This stuffing recipe has all of the best flavors of a holiday spread in one dish—it's savory with a hint of sweetness and utterly delicious!
A Stuffing Recipe Worth Savoring
If I were to ask you what your favorite turkey day side dish is, what would you say?
Would you say it's the pumpkin pie, or the cranberry sauce? Would you say it's the mashed potatoes with gravy, or the roasted turkey itself?
For me, I would have to say that it's the stuffing (or “dressing” as it's sometimes called when it's outside of the bird), because nothing quite beats it with all those savory flavors of Thanksgiving!
My homemade stuffing is the side dish I'm always asked to prepare and bring with me when my husband and I go visit with family for the holiday, without fail—folks really enjoy it, and I really love preparing it!
This particular stuffing recipe is filled with pieces of rustic, torn bread, both fresh and dried herbs, bits of spicy sausage, savory cheeses, and even a sprinkle of chopped dried apples for a slight sweet note. It's loaded with wonderful earthy flavors, and has those scrumptious golden, crispy edges perfect for pouring gravy over.
How to Make Homemade Stuffing
Anytime I can simply chop, dice, or tear up my ingredients, toss them into a large bowl to combine, and then turn them out into a casserole dish, I'm a happy girl.
And that's why I'm so keen on making this stuffing recipe easy!
Sure, there's a little bit of cooking... the onion and celery get sautéed, the spicy Italian sausage gets browned for extra flavor...
But other than that, it's about mixing all the savory ingredients together, spooning them into a large baking dish, and then baking until golden and puffy!
Here's a quick overview of how I prepare my stuffing recipe:
- I brown the sausage in the pan, then add in the veggies and sauté everything together until slightly golden and browned; then, I allow them to cool, just slightly.
- While the meat and veggies cool, I tear up a loaf of crusty French bread, and toss it into a large bowl.
- Next, I add in my cooked sausage and veggies, plus the rest of my ingredients and some of my cheese, and mix well to combine.
- I pour the homemade stuffing mixture into a prepared casserole (or baking dish), top with the rest of the cheese, cover gently with foil, and bake for about 30 minutes; then, I remove the foil and bake 15 minutes more until golden and puffed.
(You'll find the full recipe below.)
This homemade stuffing has “rustic comfort food” written all over it, and it tastes absolutely divine!
Tips & Tidbits for My Stuffing Recipe:
- Crusty French Bread: A one pound loaf of soft, crusty French bread is the best kind of bread to use for this stuffing recipe. It's tender yet absorbs all of those flavorful ingredients!
- Savory sausage: I opt for spicy Italian sausage in this recipe, as it adds a touch of heat (very mild, mind you); but you can substitute sweet Italian sausage, or even smoked, or leave it out altogether if you prefer.
- Dried apples for a sweet touch: I simply chop up dried apple rings for this recipe, but another nice sweet touch would be dried cranberries or cherries, or even dried apricots.
- Say cheese: I use a four-cheese blend (Trader Joe's “Quatro Formaggio” is great) and a sprinkle of parmesan; however, gruyere, Swiss, white cheddar or even mozzarella would be delicious options as well!
- Prepare ahead: You can prep and then spoon the stuffing mixture into your prepared baking dish and keep covered in the fridge a day (or even two) before you plan on serving it, and then bake it the day of—saves time!
- Reheating leftovers: Any leftovers of this homemade stuffing can easily be reheated by placing it into a 350° toasted oven for about 15-20 minutes, covering with foil, and baking.
Feast your eyes on these, or just jump to the recipe:
Recipe
Stuffing Recipe
by Ingrid Beer
Category: Side
Cuisine: American
Yield: Serve 10
Nutrition Info: 353 calories
Prep Time: 25 minutes
Cook time: 40 minutes
Total time: 1 hour, 5 minutes
Ingredients:
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 spicy Italian sausage links, casing removed
• 4 ribs celery, finely diced
• 1 small onion, finely diced
• 2 garlic cloves, pressed through garlic press
• 1 (1 pound) loaf chewy French bread
• 2 tablespoons chopped parsley
• 1 tablespoon chopped sage leaves
• 1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
• 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning, divided use
• ½ teaspoon dry thyme
• ½ teaspoon salt, plus a pinch, divided use
• ½ teaspoon black pepper, plus a pinch, divided use
• ½ cup chopped, dried apples
• 2 cups warm chicken broth
• 6 tablespoon melted butter
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 1 ½ cup shredded, Italian Four-Cheese blend
• ¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese
-Preheat the oven to 375°, and lightly butter a medium-sized casserole dish.
