This delicious Thanksgiving Italian Sausage Stuffing was a staple side dish for our Thanksgiving spread every year. It's filled with sweet Italian sausage, celery, and onions for the perfect flavor that will always remind you of the holidays!
Looking for more delicious sides for the holidays? Try our Italian Green Bean Salad or Classic Italian Minestrone!
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What Stuffing is Best?
In our family, we always argue about what's better, Italian Sausage Stuffing or Rice Dressing with Sausage. Whether you call it dressing or sausage is a whole other story. This Thanksgiving Italian Sausage stuffing is my favorite because it's creamy and crispy and reminds me of everything Thanksgiving.
There are so many options for what to use for the bread, whether it is rice, store-bought stuffing, cornbread, or Homemade Italian Parmesan Croutons. Either way, the technique we use here is the perfect way to guarantee delicious texture and flavor.
Whenever we make this recipe, we also save enough to make Italian Sausage Stuffed Mushrooms. It kills 2 birds with 1 stone for the holidays and doesn't create any extra work for an easy appetizer.
Ingredient Notes and Substitutions
- Sweet Italian Sausage. I always use sweet Italian sausage but you could substitute plain ground beef or ground pork. You could also use our Homemade Italian Sausage Seasoning combined with ground pork to make your own sausage.
- Cube Stuffing. We use the Pepperidge Farm cubed stuffing, but you could use the original stuffing, or substitute cornbread or Homemade Italian Parmesan Croutons.
- Mushrooms. If you're making this recipe and not also making Italian Sausage Stuffed Mushrooms, you can just chop up 4 oz of mushrooms. I usually make this recipe with stuffed mushrooms as well, so I pull all the stems out of the mushrooms, chop them up, and use that instead of whole mushrooms in the actual stuffing.
- Chicken Broth. To make the recipe a bit more simple, I used chicken broth. If I'm making this on Thanksgiving, I'll take the neck out of the turkey and simmer that in water to use in place of the chicken broth in this recipe.
- Turkey giblets. We don't add giblets to this recipe but if you want a slight variation, you can add the giblets to the celery and onion and brown before you add the sausage.
*Please see the recipe card below for more information on ingredients.
How to Make Thanksgiving Italian Sausage Stuffing
Pour the chicken broth into a pot and bring it to a simmer. Or if you are using the neck from a turkey, place 6 cups of water and the neck of the turkey in a pot and simmer for 30 minutes. You can use this in place of broth.
Step 1: Bring a large saucepan to medium heat. Add the butter or olive oil. Once hot, stir in the chopped celery and onion. Saute until soft about 8 minutes.
Step 2: Stir in the mushrooms. Saute for about 5 minutes or until they release all of their water.
Step 3: Then add in the garlic, poultry seasoning, and salt, and saute for 1 more minute until the garlic is fragrant.
Step 4: Remove the sausage from the casing and add it to the pan.
Step 5: Break it apart with a wooden spoon into the smallest pieces possible. Brown it all the way through.
Step 6: Preheat the oven to 375 ℉. Add a cup of stuffing to the mixture along with a cup of broth.
Step 7: Stir and combine until all of the broth is absorbed. Repeat this process, adding a cup of stuffing and broth together, until you use all of the broth and all of the stuffing. This process should take about 10 minutes to add in all of the bread and broth.
*TOP TIP: Don't add more stuffing or broth until the broth you previously added is completely absorbed.
Step 8: When you're adding the stuffing and broth, you should be constantly stirring the dish so that the bread doesn't start sticking to the saucepan. You'll know you're almost done when about half of the bread cubes are easily mashed and it's starting to become creamy. Some of the stuffing should hold its shape while some will completely melt with the broth.
Step 9: Remove the saucepan from the heat. Place the stuffing into a 9x13 baking dish. Spread it out evenly.
Step 10: Place the stuffing in the oven for 30 minutes. Remove and serve with your Thanksgiving Turkey and Garlic Parmesan Green Beans. If you need another few side dishes on the table, serve with our Crispy Garlic Parmesan Potatoes and Chopped Brussels Sprout Salad with Pancetta.
Pro-Tips
- If you have ground pork, you can make your own sausage mix. Just use our Homemade Italian Sausage Seasoning recipe.
- Turkey Giblets: You can chop up the giblets and add them to the sausage for additional flavor. This is always how my mom does it and how I make stuffing when I'm making it on Thanksgiving.
- When stirring in the broth and stuffing, work slowly, and make sure there is no dry stuffing or chicken broth left in the saucepan before adding more. You want to make sure all of the broth is absorbed and the stuffing is well-mixed.
- Mix the stuffing often once you add start adding the stuffing cubes because it will stick once the stuffing cubes are added.
Recipe FAQs
Sausage stuffing is made with Sweet Italian Sausage, vegetables like celery, onion, and mushrooms, and a binder such as cubed bread, croutons, or cornbread.
When you're adding the broth to the stuffing, you should be constantly stirring it. If you still see liquid pooling in the bottom of the saucepan, it's not time to add more of the bread stuffing into the pan.
More Delicious Holiday Sides
Please leave a comment and star rating below in the recipe card! I love to hear what you think of our recipes. Feel free to tag us on Instagram @vindelgiudice.
📖 Recipe
Thanksgiving Italian Sausage Stuffing
Equipment
- 1 large saucepan
- 1 medium pot
- 1 baking dish 9x13
Ingredients
- 1 lb sweet Italian Sausage
- 1 12 oz bag Pepperidge Farm Cube Stuffing
- 3 stalks celery, chopped
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 4 oz mushrooms, chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 4-5 cups chicken broth or turkey neck simmered in water
- 3 tablespoon olive oil or butter
- 1 tablespoon poultry seasoning
- 1 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Pour the chicken broth in a pot and bring to a simmer. Or if you are using the neck and giblets from a turkey, place 6 cups of water and the neck of the turkey in a pot and simmer for 30 minutes.
- Bring a large saucepan to medium heat. Add the butter or olive oil. Once hot, stir in the chopped celery and onion. Saute until soft about 8 minutes. Then add in the garlic, poultry seasoning, and salt. Saute for 1 more minute. Stir in the mushrooms until they release their water.
- Remove the sausage from the casing and add it to the pan. Break it apart with a wooden spoon into the smallest pieces possible. Brown it all the way through.
- Preheat the oven to 375 ℉. Add a cup of stuffing to the mixture along with a cup of broth. Stir and combine until all of the broth is absorbed. Repeat this process, adding a cup of stuffing and broth together, until you use all of the broth and all of the stuffing.
- Once the stuffing comes together and the cubed stuffing is starting to mash together, remove the saucepan from the heat. Place the stuffing into a 9x13 baking dish. Spread it out evenly and place it in the oven for 30 minutes. Remove and serve.
Notes
- If you have ground pork, you can make your own sausage mix. Just use our Homemade Italian Sausage Seasoning recipe.
- You can chop up the giblets and add them to the sausage for additional flavor.
- When stirring in the broth and stuffing, work slowly, and make sure there is no dry stuffing left in the saucepan before adding more stuffing. You want to make sure all of the broth is absorbed and the stuffing is well-mixed.
- Mix the stuffing often once you add start adding the stuffing cubes because it will stick once the stuffing cubes are added.
Nicole
The only bad part about making this recipe is that I now have to make the stuffing every year because my family loved it so much, so now I’m officially the stuffing bringer, when I used to just be able to show up with a store bought pie or something.
Vincent DelGiudice
This my mom and grandma's stuffing recipe and it's so delicious whether you stuff your turkey with it or bake it in a pan. It's my favorite Thanksgiving side dish!