Dad’s sausage stuffing is a holiday classic in our house, a perfect balance of savory herbs and veggies, sweet-tart notes from apples and dried fruit, and heaps of crumbled sausage. Each bite is moist and tender inside, with a satisfyingly crispy top. This generous recipe means there’s plenty to go around—though good luck stopping at just one spoonful!
Save the Recipe!
Thanksgiving just isn’t Thanksgiving in my house without this sausage stuffing! The aroma alone is a visceral signal that the holidays have officially begun. I love it so much that I look forward to leftovers! And it’s hearty enough that it can even serve as a meal when you’re totally “cooked out” after the big day.
Stuff it in the turkey (check out my How to Carve a Turkey tips too) or bake it separately (sometimes called dressing) and serve alongside all your favorite Thanksgiving Side Dishes and other Thanksgiving Dinner Ideas. And don’t forget to make it ahead, so the holidays are a little less hectic!
Fair warning: after a few bites, you’ll be stuffed in more ways than one!
Sausage Stuffing Ingredients
- Breakfast sausage – my favorite sausage to use (the one Dad uses) is Jone’s Natural Original Pork Sausage Rolls found in the freezer section of most grocery stores. But you can also use your favorite breakfast sausage, or even Italian sausage. I like breakfast sausage because of its warm, savory spices!
- Stuffing bread cubes – while you can toast your own bread cubes, it’s so much easier to use Whole Foods plain stuffing bread cubes or Pepperidge Farm Unseasoned Cubed Stuffing. If you can’t find unseasoned ones, the Pepperidge Farm Country Style Cubed Stuffing works too! Just don’t use the extra seasoning that sits in the bottom of the bag.
- Chicken broth – chicken broth moistens the stuffing. You can also use vegetable broth.
- Celery – celery is part of the holy trinity of aromatics.
- Leeks – leeks are amazing in stuffing, adding buttery sweet onion flavor.
- Red onion – red onion is a classic aromatic in stuffing!
- Garlic – garlic makes everything better.
- Granny Smith apples – Granny Smiths are tart and crisp, a great burst of freshness in stuffing.
- Dried pitted apricots, prunes and sweetened cranberries – a mix of dried fruit adds moisture, brightness, depth of flavor and subtle sweetness!
- Extra virgin olive oil – olive oil helps sauté the veggies. You can also use butter!
- Dried thyme and sage leaves – for warm herby flavor, dried thyme and sage leaves are my go-tos! You can use fresh herbs but I find dried herbs add more concentrated flavor.
How to Make the Best Sausage Stuffing
Let’s make Dad’s sausage stuffing (it’s seriously the best!). Here’s an outline. For the full recipe, see the recipe card below.
Cook sausage. In a large pot, cook and crumble sausage meat out of the casing. Drain and set aside in a paper towel-lined bowl.
Sauté veggies. Drain off juices from pot. Add in olive oil, celery, leeks, onion, garlic, thyme, and sage. Sauté over medium for 3 minutes.
Toss other ingredients. Remove pot from heat, and add in apples, apricots, prunes, cranberries, and salt and pepper. Toss.
Add bread. In an extra-large bowl (or the pot if it can fit), add cubed bread. Toss.
Add broth. Drizzle with broth and toss.
Add to pans OR stuff turkey. Divide evenly between two 9×13” pans, smoothing into even layers OR let cool completely before stuffing turkey and baking remainder.
Bake and serve! Bake at 350°F for 45 minutes, covered tightly with foil, and then remove foil and bake uncovered for an additional 15 minutes.
The Best Bread for Making Stuffing
You don’t have to waste time making your own dried bread for stuffing! Pre-dried, store-bought bread cubes from Whole Foods or Pepperidge Farm’s Cubed Stuffing Bread save you a ton of prep, are consistent, and create the perfect textured stuffing. Look for plain, unseasoned cubes, but if needed, Pepperidge Farm’s Country Style Cubed Stuffing works too.
If you do want to make your own, cut French bread into small cubes, spread them on a baking sheet, and let them dry in 250°F oven for 20-30 minutes, tossing halfway through until crisp but not browned.
Make Ahead and Storage Tips
You can absolutely make this sausage stuffing ahead! Let unbaked stuffing (tossed with broth) cool completely in pans, before covering tightly and refrigerating up to 3 days ahead. When you’re ready to bake it off, remove from fridge, drizzle with a bit more broth if you’d like, and bake normally!
