Sausage Stuffing

Stuffing is a classic Thanksgiving side dish, but for some reason, my family never served it during the holidays. My husband’s family, however, never had a Thanksgiving dinner without it. Their family’s sausage stuffing recipe was made with Jimmy Dean and plenty of celery. After a single bite of the rich, savory casserole, I instantly became a stuffing convert.

I’ve since learned that most families have a signature recipe. Some use a bold blend of spices and herbs, while others add nuts like chestnuts or umami-rich ingredients like mushrooms or oysters. So, even though we think this is the best sausage stuffing recipe, we know you may want to modify it to fit with your family’s traditions. We’ll offer plenty of suggestions for substitutions and variations, including how to stuff it inside the turkey or bake it as a stand-alone side dish.

Sausage Stuffing Ingredients

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• Bulk pork sausage: Bulk sausage refers to any sausage without a casing. You can keep it simple with mild breakfast sausage, or spice it up with bold chorizo or spicy Italian sausage. To substitute sausage stuffed inside a casing, simply peel off the casing with a paring knife before cooking the meat.
• Celery and onion: These aromatic vegetables add flavor and texture to our best sausage stuffing recipe.
• Milk: Milk moistens the bread cubes and allows them to soak in the flavors from the other ingredients. Feel free to substitute melted butter to add richness to our stuffing recipe with sausage, or use chicken broth to make dairy-free sausage stuffing.
• Bread: We use stuffing cubes or day-old cubed bread to give the stuffing a chunkier texture. Coarse bread crumbs work, too, if you prefer a crumbly texture.
• Eggs: Eggs add moisture and richness to sausage stuffing.
• Parsley: Fresh herbs like parsley add balance to stuffing. This stuffing recipe with sausage has a lot of rich, heavy flavors, and chopped parsley brings a welcoming, fresh finish.

Directions

Step 1: Cook the sausage, celery and onion

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Preheat the oven to 350°F.

In a large skillet over medium heat, brown and crumble the sausage until no longer pink, six to seven minutes. Drain the sausage, discarding all but 2 teaspoons drippings. Set the sausage aside.

In the same skillet, cook and stir the celery and onion in the reserved drippings over medium heat until the celery is tender-crisp and the onions are translucent, three to four minutes.

Editor’s Tip: To give the stuffing vegetables a softer texture, saute the chopped onion and celery in the drippings until softened.

Step 2: Heat the milk

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Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, heat the milk over medium heat until bubbles form around the side of the pan.

Step 3: Combine the stuffing ingredients

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In a large bowl, combine the sausage, celery mixture, milk, bread cubes, eggs, parsley, salt and pepper.

Step 4: Bake the sausage stuffing

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Transfer the stuffing to a greased 2-quart baking dish. Cover and bake until lightly browned, about 40 minutes. If desired, sprinkle with additional parsley just before serving.

Editor’s Tip: If you prefer to cook your stuffing inside the turkey, feel free to use this sausage stuffing recipe to make a stuffed turkey. Just make sure the stuffing reaches a safe temperature of 165° before removing the turkey from the oven.

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Sausage Stuffing Variations

• Customize the flavor: Add apples to make apple sausage stuffing, include herbs for sage sausage stuffing or use crumbled cornbread to make cornbread sausage stuffing. Stir in shucked oysters just before baking to give the stuffing a unique twist.
• Change the meat: Instead of sausage, use ground meat like ground beef, turkey or pork. You can also substitute chopped meat like giblets.
• Omit the sausage: You don’t have to make this stuffing recipe with sausage, or any meat. Substitute mushrooms, sweet potatoes or butternut squash to make a savory vegetarian stuffing.
• Add seasoning: Season the best sausage stuffing recipe with poultry seasoning, or use seasoned stuffing cubes to give it a boost of flavor. Just make sure to adjust the salt to taste.

How to Store Sausage Stuffing

You can bake our best sausage stuffing recipe ahead of time and store it in a covered container in the refrigerator for up to four days. Store any leftovers in the refrigerator for the same amount of time.

Can you freeze sausage stuffing?

You can freeze our best sausage stuffing recipe for up to one month. Thaw the stuffing in the fridge overnight before reheating.

How do you reheat sausage stuffing?

Reheat the stuffing recipe with sausage in a 350° oven for 30 to 40 minutes or in a 320° air fryer for about five minutes. Learn more about how to reheat Thanksgiving leftovers.

Sausage Stuffing Tips

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Is sausage stuffing better with or without eggs?

Our stuffing recipe with sausage includes eggs to add moisture and richness to the stuffing. However, many family recipes omit the egg, so feel free to leave it out to make egg-free sausage stuffing. Add an extra splash of milk or broth to compensate for the moisture.

Should you bake stuffing covered or uncovered?

We always bake our best sausage stuffing recipe in a covered pan. The cover traps steam inside the pan, mimicking the steamy environment the stuffing would encounter if it were stuffed inside a turkey. Baking the stuffing uncovered can cause the bread to dry before the mixture warms through. If you like a crispy topping on your stuffing, remove the cover for the last 5 to 10 minutes.