Grandma’s Sausage Herb Stuffing

Grandma’s Sausage Herb Stuffing is always a classic side dish with soft baked bread, tender sausage, crunchy vegetables all mixed with flavorful herbs and baked until golden brown. Stuffing is the perfect addition to your thanksgiving feast! 

Stuffing is a MUST at our thanksgiving table! If you love stuffing as much as we do try this Roasted Autumn Vegetable Stuffing or Slow Cooker Sausage Herb Stuffing.

Grandma’s Sausage Herb Stuffing

You can’t go wrong with a good stuffing at the dinner table!

It is a family tradition that is always a favorite and loved by all.

We love to make Grandma’s Sausage Herb Stuffing because it is a classic, hearty dish that goes well with any type of cooked turkey.

If you are looking for a turkey recipe, try this Juicy Butter Herb Turkey Recipe (Step by Step Instructions) or Slow Cooker Turkey Breast.

This is a MUST for our family and usually gone before you know it.

It is hearty, soft and sweet! It has all the texture you love, warmth and sweet taste in every bite.

Stuffing pairs well with turkey and goes perfectly on your thanksgiving table.

What you need to make sausage herb stuffing

A good French bread from your local bakery or at your grocery store is best.

For your sausage, I prefer an Italian sausage for the stuffing but turkey or pork sausage is also just as great.

Vegetables are always a fun way to add in texture, a soft crunch with great flavors that blend well with herbs and spices.

Cranberries are a favorite since they are fruity and sweet.

Mixing all the ingredients together gives you a tried and true stuffing that will be remembered and wishing for more once thanksgiving dinner is over.

• French Bread: cube a loaf of bread.
• Sausage: cook this separately and add in the flavor of sausage that you are wanting for this.
• Butter: this will be divided amongst the ingredients.
• Celery: sliced up as thin or thick as you prefer.
• Carrot: chopped to your liking.
• Onion: diced up as small or big as you like.
• Thyme: stems removed and placed over the ingredients.
• Parsley: chopped up for color and added flavoring.
• Rosemary: stems removed and chopped up.
• Cranberries: dried and mixed in as a sweet and soft texture and flavor.
• Chicken broth: moistens and adds much needed flavoring.

How to make sausage herb stuffing

It is a simple recipe that is always a favorite during thanksgiving dinner.

Sausage herb stuffing cooks evenly in the oven and doesn’t take long to prepare.

It is a tried and true delicious recipe!

• Bake bread: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 9×13 inch pan and set aside. Place the bread on a baking sheet and toast until lightly brown and crisp about 10-12 minutes. Remove and set aside.
• Cook sausage and vegetables: In a medium size skillet over medium high heat, cook and crumble the sausage. Remove and set aside. Add 3 Tablespoons of butter and add celery, carrot, and onion. Sauté until almost tender.
• Mix all together: In a large bowl add the bread cubes, vegetable mix, thyme, parsley, and dried cranberries. Add the chicken broth stirring the ingredients until the bread is moist.
• Bake stuffing: Spread evenly into your 9×13 inch pan. Bake for 60 minutes or until it is deeply golden.

The difference between stuffing and dressing

Stuffing and dressing are very similar.

They both have the same type of ingredients and in the end look and taste about the same.

The difference is the cooking method. Usually stuffing is stuffed inside a turkey and dressing is made outside of a turkey cooked in a baking dish.

With this stuffing I have found it is best outside of the turkey because of health reasons.

Variations on making sausage herb stuffing

My Grandma’s sausage herb stuffing is a classic and a great base to add in different ingredients or variations to.

You can make it sweet, spicy, with more fruit or add in nuts.

There are so many flavorful combinations that will help make enhance your stuffing to the next level.

• Bread: pick your favorite type of bread. It can have cheese or even nuts inside. Just ensure that it is large, has a hard crust and softer inside. Try focaccia, asiago cheese, sourdough or ciabatta bread.
• Sausage: try a sweeter pork like apple sausage or a sausage with some spice in it for added heat.
• Vegetables: sweet potatoes or butternut squash add color and some sweetness.
• Dried or fresh fruit: make it a little sweeter with some diced apples, pears, apricots or raisins.
• Nuts: walnuts, chopped pecans or hazelnuts
• Seasonings: mix and match your herbs and seasoning with your favorite spices that add more flavoring you love.
• Broth: replace the chicken broth with chicken stock if needed.
• Add ins: mushrooms or bacon or cooked wild rice

Tips on making sausage herb stuffing

Making your stuffing the best that it can be is just what you are wanting this thanksgiving holiday.

It is simple to make and comes together quickly and effortlessly.

This stuffing doesn’t last long and can be made in many different ways.

Here are some tips to make it easier for you and to help you make the best thanksgiving dinner.

• If you do not have French bread you can use day-old cornbread or sliced bread.
• Prepared unseasoned stuffing cubes are also available at local grocery stores that will work for this stuffing recipe.
• Turkey sausage is a quicker way of cooking sausage and still adds in the thanksgiving flavors.
• Make sure to remove any casings from your sausage or you can purchase sausage in bulk.
• Place your stuffing in a slow cooker with a liner. This will help with cleanup afterwards and helps cook it through. Cook the sausage through as well as the vegetables and add them all to a slow cooker. Cooking on low for 6 hours or high for 4 hours.
• Just in case your stuffing was overcooked in the oven, add in more chicken broth at the very end to help with the soft texture.
• While baking, if you notice the top start to brown quickly, place a foil overtop of the stuffing dish to finish cooking without drying out.

Storing sausage herb stuffing

You don’t have to worry about this sausage herb stuffing!

It is always one of the first side dishes to have an empty dish with.

There is so much flavoring and added goodness to this sausage herb stuffing it is hard to have any left overs.

This is a great side dish that easily can be made ahead of time or even kept in the refrigerator or frozen.

Here are some great tips to keeping your sausage herb stuffing fresh and delicious before, during and after thanksgiving!

• Making ahead: prepare all your ingredients ahead of time and before baking let it all cool completely. Assemble your dish and be ready to bake it. Place an airtight lid or plastic wrap tightly around the dish. Refrigerate up to 3 days ahead of time. When ready to bake take out and bake for allotted time in the instructions.
• Refrigerating: just like making ahead of time you can refrigerate all the ingredients in your baking dish. If you are needing to make the ingredients separate that works well too. Cook your sausage and let cool. Then add it to a ziplock baggie until ready to mix together. You can also do this with your vegetables until you are ready to bake together. Mix them together and add in other ingredients to make grandma’s sausage herb stuffing.
• Freezing: once thanksgiving dinner is complete, set the sausage herb stuffing in an airtight container or ziplock freezer bag. Lay it flat and freeze for 1 month. When ready to warm up either thaw it overnight in the refrigerator or place in the a baking dish and bake until cooked through.
• Warming Up: preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Place your thawed, frozen or refrigerator stuffing in and bake until it is heated through. To lock in moisture you can add a foil cover or more chicken broth to keep the flavor and soft moisture.

More thanksgiving side dishes to try

• The Easiest Cranberry Sauce Recipe
• Creamy Parmesan Garlic Brussels Sprouts Recipe
• World’s Best Green Bean Casserole
• Honey Orange Glazed Carrots
• Roasted Honey Cinnamon Butter Sweet Potatoes