Homemade Stuffing Recipe with Sausage and Crispy Sage

This homemade stuffing recipe with sausage and crispy sage is a must for Thanksgiving ever single year. I make it for our annual Friendsgiving and it’s not only so delicious, but it reheats beautifully and keeps for days. Oh and it makes the house smell sensational.

If I had to choose just one side dish for Thanksgiving, it would be stuffing ever single time. While I love ALL the sides - mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, corn bread, dinner rolls - homemade stuffing is special. It’s truly a once a year food around here, and while yes, we could incorporate it into other meals, we never will. Stuffing is for Thanksgiving and that’s what makes it so wonderful. Not to mention that everything about stuffing just screams Thanksgiving. The moist yet toasted bread, the bits of celery, apples, subtle breakfast sausage, sweet onions all doused in a healthy handful of poultry seasoning come together to make one delightful combination of yumminess. And don’t even get me started on the fragrance that permeates the kitchen while it’s cooking. Is your mouth watering yet? Mine is.

I’ve been making this stuffing for years. While I do not host Thanksgiving, I do host a Friendsgiving and basically need any excuse for more than 1 day of homemade stuffing annually. I was excited to test this recipe once again for correct measurements because it’s only the second week in November and I get to enjoy it for dinner. Benefits of being a food content creator.

There are so many things that I love about this homemade stuffing recipe. It feels classic yet elevated. It’s simple and savory. It’s got sausage and Granny Smith apples, plus some sweetness from onions. And let’s not forget the poultry seasoning. It’s the secret ingredient to this homemade stuffing that just turns it into the ultimate comfort food. It fills the house with an unparalleled delicious warmth. It smells so incredible that we were all ready to eat this homemade stuffing for breakfast during my recipe testing.

Stale or dry bread make for the best homemade stuffing. I use one loaf of good old white bread for this recipe. If you don’t have time to let it get stale, just cut into cubes and bake in the oven for 12 minutes. I shake mine after 7 minutes to ensure that all of the cubes are drying out. Then I just let them cool while I make the aromatics.

For the aromatics, saute 2 peeled and chopped green apples, 1 diced onion, 6 celery stalks, salt, pepper and the key to the best homemade stuffing: poultry seasoning. This makes the whole dish, in my opinion. It truly makes the whole house smell like Thanksgiving and gives some flavor to all that white bread.

I also need to talk about breakfast sausage in this recipe. Not Italian sausage, but good old breakfast sausage patties. I buy them fresh in the meat section of the grocery store and cook them off, breaking them up into tiny, crispy little nuggets while sauteing them. I prefer breakfast sausage to traditional Italian sausage in this homemade stuffing recipe because it’s a more mild flavor - like you know the sausage is there, but it doesn’t overpower the entire dish. You can also leave this out all together for a vegetarian version!

Finally, mix everything together in a big bowl or Dutch oven; the bread cubes, aromatics and sausage. Stir gently together until it’s all combined. Then pour over the low sodium chicken broth and toss gently until it’s incorporated. Pour into a prepared pan, cover and bake. The chicken stock is key to keeping the stuffing moist, but not too wet. I like to bake it covered and then uncovered for a few minutes to get a crispy top.

Lastly, I make the crispy sage while the stuffing is baking. This step is really not necessary if you’re in a rush, but it also takes like 5 more minutes and adds a simple elevation to the dish. Fry the sage leaves in butter, about 2-3 minutes on each side over medium heat. Sprinkle with flaky salt. Place on top of the homemade stuffing and enjoy. It’s a small thing, but really adds a lot to this dish.

I hope you enjoy this homemade stuffing recipe with sausage and crispy sage! If you make it, please give me a shout and tell me how it turned out. I’ve made this and perfected it for years. I hope you love it as much as I do.

Yield: 8-10

Author: Rachel Humiston

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Homemade Stuffing Recipe with Sausage and Crispy Sage

This homemade stuffing recipe with crispy sage and sausage is a must for your Thanksgiving table! Savory, simple and delicious!

Prep time: 30 MinCook time: 30 MinTotal time: 1 Hour

Ingredients

• 1 loaf (about 15 slices) white bread, cut into 1-inch cubes
• 8 Tbsp unsalted butter
• 1 onion, diced
• 6 celery stalks, diced
• 2 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored and diced
• 2 tsp poultry seasoning
• 1 Tbsp kosher salt
• 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 12 oz breakfast sausage, casings removed; you may use links or breakfast patties
• 1 ½ C chicken stock

Crispy Sage

• 1 Tbsp unsalted butter
• 8 - 10 fresh sage leaves
• 1/4 tsp flaky salt

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees.
2. Cut up the bread into cubes and place on a foil-lined sheet pan.
3. Cook in oven for 7 minutes. Toss bread and continue cooking for 5 more minutes until bread just starts to harden. Set aside.
4. In a Dutch oven or large skillet set over medium heat, melt the butter.
5. Add onions, celery, apple, poultry seasoning, salt and pepper.
6. Cook for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the veggies are soft.
7. Remove from the pan and set aside.
8. In the same pan or Dutch oven, cook the sausage. If using links, remove the casings. Break up the sausage into small pieces and cook until browned and crispy bits start to form.
9. Add the apple/onion/celery mixture back into the pan.
10. Add to the bread mixture and stir together gently until all combined. A
11. Pour chicken broth over the bread mixture, 1/2 cup at a time, mixing gently after each addition.
12. Place stuffing in a baking dish, cover loosely with aluminum foil and cook for 25 minutes. Remove the foil and cook uncovered for another 5-7 minutes.
13. Serve with crispy sage and gravy.

Crispy Sage

1. Melt 1 Tbsp butter in a skillet over medium heat
2. Add sage leaves and saute until browned and crispy, about 5 minutes, turning the leaves over midway through.
3. Remove from pan and let dry on a paper towel.
4. Sprinkle with flaky salt.
5. Crumble gently over top of the stuffing.