the Bread – Stir in the cranberries and chopped walnuts. Stir in 12 cups of toasted bread cubes. There will be extra bread to use as desired.In a medium bowl or measuring cup, whisk together the eggs and chicken stock. Pour the liquid evenly over the bread and gently stir to combine. Soak for 5 minutes.
- Prepare the Casserole – Grease a 9×13-inch baking dish with vegetable oil, softened butter, or cooking spray. Evenly spread the stuffing mixture into the dish. Sprinkle more cranberries, chopped walnuts, and herbs on top if desired.
- Bake – Set the oven rack to the middle position. Cover with foil and bake for 20 minutes. Uncover and bake until the internal temperature reaches at least 144ºF (62ºC), about 10 to 15 minutes. Serve the stuffing warm.
Notes
- Recipe Yield: 12 cups
- Serving Size: 1 cup
- Substituting Store-Bought Bread: Use 12 cups of dried bread cubes instead of fresh bread loaf.
- Using Dried Herbs: Use half the amount of fresh herbs (sage, thyme, and rosemary), a total of 1 tablespoon dried. You can also use poultry seasonings or herbs de Provence, add 1 tablespoon.
- Make-Ahead: Cut and dry bread up to 5 days before using. Store in an airtight container. Combine all of the stuffing ingredients, cover, refrigerate, and bake within 1 day. Bake covered for 30 minutes, then remove and bake until the internal temperature reaches at least 144ºF (62ºC) and the surface is dry.
- Storing: Cool, cover, and refrigerate for up to 4 days. Freeze in a resealable plastic bag for up to 3 months.
- Reheating: Cover individual portions on high power in the microwave in 30-second intervals until warm. Alternatively, heat in a 300ºF (149ºC) oven until warmed through.
- Make it Gluten-Free: Use gluten-free bread.
Nutrition Facts
Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000-calorie diet. All nutritional information is based on estimated third-party calculations. Each recipe and nutritional value will vary depending on the brands you use, measuring methods, and portion sizes per household.
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