Can you make sausage stuffing ahead?

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.

Can you use dried cubed stuffing?

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.

Can you use dried herbs?

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.

Do I have to use sourdough bread?

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.

Best Sourdough Sausage Stuffing (Perfect for Thanksgiving!)

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

Units Scale

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.