Why You’ll Love This Recipe

This is the big day! The one time of the year we eat turkey, and also likely the one time of the year we make homemade stuffing. We all know the star of Thanksgiving dinner is the stuffing, so let’s make it shine!

Since we only make stuffing once a year, I always use fresh ingredients—no dried herbs and no rushing through the process. I build the broth and stuffing mix step-by-step so it comes out absolute perfection.

The Secret to Stress-Free Thanksgiving Prep

I make this stuffing the day before. In fact, I make almost everything the day before—even the turkey! I use a clever trick for serving the turkey that leaves almost nothing to do on Thanksgiving Day except warm the food.

Come holiday morning, my wife and I get to enjoy a nice, relaxing start. We put on the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, make brunch, and simply warm everything up before guests arrive.

How to Build Unbeatable Stuffing Flavor

The secret to making great sausage stuffing is how you build the vegetable mixture and broth. Stuffing is really a simple combination: bread, broth, and vegetables. How you develop each step is what makes all the difference.

In this recipe, I will show you how I build flavor in those three basic components. It is a recipe I haven’t changed in years, and every single Thanksgiving I love hearing, “Dad, are you making your stuffing? Make double!”

Easy Assembly for a Holiday Classic

Build the vegetable mixture, sauté the sausage, and make a rich broth before combining everything with the bread. Place the mix in a 9×13-inch casserole dish or aluminum pan, bake it, and serve. It really is that simple!

Follow this recipe for a straightforward path to a holiday classic that your family will look forward to every single year.

About the Ingredients

Sausage: I use either regular sausage or sage sausage in the tube. The sage sausage is subtle enough to complement the fresh sage, but you can omit the sausage entirely for a traditional stuffing.
Bread: I simply use a whole loaf of white bread. Over the years, I’ve found what matters is how the bread is prepared, not what kind it is—just make sure it is stale and completely dry. One whole loaf yields a 9×13-inch pan, so simply double the recipe if you need two pans for a crowd.
Fresh Sage, Thyme, Rosemary, and Bay Leaf: I go the extra mile on Thanksgiving and opt for fresh herbs over dried. Go easy on the fresh rosemary so it doesn’t give the stuffing a woodsy taste, and save the bay leaf to steep in your broth.
Poultry Seasoning: I like to add this seasoning, which isn’t always traditionally found in stuffing recipes. It helps bring all the flavors together and gives your house that iconic Thanksgiving Day aroma.
Celery and Onions: Sauteed in butter until soft and sweet, these vegetables provide that classic flavor foundation. I always use yellow onions because I find sweet onions add too much sweetness to the dish.
Chicken Broth: The broth moistens and brings all the ingredients together. This is one of the few recipes where I use low-sodium chicken broth instead of unsalted, as it carries the perfect amount of salt into the bread. I also simmer the discarded celery tops, leaves, onion pieces, and bay leaf right in the broth to build extra depth.
Salt and Pepper: Even when using low-sodium broth, you will want to adjust the salt to taste at the very end. Finish with fresh black pepper to taste.
Turkey Gizzards (Optional): If you are roasting a whole turkey, pull the gizzards from the neck cavity bag, chop them up fine, and cook them right along with the sausage.

How to Make Sausage Stuffing

Prep the Bread

Slice a whole loaf of white bread into 1- to 1.5-inch cubes (or tear it into pieces) and spread them in a single layer across two baking sheets.

Bake in the oven at 200°F until the pieces are completely dried out and lightly browned like croutons. Getting all the moisture out of the bread is critical so your stuffing doesn’t turn mushy, then transfer the dried bread cubes to a large mixing bowl.

Brown the Sausage

In a skillet over medium heat, add your sausage (and the chopped gizzards, if using) and cook until it begins to brown and is fully cooked through. Using a slotted spoon, remove the sausage to a plate and cover, leaving all the savory drippings behind in the pan, then lower the heat to medium-low.

Add the Butter

Cube a stick of butter and add it directly to the sausage drippings along with a teaspoon of oil. Let the butter melt completely into the drippings over medium-low heat to build your flavor base.

