Best Sourdough Sausage Sausage Stuffing
This is our favorite sausage stuffing recipe, and we’ve been making it every Thanksgiving for the last five years! It starts with a base of sourdough bread, and has layers of flavor from the aromatics, savory sausage, a creamy and rich broth, and plenty of fresh herbs. Everything is baked until slightly crispy and perfectly golden brown. Serve alongside a full roast turkey for a holiday meal or a roasted chicken for a comforting Sunday dinner. It’s turned into a family favorite!
This stuffing gets rave reviews year after year.
Studded with flavorful pork sausage, fresh herbs and sourdough bread, this stuffing is absolutely delicious and has a variety of soft and crunchy textures.
I created this homemade stuffing recipe for Jones Dairy Farm and their Thanksgiving guide (along with hot bacon spinach salad and ham and potatoes au gratin) and they were kind enough to let me share it here with you! It’s…
😋 Seriously delicious: This stuffing has the pefect balance of savory sausage, fresh herb flavors, and golden and crispy stuffing texture in every bite.
⏰ Traditional preparation: We’re sticking with the classic technique to deliver balanced flavors and perfect texture.
🍽️ Holiday showstopper: Creates the kind of stuffing that becomes the highlight of the entire feast. This one always gets rave reviews!
💰 Uses leftover bread: Perfect way to transform day-old sourdough into something absolutely spectacular.
🥄 Prep-ahead: Simplify your holidays by doing some of the prep ahead of time!
You’ll also want to try haricot verts, sourdough stuffing, roasted brussels sprouts, and cheesy potato casserole for your holiday sides.
Ingredient Notes
You’ll need some fresh ingredients and pantry staples to bring this sausage stuffing to the Thanksgiving table: sourdough bread, butter, onion, celery, garlic, Jones Dairy Farm pork sausage, chicken broth, heavy cream, egg, sage, rosemary, and thyme.
- Bread: The recipe calls for sourdough, which adds delicious flavor to the stuffing, but you could really use any artisan bread here, just make sure it’s high-quality. That is the important piece! And you can even look for day-old bread; we want dry bread.
- Sausage: We’re using Jones Dairy Farm pork sausage, which is made with just 3 ingredients and has the best rich and savory flavors. It’s the best sausage.
Emily’s Tips & Tricks
- Pro tip Use day-old sourdough bread and let it dry out completely – this prevents mushy stuffing and creates perfect texture.
- Holiday tip: There are a few ways to prep this ahead so that you don’t have to save everything for the big day. Start drying out the bread, chop the onion and celery, and you can even cook the pork and veggie mixture a day in advance so you just need to assemble and bake the stuffing.
- Shortcuts: You can use dried stuffing mix, but the fresh takes just a few minutes to prep and can easily be done ahead of time. Using fresh bread creates a rustic sausage dressing and it’s well worth the few minutes.
Sourdough Sausage Stuffing Recipe
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 65 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 25 minutes
- Yield: 8–10 servings (about 12 cups) 1x
- Category: Side
- Method: Bake
- Cuisine: American
Description
This sourdough sausage stuffing is the perfect holiday side dish! Made with crusty sourdough bread and savory sausage for incredible flavor and texture.
Ingredients
- 16 oz. loaf sourdough bread (about 9 cups cubes)
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter
- 1 medium yellow onion, diced (about 1 1/2 cups)
- 3 stalks celery, diced (about 1 cup)
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/2 tsp. sea salt
- 1/4 tsp. black pepper
- 1 lb. Jones Dairy Farm pork sausage, thawed if frozen
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1 large egg
- 1 Tbsp. minced fresh sage
- 1 Tbsp. minced fresh rosemary
- 1 Tbsp. minced fresh thyme
Instructions
- The day or night before cooking, tear or cut bread into small cubes (about 1-inch) and place into an extra-large mixing bowl. (We do this ahead so they can get a little stale and dried out.)
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat. When it foams, add onion and celery to the skillet. Cook for 4-5 minutes, until soft. (Turn down the heat to low or medium-low if they are browning.) Add garlic to the skillet and cook 30-60 seconds, until fragrant. Season with sea salt and black pepper.
- Add pork sausage to the skillet, breaking up with a spatula, and cooking for 6-8 minutes, stirring occasionally, until cooked through. Add to bowl with bread cubes.
- Meanwhile, in a large glass measuring cup (at least 2 cups), whisk together the chicken broth, heavy cream, and egg. Set aside.
- Add fresh herbs to bread cubes and sausage mixture.
- Pour the chicken broth mixture over the top of the bread and sausage mixture. Gently fold the mixture together so that all of the bread is coated in liquid and transfer to a greased 9×13-inch baking dish.
- Bake for 45-55 minutes, until golden brown. Cover stuffing with aluminum foil if it’s getting too dark in the oven.
Notes
- Storage: Store leftovers in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Reheat the stuffing leftovers in a 350-degree F oven or the microwave until heated through. You can also crisp it up in a nonstick skillet if you prefer a little crunch.
- Ingredient notes: Day-old sourdough provides the best texture, but any crusty artisan bread works as a substitute.
- Prep ahead: Works best to plan ahead and tear into small pieces and sit out overnight to get stale but you can slightly toast in the oven. We don’t want crispy, crouton-level crispness, but slightly dried out.
- Helpful tools: A large mixing bowl for combining ingredients and a 9×13 baking dish for perfect portion size.
- Serve with: Turkey, ham, roasted chicken, or as part of a complete holiday feast with all the traditional sides.
Serving Suggestions
This sourdough stuffing is delicious on holiday tables or for cozy fall and winter dinners. Here are a few mains that would pair perfectly:
FAQs
Yes! It’s preferred to prep this a day or two in advance. Tear bread into small pieces and let sit out for about 12-24 hours to dry out a bit. We want stale bread! Dice onion and celery and cook with sausage. Refrigerate the mixture and reheat gently before mixing everything together.
You can use dried stuffing mix, but the fresh takes just a few minutes to prep and can easily be done ahead of time. Using fresh bread creates a rustic sausage dressing and it’s well worth the few minutes.
Yes, you can swap out the fresh herbs for dried herbs, though fresh does have better flavor. Instead of the 1 tablespoon of fresh herbs, use 1 teaspoon each of sage, rosemary, and thyme.
No, while the sourdough imparts a mild flavor that pairs really well with the rich sausage flavors, you could use any high-quality artisan bread. The kind of bread doesn’t matter as much as the quality. You could use French bread, multigrain bread, or even Brioche if you want a sweeter flavor.
More Holiday Recipes
If you like this sausage dressing recipe, you might also like some of these other holiday-worthy recipes:
- Baked Brie with Fig Jam
- Hot Bacon Spinach Salad
- Haricot Verts (French Green Beans)
- Potatoes Au Gratin
- Hot Honey Glazed Brussels Sprouts
About the Author
Emily Dingmann is a recipe developer, nutrition expert, and founder of My Everyday Table. She specializes in creating easy, healthy recipes that help busy parents feed their families well every single day, without the stress. With a degree in Nutrition and over 20 years of experience, Emily shares family-friendly meals that are practical, nourishing, and full of flavor. Learn more about Emily’s approach to everyday cooking and nutrition here.
Food styling and photography by Loren Runion.
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