From the roundup: 24 Thanksgiving Dinner Recipes Classic Enough to Please Every Table
This sage and sausage stuffing is the one dish I make sure is already assembled before Thanksgiving morning hits. The active work is about 25 minutes: browning the sausage, softening the onion and celery, folding everything into the dried bread with warm broth. After that the oven does the rest, and you get a pan that feeds ten without any last-minute fuss.
The bread drying is the only step that requires planning ahead, and it requires almost no effort. Tear the loaf into chunks the night before and leave them on the counter. By morning they are ready. If you forget, 20 minutes in a 300-degree oven gets you there. Soft fresh bread will make the stuffing dense and gluey, so do not skip this part.
The top crisps up in the last 15 minutes of baking once you pull the foil. That contrast between the golden edges and the soft, savory center is what makes people go back for a second scoop before the turkey is even carved.
Why you will love this
- The whole pan assembles the day before and refrigerates unbaked, which clears real time off a busy holiday morning.
- Italian sausage seasons the stuffing from the inside out, so you are not chasing flavor with extra spices.
- Drying the bread overnight is the only real technique here, and it takes zero active time.
- Baking covered first, then uncovered, gives you a set, moist center with crispy top edges in the same pan.
- One 9×13 dish feeds ten people without scaling anything up or dirtying extra pans.
Tips for success
- Dry the bread completely before mixing. If any chunks still feel soft or springy, they will turn the stuffing gluey. When in doubt, give them another 5 minutes in the oven.
- Add the broth gradually and fold as you go. You want the bread moist throughout but not sitting in liquid. If the mixture looks wet or soupy, the top will steam instead of crisp.
- Taste the mixture before it goes into the baking dish. The sausage brings seasoning, but your bread and broth both affect the salt level. A pinch more kosher salt at this stage is much easier than fixing it after baking.
- Do not rush the covered bake. The first 30 minutes with foil on is what heats the stuffing through and keeps the center from drying out. Pulling the foil too early gives you a crispy top over an underdone middle.
If it turns out dry or soggy
- Dry stuffing: drizzle a few tablespoons of warm broth over the top before covering with foil to reheat. It absorbs quickly.
- Soggy stuffing usually means the bread was not dried enough or too much broth went in at once. Next time, add the broth in thirds and check the texture before adding more.
- If the top is not crisping after 15 minutes uncovered, move the rack up one position or add 5 more minutes. Oven temperatures vary.
- If the sausage made the pan greasy, it was not drained well enough. Leave the fat in the skillet for cooking the vegetables, but transfer the sausage with a slotted spoon and let it sit on a paper towel for a minute before adding it to the bowl.
Substitutions
Turkey or chicken sausage works in place of Italian pork sausage if you want something leaner. The flavor is milder, so bump the sage up by another teaspoon to compensate. For a vegetarian version, skip the sausage entirely and add a cup of finely chopped cremini mushrooms to the skillet with the onion and celery, use vegetable broth, and cook the mushrooms until most of their moisture has evaporated before adding the garlic and herbs.
Dried sage substitutes for fresh in a pinch: use 1 teaspoon dried in place of the 3 tablespoons fresh. A sturdy gluten-free sandwich bread can replace the crusty white or sourdough as long as you dry it out the same way, though the texture of the finished stuffing will be a little softer. Low-sodium broth is worth using here since the sausage already carries a good amount of salt.
Make-ahead and storage
Assemble the stuffing in the buttered baking dish, press it into an even layer, and cover tightly with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for up to 24 hours. When you are ready to bake, add 10 minutes to the covered baking time since it is starting cold. Baked stuffing keeps covered in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Reheat it covered with foil at 325 degrees for about 20 minutes, and add a splash of broth over the top if it looks dry before going back in the oven.
Freezing baked stuffing is possible in airtight portions for up to 2 months, but the texture softens after thawing. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator and reheat covered in the oven. It will not have the same crispy top as fresh, but it is still good. If you are making this specifically for Thanksgiving, the refrigerator make-ahead method is the better option.
Sage and Sausage Stuffing with Crusty Bread
Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- The night before, tear the bread into rough 1-inch chunks and spread them in a single layer across one or two sheet pans. Leave them out on the counter uncovered overnight. By morning they should feel dry and slightly hard to the touch. If you are short on time, spread the torn bread on sheet pans and bake at 300 degrees for about 20 to 25 minutes, stirring once halfway through, until they feel completely dry but not toasted dark.
- When you are ready to assemble, heat your oven to 350 degrees and butter a 9×13 inch baking dish generously. Set it aside. In a large skillet over medium-high heat, add the Italian sausage and break it into small crumbles with a wooden spoon. Cook for 6 to 8 minutes until no pink remains and the pieces have some brown edges. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the cooked sausage to a large mixing bowl, leaving the fat in the skillet.
- Reduce the heat to medium and add 2 tablespoons of the butter to the skillet with the sausage drippings. Add the diced onion and sliced celery. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 6 to 8 minutes until the onion is soft and translucent. Add the garlic, sage, and thyme and stir for another 60 seconds until fragrant. Season with the salt and pepper. Scrape everything from the skillet into the mixing bowl with the sausage.
- Add the dried bread chunks to the bowl with the sausage and vegetable mixture. Toss everything together so the sausage and vegetables are distributed throughout the bread. Melt the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter and stir it into the warm chicken broth. Pour the broth mixture over the bread gradually, folding gently as you go. The bread should feel moist throughout but should not look wet or soupy. Add the beaten eggs and the chopped parsley and fold again until evenly mixed.
- Taste the mixture now before it bakes. The sausage is seasoned, but you may want a pinch more salt depending on your bread and broth. Transfer the stuffing to the buttered baking dish and press it gently into an even layer. Cover the dish tightly with foil.
- Bake covered at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. The stuffing needs time to steam and heat through before you expose it to direct heat. After 30 minutes, remove the foil and bake for another 15 to 20 minutes until the top is golden and the edges look slightly crisp. The center should feel set, not wet, when you press it lightly with a spoon.
- Let the stuffing rest for 5 minutes before scooping and serving. This gives it a moment to firm up slightly so it holds its shape on a spoon rather than falling apart on the plate.
Notes
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