-In a large, non-stick skillet set over medium-high heat, add the olive oil; once the oil is hot, add in the spicy Italian sausage, crumbling it into the pan and using a spoon/spatula to break it up.
-Allow the sausage to cook for a couple of minutes, and then add in the celery, onion, and garlic, plus a pinch of salt and pepper, and stir the mixture together allowing it to cook until the veggies and sausage are a light golden-brown; once golden, remove from the pan and set aside for a moment.
-Into a large bowl, begin tearing bite-size pieces of the French bread.
-Add to the torn bread the sauteed veggies and spicy sausage mixture, along with the parsley, sage, fresh thyme leaves, ½ teaspoon of the Italian seasoning, dry thyme, the ½ teaspoon of salt and pepper, and the chopped dried apples, and toss the mixture together.
-Next, add in the warm chicken stock, the melted butter, the beaten eggs, 1 cup of the shredded Italian four-cheese blend, and the parmesan, and combine very thoroughly.
-Once well mixed, turn the homemade stuffing mixture into the buttered casserole dish and top with the remaining ½ cup of shredded Italian four-cheese blend and ½ teaspoon of Italian seasoning; cover the casserole dish with foil, and place the dish into the oven to bake for 30 minutes.
-After 30 minutes, remove the foil from the casserole dish, place casserole back into the oven, and bake an additional 15 minutes, or until golden-brown on top, and puffy.
Looking for the gravy? Check out my homemade gravy recipe...
Interested in other delicious stuffing recipes? Check out this classic Herb Stuffing, this gluten-free Quinoa and Wild Rice Dressing, this Breakfast Casserole, or these Pizza Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms!
Cook’s Note: This post was originally published in 2012, and has been updated with even more love!
Velva
This is an absolutely beautiful stuffing! Thanks for sharing.
Velva
The Cozy Apron
Thank you, Velva!
Heather
This looks perfect! But I am in a time crunch and don't have any dried apples. Can you leave out or would it be missing something? Any ideas to use as a substitute?
The Cozy Apron
Hi Heather, you can leave them out if you're pressed for time; another option is to very finely dice a fresh, peeled apple, and add that in. Enjoy!
Andi
I'm wiping drool off my keyboard. I think this just got added to Thursday's menu, and I don't even *like* dressing.
The Cozy Apron
Hi Andi, add this to your T-Day menu, and this dressing will make a "liker" out of you, believe me! Thanks for your comment!
Andi
This was so good that I just ate a big bowl of it this morning for breakfast, doused with giblet gravy! I used my homemade spicy andouille sausage instead of spicy Italian. Great recipe!
The Cozy Apron
Andi, so glad this recipe made it onto your menu, and that you came back to let me know what you think! (My husband and I eat our leftovers of this dressing as a meal the next day, too, topped off with the gravy!) Good substitution on the sausage, BTW.
Diana
So it says 4. 1/2 cups stock... Total of 2 cups? And the same for the butter... Total of 3 tablespoons?
The Cozy Apron
Hi Diana! No; when you read that, it's read as 4 whole cups plus a 1/2 cup more—total of 4 and a 1/2 cups ( 4 1/2 ). Same with the butter: it's 6 whole tablespoons plus a 1/2 tablespoon more (6 1/2 ). Hope that helps!
Erica
Hello! Just wondering...do you want the bread to sit out and get stale or hard first? Or do you use fresh bread?
Thanks!
The Cozy Apron
Hi Erica, it doesn't need to be stale, as I've used freshly bought, myself. But if you have the loaf the day before, it certainly won't hurt for it to be "day old".
Cathryn
Hi, finishing the stuffing up, it was very good were even thinking about having it as a regular now in our home. I had bought apple rings thinking they would be the same as dried apples but they weren't they were like gummy bears, even though thanksgiving is over I'm still going to be looking.
The Cozy Apron
Hi Cathryn, so glad you all enjoyed this stuffing/dressing! And yes, you really need to use real dried apples. (Mine were dried apple "rings", but not the gummy kind!) I'm excited to read that you plan on making this again, holiday or not! Thanks for your comment.
