If you’ve ever thought that stuffing was the boring part of Thanksgiving dinner, this sausage stuffing recipe will change your mind instantly. Sweet Italian sausage and tons of Parmesan, mixed with plenty of butter, cream, and eggs, makes for a Thanksgiving stuffing that is so rich and flavorful that this side dish could practically be a meal all on its own. The whole thing gets prepared ahead of time: After toasting the bread cubes on a baking sheet, we brown the sausage and sauté the veggies in melted butter in a large skillet, then mix in the eggs and dairy and let everything cool. When you’re ready, you add it to your bird or bake it in a casserole dish.
Whether you call this dish a sausage stuffing or a sausage dressing probably depends on where you grew up (in the South, most people use the word dressing). Technically, a stuffing goes into the bird while a dressing cooks alongside it. In this recipe we do both—putting some into the turkey and cooking some with turkey stock (or store-bought chicken stock) separately. Because we’re using Italian pork sausage here, we also use an Italian loaf in this recipe, such as pane Toscano. But any good white bread will do. Some cooks swear by a denser bread instead of a rustic loaf because it absorbs more moisture, but you can use what you like (though we’d stay away from breads with strong flavors, like sourdough). If you want to add a kick to your stuffing, you can swap some or all of the regular Italian sausage for the spicy variety.
Recipe information
Total Time
2 hours 15 minutes
Yield
8 servings
Ingredients
Special Equipment
Preparation
Step 1
Preheat oven to 350°F with rack in middle. Generously butter baking dish.
Step 2
Put bread in 2 shallow baking pans and bake, switching position of pans halfway through baking, until just dried out, about 10 minutes.
Step 3
Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a 12-inch heavy skillet over medium-high heat until it shimmers, then cook half of sausage, stirring and breaking it into small pieces, until golden brown, about 6 minutes. Transfer with a slotted spoon to a large bowl. Brown remaining sausage in remaining tablespoon oil, transferring to bowl.
Step 4
Pour off fat from skillet and wipe clean. Heat butter over medium heat until foam subsides, then cook onions, celery, garlic, and ½ teaspoon each of salt and pepper, stirring occasionally, until golden, 12 to 15 minutes. Add vegetables and bread to sausage.
Step 5
Whisk together eggs, ½ cup cream, turkey stock, cheese, and parsley, then stir into stuffing and cool completely, about 30 minutes. Reserve 5 cups stuffing to stuff turkey and spoon remainder into baking dish, then drizzle with remaining ¼ cup cream. Cover stuffing and chill.
Step 6
About 1 hour before stuffed turkey is finished roasting, bring dish of stuffing to room temperature. When turkey is done, increase oven temperature to 425°F and bake stuffing, covered tightly with foil, until hot throughout, about 20 minutes. Remove foil and bake until top is golden and crisp, about 15 minutes more.
Do Ahead: Bread can be toasted 3 days ahead and kept (once cool) in a sealed bag at room temperature. Stuffing can be prepared (but not baked) 4 hours before roasting turkey. If baking stuffing at the same time as potatoes, put stuffing in upper third of oven and potatoes in bottom third (allow extra time).
Editor’s note: This recipe was originally published in the November 2007 issue of ‘Gourmet’ and first appeared on Epicurious in October 2007. Head this way for more of our best stuffing recipes →
Recipe notes
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