You can also freeze sausage stuffing (don’t drizzle with broth), for up to 3 months in an airtight container. Thaw overnight in the fridge, toss with broth, and spread out in pan(s). Bake normally and enjoy!
More Thanksgiving Side Dish Recipes You’ll Love!
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If you’ve tried this Sausage Stuffing Recipe or any other recipe on my website, please let me know in the comments below. I love hearing from you. Please consider leaving a 🌟 star rating while you are here!
Dad’s Sausage Stuffing
Equipment
- 2 (Two) 9×13" pans (I use disposable 9×13" aluminum stuffing pans)
Ingredients
- 3 pounds breakfast sausage meat, I recommend Jone’s Natural Original Pork Sausage Rolls (not an ad)
- 24 ounces (12 cups) stuffing bread cubes, I recommend Whole Foods plain stuffing bread cubes or Pepperidge Farm Cubed Stuffing depending on availability (see notes below)
- 2 ½ cups chicken broth
- 6 medium celery stalks, chopped
- 2 large leeks, chopped
- 1 large red onion, chopped
- 2 large garlic cloves, minced
- 2 medium Granny Smith apples, diced
- 1 cup dried pitted apricots, halved
- 1 cup dried pitted prunes, quartered
- ¾ cup dried sweetened cranberries
- 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tablespoons dried thyme
- 1 tablespoon dried sage leaves, crumbled
- Salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. In a large pot, cook and crumble sausage meat out of the casing until browned and cooked through. Use a slotted spoon to drain and set aside crumbled sausage in a paper towel-lined bowl.
- Drain off juices from pot. Add in olive oil, celery, leeks, onion, garlic, thyme, and sage. Sauté over medium heat for 3 minutes, or until fragrant.
- Remove pot from heat, and add in apples, apricots, prunes, cranberries, and salt and pepper. Toss to combine.
- In an extra-large bowl (or in the pot if it can fit), add cubed bread. Toss.
- Drizzle with broth and toss again.
- Divide evenly between two 9×13” pans, smoothing into even layers (I use two 9×13” aluminum stuffing pans for ease but you can also use two regular, greased ones) OR let cool completely before stuffing turkey and baking remainder. See below for make-ahead instructions!
- Bake for 45 minutes, covered tightly with foil, and then remove foil and bake uncovered for an additional 15 minutes (1 hour total). Enjoy!
Video
Notes
- Best sausage to use: Jone’s Natural Original Pork Sausage Rolls (sausage meat out of the casing) are what my dad uses for this stuffing. It’s seriously so delicious and can typically be found in the frozen section of the grocery store. Thaw in fridge overnight. You can substitute your favorite breakfast sausage out of the casings, or even Italian sausage (spicy or sweet), depending on your preference!
- Best bread to use: while you can dry out bread on your own, typically during the holiday season, Whole Foods sells plain dried bread cubes for you! You can also use Pepperidge Farm Cubed Stuffing bread. Unseasoned is best, but you can also use the Country Style Cubed Stuffing (don’t use extra seasoning at the bottom of the bag) if you can’t find plain.
- Broth amount: if you like your stuffing extra moist, add a splash more broth. If you like it on the crunchier side, use a splash less broth.
- You can typically find crumbled dried sage leaves (not ground sage) in the spice aisle of your grocery store (or on Amazon!).
- Make ahead: Let unbaked stuffing, tossed with broth, cool completely in pans, before covering tightly and refrigerating up to 3 days ahead. Remove from fridge, drizzle with a bit more broth if desired, and bake according to instructions above!
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Iโve never been a fan of stuffing, but who could go wrong when itโs dressed up with fruit and sausage? Plus the herbs add just the right gourmet touch. We have a winner!
Totally agree!! Happy Thanksgiving!
Grace
Iโm so excited to make this stuffing for Thanksgiving this year. I love how hearty it is rather than just boring soggy bread. Thank you for sharing a special family recipe!
Aw, it definitely is a special one! Cheers and Happy Thanksgiving!
Grace
I’ve been looking for a new stuffing recipe and wanted to test before the actual holiday. All I can say is WOWWWW. This stuffing is incredible. The sausage it the winner here and I was skeptical that my sons would like the dried fruit, but they loved it! This will be our new staple. Thank you ๐
LOVE THIS! Thanks for letting me know it was a hit, even with the kiddos!
Grace