This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.
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!Â

Sausage and Sage Stuffing
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 9×13 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.
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Yum! This was a hit for my thanksgiving spread. Enjoyed by all.
If I over cooked the bread and it’s very dry and crispy (like croutons) will that ruin the dish or will the chicken broth make it soft enough? Should I start over?
Can you make this ahead of time
yes you can!!
I recommend baking in a 2 step process if doing ahead of time:The key is assembling and doing the first round of baking a day ahead so the bread doesn’t get overly soggy. Day off– really so all that’s left is to warm and crisp it up while your turkey rests. I recommending covering it with foil day of to make sure it gets warm all the way through- and finish uncovered to crisp it up on the top.
Hi Alex,
When making ahead, for the first round of baking – do you mean to follow the instructions all the way thru and only warm/crisp the recipe day of?
Can I stuff the turkey with this
absolutely!