Sabrina
I made this for Thanksgiving today and it was amazing and received glowing reviews from family! Thanks for the great recipe. I am grateful. 🙂
The Cozy Apron
Sabrina, I love to get comments that express that a recipe was successful, and that it got great reviews from the friends and family members partaking—such a wonderful thing! I'm glad you all enjoyed, and I appreciate you coming back to share you experience with it!
Barb
Can you make this the night before?
The Cozy Apron
Hi Barb, definitely! I always prepare this recipe as a contribution to our family's T-Day meal, and always in advance to save me time. I prepare it the day before, keep it in the baking dish covered with foil, and just bake the day of. Hope you enjoy!
Barb
Thank you for a great recipe...made it the night before like u said...saved me a lot of time for the next day. Had lots of compliments and a lot people enjoy seconds!! Barb
The Cozy Apron
Perfect, Barb! So glad this worked out for you, and that it was enjoyed!
Shenya
I'm planning to make this for thanksgiving this time. Your bean casserole was a great hit at my last years menu. What size casserole dish will this recipe fit? Thanks for all your awesome recipes.
The Cozy Apron
Hi Shenya, so glad to read that! I'm excited you're planning on preparing this. I don't have an actual measurement on the dish, but one that is medium-large, as this recipe is made to feed roughly 10. Hope you enjoy!
Shenya
Thanks. Can I use Trader Joe's sliced french brioche instead of regular French bread?
The Cozy Apron
You certainly can, but just realize the flavor will be different. Brioche is delicious, but it is slightly sweet and quite rich with the eggs and butter in it; so it will not have the same flavor as my recipe. But do feel free to experiment! Hope you enjoy!
Karen
Has anyone ever attempted this recipe with gluten free bread? This looks so Good! I am going out on the water and attempting this recipe GF...I shall touch base with you with the results. Thanks for your lovely recipes!
The Cozy Apron
Hi Karen, you can certainly give this a try using GF bread!
It will have a very different texture, as I'm sure you know; the rustic-style French bread is quite chewy, and, well, "gluten-y", so the stuffing has that sort of texture.
But the flavors will still be absolutely delicious in a GF version, for sure, and if you can find a similar loaf, that's be great.
And yes, by all means, please let folks know how it goes! 😉
Hope you enjoy, Karen!
Vanessa
Your post used to have the best gravy recipe ever... please tell me I can find it somewhere else lol
The Cozy Apron
Hi Vanessa, I sent you an email about the gravy! (Please check your spam and promotions folder if you don't see it in your main inbox.) 😉
Leila
Can you send me a link to it as well please? Thanks!
The Cozy Apron
Hi Leila, it's my pleasure to share my gravy recipe! Please enjoy!
Diane McGinn
ALL of your recipes are outstanding! I am in need of a good gravy recipe for Thanksgiving. Do you happen to have one?
The Cozy Apron
Hi Diane, thank you for your kind words!
You'll be able to find a link to my personal "go-to" gravy recipe just below the stuffing recipe.
Hope you enjoy it!
Diane McGinn
Can't wait to make this! I will literally try any recipe that you have created. You are incredibly talented with food and words. Thank you and Happy Thanksgiving!!
The Cozy Apron
Diane, thank you so much—you are too kind!
And I hope you and your loved ones enjoy each and every recipe, and find nourishment and comfort (and love!) within them.
Have a wonderful holiday!
Vanessa
I absolutely love this recipe!! My family requests the stuffing and gravy at every family get together
The Cozy Apron
Hi Vanessa, I so appreciate you sharing this with me. Put a big smile on my face—so honored to have a recipe of mine be a part of your special family gatherings! 🙂
Daniella
Hello Ingrid,
I hope you and your family are all happy and healthy. It's been way too long. I just wanted to tell you that we just did our Canadian Thanksgiving and I used most of your recipes. They were all amazing! We did your delicious stuffing, garlic mashed potatoes, gravy and cranberry sauce. So happy we did. I think that your stuffing will be my go too from now on. Stay safe. Xox
The Cozy Apron
Hi Daniella! Wow, I'm so very happy to read that! 🙂
Happy Canadian Thanksgiving, my friend—I hope it was one full of light and love, and lots of things to be grateful for in spite of the times...
It makes my heart full to read that you used a number of my recipes, and I am humbled and touched by that. Please know that I am sending my love and lots of hugs to you all, as well as hope for health, peace and joy!