Sausage and Sage Stuffing

Here is a classic Stuffing recipe to add to your Thanksgiving spread — Sausage and Sage Stuffing!

Growing up, my mom always made a rendition of this and it was a personal fave on the table for the holidays. It was a recipe that my grandma would always make and would include *even more* butter than I include here — which is definitely what made it so delicious! And I know not all of us grew up with sausage in their stuffing, but I highly recommend starting a new tradition this year. The inclusion of hot Italian sausage also makes this even more flavorful and exciting in my opinion. 

Also, we have to talk about stuffing vs dressing. I talked about this on my Instagram a few weeks back and did not realize how divisive the topic would be! I always thought stuffing was what actually went inside a turkey then dressing was the delicious bread, sausage and veggie mixture I grew up loving. Then I thought maybe it was a regional thing because Cady was confused by me calling it dressing. But then, a lot of you let us know that maybe it has to do with the type of bread you use? Honestly, I am still confused as I write this and I am sure you all will let me know. 

Regardless if you call this stuffing or dressing, this Sausage and Sage Stuffing (Dressing) is a classic that I hope is on your Thanksgiving table for years to come! 

Sausage and Sage Stuffing

Serves: 8 People

Print

5 from 4 votes

Prep Time20 minutes mins

Cook Time25 minutes mins

Total Time45 minutes mins

Ingredients

• 1 loaf sourdough bread 1 pound
• 10 tbsp unsalted butter
• 2 cups finely diced yellow onion or 1 medium onion
• 1 cup halved lengthwise and thinly sliced celery or 4 stalks
• 2 cloves garlic minced
• 2 tsp fresh thyme leaves about 8 sprigs of thyme, removed from the stem
• 2 tsp kosher salt
• 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 1 pound hot italian sausage mild is fine too! Or even pork and sage breakfast sausage
• 10 to 12 fresh sage leaves finely chopped
• ½ cup dry white wine
• ¼ cup freshly chopped flat-leaf parsley leaves
• 3 eggs whisked
• ¼ cup low-sodium chicken broth
• 1 tsp dried sage
• ½ tsp dried thyme

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (convection) and lightly grease a 9x13 baking dish.
• Cut the bread into ½ inch cubes (it ends up being around 12 cups total) and spread evenly across 2 large baking sheets. Transfer to the oven and bake until completely dry and it is beginning to crisp, about 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and set aside.
• Meanwhile, heat a large skillet over medium heat and melt 9 tablespoons of the butter. Add the onion, celery, garlic, thyme, 1 tsp salt and ½ tsp pepper. Cook, stirring often, until the onions and celery are very tender, 8 to 10 minutes. Transfer to a large mixing bowl and set aside.
• Increase the heat in the same skillet to medium-high and add the italian sausage and sage. Cook, breaking up the meat with a wooden spoon, until the sausage is cooked through, about 6 minutes.
• To the sausage, add the remaining 1 tablespoon of butter and toss until coated. Add the wine, stir to combine, and reduce by half, about 2-3 minutes. Add to the large mixing bowl with the onions and celery.
• Add the toasted bread to the mixing bowl and toss until well combined. Add the parsley, dried sage, dried thyme, whisked eggs, chicken broth and the remaining 1 tsp salt and ½ tsp pepper and toss again to combine.
• Pour into the prepared baking dish and bake, uncovered, for about 20-25 minutes, until the bread is browned.