Name: Sausage Stuffing
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 50 min
Ingredients: 1 tablespoon olive oil; 1 pound spicy Italian sausage; 4 tablespoons (1/2 stick or 57g) salted butter; 2 medium onions, (cut into 1/4-inch dice (about 3 cups)); 6 stalks celery with leaves, (cut into 1/4-inch dice (about 2 1/2 cups)); 2 loaves (9-inch each) French bread, (cut into 1/4-inch cubes); 1/3 cup fresh parsley, (chopped); 1 teaspoon celery salt; 1 teaspoon dried sage, (crumbled); 1 teaspoon dried rosemary, (crushed); 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme, (crumbled); 1/2 teaspoon salt; 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper; 1 cup dried cranberries; 4 cups warm chicken stock, (divided)

Sausage Stuffing is homemade stuffing loaded with spicy Italian sausage, vegetables, French bread, and dried cranberries. If you love sausage, be sure to try my Sausage Stuffed Mushrooms for a tasty appetizer!

Sausage Stuffing

Technically, the recipe below is a dressing because it is not intended to be stuffed into the turkey. A stuffing recipe goes into the bird, while a dressing recipe gets cooked in a pan. However, I am from the midwest and we call it stuffing no matter where you cook it.

Sausage Stuffing Recipe

My favorite thing about this recipe is how moist it is. I have had (and made!!) dry stuffing and there is nothing worse than crunching down on bread that lacks flavor. You will not have that problem with this recipe.

Ingredients (full recipe below)

Olive oil
Butter
Onions–I like to use yellow, white, or sweet onions in this recipe. You don’t need any extra color as the cranberries provide a beautiful pop of deep red and you don’t need the extra sweetness a red onion can provide.
Celery
French bread
Parsley
Celery salt
Sage
Rosemary
Thyme
Salt
Black pepper
Dried cranberries
Chicken stock–Make your own homemade chicken stock for this recipe.

How to Make Sausage Stuffing

Forget the boxed stuffing and make your own moist, flavorful stuffing! First, heat up the oil over medium heat. Cook the sausage until no longer pink (about 10 minutes). After the sausage is cooked, transfer it to a large bowl and tent it with aluminum foil to keep it warm.

Next, melt the butter in the same skillet and stir in the onion and celery. Cover the skillet and cook until the onion is translucent (5-10minutes), stirring occasionally. Next, add the bread cubes, parsley, celery salt, sage, rosemary, thyme, cranberries, salt, and pepper. Carefully toss the bread cubes to make sure they are coated.

Then, pour in and stir 3 1/2 cups of the warm chicken stock. Transfer the mixture to a greased 9×13-inch baking dish. Drizzle the remaining warm chicken stock over the stuffing, cover with aluminum foil, and bake for about 30 minutes at 350°F. If you want the stuffing to be a bit more crispy, remove the foil and bake an additional ten minutes. Serve immediately.

How to Reheat Stuffing

Remove stuffing from the refrigerator and allow it to come to room temperature. Then, warm it in a 350°F oven, covered, for about 30 minutes. If the stuffing looks too dry, add chicken stock, leftover turkey drippings, or gravy. I have also added a couple of tablespoons of butter to my skillet, let melt, then added the stuffing and cooked for about 10 minutes stirring frequently.

I do not put stuffing in the microwave, I just don’t particularly enjoy the texture of the heated stuffing. It’s all soft and sort of melts in your mouth.