Description
This is it—the classic Thanksgiving sausage stuffing recipe you’ve been searching for. It’s savory, moist, perfectly seasoned, and feels like a warm hug.
Ingredients
Scale
- The Stuffing Foundation:
- 1 lb loaf day-old sturdy white bread, torn into 1-inch pieces
- 1 lb savory pork sausage
- 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted
- The Veggie Base:
- 2 cups chopped yellow onion (about 2 medium)
- 1.5 cups chopped celery (about 3 stalks)
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- Flavor Powerhouses & Liquids:
- 4 cups low-sodium chicken broth, plus more if needed
- 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
- 2 tsp dried sage
- 1 tsp dried thyme
- 1.5 tsp kosher salt
- 1 tsp black pepper
- Optional Finishing Touch:
- 1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley
Instructions
- Brown That Sausage!: First things first, let’s get that sausage cooking. Grab your biggest skillet and crumble the pork sausage into it over medium-high heat. The goal here is to get it nicely browned and cooked through, which usually takes about 8-10 minutes. Use a wooden spoon to break it into small, bite-sized pieces. This is the first layer of flavor, and your kitchen should already be starting to smell incredible. Once it’s cooked, use a slotted spoon to transfer the sausage to a very, very large bowl, leaving the delicious rendered fat behind in the skillet. Don’t you dare discard it!
- Sauté the Aromatics: Now, to that same skillet with the sausage drippings, add your chopped onion and celery. Oh my gosh, this is where the magic starts. Cook them, stirring occasionally, until they’re softened and the onion is translucent, about 6-8 minutes. If the pan seems a little dry, feel free to add a tablespoon of butter. Scrape up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan—that’s pure gold. For the last minute of cooking, toss in the minced garlic and cook until it’s fragrant. Be careful not to burn it! Nobody likes burnt garlic. Oops, I’ve done it. Many times.
- Combine the Base: Time to bring it all together. In that giant bowl with your cooked sausage, add the torn bread cubes and the sautéed vegetable mixture from the skillet. Sprinkle in the dried sage, dried thyme, salt, and a generous amount of black pepper. Give it all a gentle toss to combine everything. Don’t overmix it! You want to be gentle here to keep the bread from breaking down too much. It should look like a glorious, savory mess at this point. This is also where I usually realize my bowl isn’t big enough and have a minor kitchen panic.
- Moisten and Mix: In a separate, smaller bowl, whisk the eggs together. Then, slowly pour in the melted butter and about 3 cups of the chicken broth, whisking to combine. Pour this liquid mixture all over the bread and sausage mixture in the large bowl. Now, gently fold everything together with a spatula until the bread is evenly moistened. This is the trickiest part—you want it moist, but not swimming in liquid. If it still looks too dry, add the remaining cup of broth, a little at a time. I usually let it sit for 10 minutes now so the bread can really soak it all up.
- Get Ready to Bake: Transfer the stuffing mixture to a 9×13-inch baking dish that you’ve greased with butter. Spread it out into an even layer. At this point, you can cover it and pop it in the fridge for up to 24 hours if you’re prepping ahead, which is a total game-changer for Thanksgiving Day sanity. To be real, I almost always make it the day before. It just makes life so much easier and I swear it tastes even better because the flavors have had time to meld together and become best friends.
- Bake to Golden Perfection: When you’re ready to bake, preheat your oven to 375°F (190°C). Bake the stuffing, uncovered, for 35-45 minutes. You’ll know it’s done when the top is beautifully golden brown and crispy and the center is hot and set. The smell that will fill your house is just… beyond words. It’s the ultimate reward. Let it cool for a few minutes before serving, if you can resist digging in with a fork straight from the dish. I usually can’t.