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It’s not Thanksgiving without Sausage and Sage Stuffing! With hearty sourdough bread, flavorful sausage, and earthy herbs, it’s the ultimate addition to your feast.
Growing up, my mom always made a rendition of this stuffing recipe and it was a personal favorite 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! The inclusion of hot Italian sausage also makes this even more flavorful and exciting in my opinion.
And it wouldn’t be Thanksgiving without a little debate, which means we have to talk about stuffing vs. dressing. I talked about this on Instagram and did not realize how divisive the topic would be! I always thought stuffing was what actually went inside a turkey while dressing was the delicious bread, sausage, and veggie mixture I grew up loving. I thought maybe it was a regional thing because Cady was confused by me calling it dressing. But then, a lot of you said that the difference has to do with the type of bread you use. Honestly, I am still confused as I write this, but all I know is that this version is a must-have for your Thanksgiving spread.
ingredients:
- Sourdough Bread
- Unsalted Butter
- Yellow Onion
- Celery
- Garlic Cloves
- Fresh Thyme
- Kosher Salt
- Freshly Ground Black Pepper
- Mild or Hot Italian Sausage
- Fresh Sage
- Dry White Wine
- Flat-Leaf Parsley
- Large Eggs
- Low-Sodium Chicken Broth
- Dried Sage
- Dried Thyme
step-by-step:
step one: preheat the oven and prep the baking dish
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly grease a 9×13-inch baking dish with butter.
step two: dry the bread
Cut the bread into 1/2-inch cubes (around 12 cups total) and spread evenly across 2 large baking sheets. Transfer to the oven and bake until the bread is completely dry and beginning to crisp, about 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and set aside.
step three: sauté the vegetables
Meanwhile, heat a large skillet over medium heat and melt 9 tablespoons of butter. Add the onions, celery, garlic, thyme, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon 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.
step four: cook the sausage
Increase the heat to medium-high. Add the sausage and sage. Cook, breaking up the meat with a wooden spoon, until the sausage is cooked through, about 6 minutes.
step five: add the wine
Add the remaining 1 tablespoon of butter and toss until coated. Add the wine, stir, and cook until reduced by half, 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer the sausage mixture to the bowl with the onions and celery.
step six: assemble the stuffing
Add the toasted bread to the mixing bowl and toss until well combined. Add the chicken broth, eggs, parsley, dried sage, dried thyme, the remaining 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Toss again to combine.
step seven: bake the stuffing
Transfer into the prepared baking dish and bake, uncovered, for 20 to 25 minutes until the bread is golden brown.
I love using hot Italian sausage but if your crowd is sensitive to spice, you can definitely use mild Italian sausage or even a pork-based breakfast sausage.
Of course! Use your favorite type of hearty, crusty gluten-free bread so that it doesn’t turn soggy.
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!
looking for more Thanksgiving recipes? try these!
Caramelized Onion Scalloped Potatoes
Roasted Calabrian Chili Green Beans with Crispy Shallots
Sausage and Sage Stuffing
Ingredients
- 10 tablespoons unsalted butter, plus more for greasing
- 1 pound loaf of sourdough bread
- 2 cups finely diced yellow onions, (from about 1 large onion)
- 1 cup thinly sliced celery (from 3 to 4 stalks)
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme leaves (from about 8 sprigs of thyme)
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt, divided
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, divided
- 1 pound mild or hot Italian sausage
- 10 to 12 fresh sage leaves, finely chopped
- 1/2 cup dry white wine
- 1/4 cup low-sodium chicken broth
- 3 large eggs, beaten
- 1/4 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley leaves
- 1 teaspoon dried sage
- 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly grease a 9×13-inch baking dish with butter.
- Cut the bread into 1/2-inch cubes (around 12 cups total) and spread evenly across 2 large baking sheets. Transfer to the oven and bake until the bread is completely dry and 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 butter. Add the onions, celery, garlic, thyme, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon 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 to medium-high. Add the sausage and sage. Cook, breaking up the meat with a wooden spoon, until the sausage is cooked through, about 6 minutes.
- Add the remaining 1 tablespoon of butter and toss until coated. Add the wine, stir, and cook until reduced by half, 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer the sausage mixture to the bowl with the onions and celery.
- Add the toasted bread to the mixing bowl and toss until well combined. Add the chicken broth, eggs, parsley, dried sage, dried thyme, the remaining 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Toss again to combine.
- Transfer into the prepared baking dish and bake, uncovered, for 20 to 25 minutes until the bread is golden brown.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Food Photography and Styling by Eat Love Eats.
Made this yesterday and got great reviews from the entire family. Since I am GF, I used Trader Joe’s white bread instead of sourdough. It was super yummy. I might get creative next time and add some chopped cranberries.
None of my gluten eating guests noticed that it was GF.
Made this yesterday and got great reviews from the entire family. Since I am GF, I used Trader Joe’s white bread instead of sourdough. It was super yummy. I might get creative next time and add some chopped cranberries.
None of my gluten eating guests noticed that it was GF.
Hi! What’s the best way to reheat this the next day for thanksgiving?
I would cover and reheat in the oven for best results until just warm.
The turkey is taking the time and temperature in the oven at 450. I was debating on whether to use a slow cooker, cook this with the turkey for less time, or sneak it in while the turkey rests. I can’t make another decision 😂 Any thoughts?
I would not use the slow cooker for this one! But you can absolutely cook it with the turkey for less time (keep an eye on it and put it on the bottom rack… 450 is pretty hot).. or make it while the turkey rests! Turkeys need to rest for 20-30 mins so you could totally have the stuffing ready to pop in the oven as soon as the turkey comes out!
Hello! Could I toast the bread in advance…say today?
I think that should be just fine!
Hello! What kind of white wine do you typically use?
I usually use Sauvignon blanc
What could you sub for the wine ? Having a hard time finding a labeled gluten free one (celiac needs over here 🙃)
You can sub more broth if you can’t do wine. But I’d add some lemon juice (maybe 2 tbsp) to add some acidity.
I just wanted to update to say- this was the BEST dressing ever !! I ended up using half white wine vinegar and half water for the wine (bc I didn’t have lemon juice like I thought) and it turned out amazing!!! Thank you so much ! We also made your sour cream and onion mashed potatoes because it is a new staple at thanksgiving ! And the Apple dump cake made with a vanilla gluten free cake ! I feel like our thanksgiving was brought to you by- the defined dish!!! So good
Can you do all the steps right up until baking and then pop it in the oven ~30 mins later? Taking to a friendsgiving and curious the best way to prep ahead 🙂
yes, 30 minutes later is just fine! just not overnight!
Panicking – one comment says you can refrigerate day before one says not more than 30. Where do I stop if making today? Do I cook and reheat?
You can make it ahead! I prefer day of but it’s still great ahead of time. I would make it all the way and then just reheat it in the oven, covered, until warm and uncover at the end to crisp up the top! Add a drizzle of broth to rehydrate it before baking to just give it a little moisture and bring it back to life!
Thoughts on a replacement for the sausage?
The sausage really adds a lot of the flavor, so I would recommend another recipe!
I made this for a Friendsgiving gathering last night and everyone loved it! The meat in the stuffing was a wonderful touch…I used pork breakfast sausage. Thank you and happy Thanksgiving, Alex!
What GF sourdough bread did you use?
What gluten free sourdough options can I use? I did a similar recipe last year and used against the grain baguettes, but not sure if there is a better option! Excited to try ☺️
I haven’t tried a GF sourdough here- I just used regular! let us know if you find a good one!