Saute the Vegetables

Wash the celery and trim the tops and bottoms, saving the tops and leaves for the broth. Dice the celery and chop the onions into slightly larger pieces, then add them directly to the pan with the melted butter and sausage drippings.

Slow-cook the vegetables over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until the celery softens and the onions turn translucent. Add in the sage, thyme, poultry seasoning, rosemary, salt, and pepper, stirring well to combine and cooking until the mixture is fragrant before removing from the heat.

Prepare the Broth

In a 2-quart saucepan over medium-low heat, add four cups (one standard 32 oz carton) of low-sodium chicken broth. Add the reserved celery tops and leaves, a quarter of a yellow onion, and the bay leaves to the pan.

Bring the broth mixture to a simmer, then reduce the heat to low to keep it warm and let the flavors infuse.

Combine the Ingredients

Strain out the celery tops, onion, and bay leaves from the broth and discard them. Pour the sauteed vegetable and sausage mixture directly into the large mixing bowl over the dried bread.

Gently fold the mixture together using a large spoon or spatula, taking care not to crush the bread cubes, until the sausage and vegetables are evenly distributed.

Slowly ladle or pour the warm broth over the bread while continuing to fold gently. Add the broth gradually so the bread absorbs it evenly, continuing until the bread is fully saturated—this will usually take just under the full 4 cups of broth.

Once saturated, taste a piece of the bread and adjust the salt and pepper to your preference.

Place in the Dish

Spoon the stuffing into a 9×13-inch casserole dish or aluminum pan. Spread it out evenly, keeping the top light and fluffy without pressing or tamping it down.

Bake and Serve

Preheat your oven to 350°F. Cover the dish tightly with aluminum foil and bake for 20 to 25 minutes.

Remove the foil and bake for an additional 10 to 15 minutes to lightly brown the top. You want a soft, lightly golden crust across the top layer.

Remove from the oven and serve immediately. If you need to delay serving, cover the dish tightly with foil to keep the heat and moisture trapped inside.

Storage & Reheating

Storage: Store leftovers in a sealed container and refrigerate for up to 4 days.
Reheating: Bring the leftover stuffing to room temperature, cover with foil, and reheat in a 350°F oven for 15–20 minutes. Uncover for the last 5 minutes to crisp up the top layer.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I skip the sausage? Yes, of course. If you prefer standard stuffing or are not a fan of sausage, you can skip it as well as the optional gizzards.
Can I use vegetable broth? Yes, you can use vegetable broth, but it will shift the flavor profile to a more vegetable-forward taste. Skip adding the celery and onion when simmering the broth, and pay close attention to adjusting your salt and pepper before baking.
Can I make the stuffing ahead of time? Yes! In fact, I always do. Making it the day before allows all the flavors to marry overnight, making it taste even better. Prepare and bake the stuffing, but skip the final browning step; let it cool, seal it tightly in foil, and store it in the refrigerator. On Thanksgiving Day, bring it to room temperature, bake covered with foil at 350°F for 20 minutes, then remove the foil and cook for an additional 10–15 minutes to brown the top.
Can I use prepackaged stuffing bread? You can if you need to, but I don’t recommend it. In my experience, the preservatives in prepackaged stuffing bread give it an unpleasant taste, and the stuffing often turns out mushy.
How dry should the bread be? Drying the bread completely into a crouton-like texture removes all of its natural moisture. This allows that lost moisture to be replaced entirely by your rich, seasoned broth.
Can I use dried herbs? Yes! If you prefer the convenience of dried herbs, feel free to use them. Just remember to taste and adjust your seasonings right before you put the dish in the oven.

Bonus Thanksgiving Tip: The Stress-Free Turkey

I like to have the entire Thanksgiving dinner pre-cooked so I am only re-warming dishes come dinnertime. We all see turkey served on TV—a perfectly browned bird carved at the table slice by slice. In reality, most homes take a piping-hot turkey out of the oven, try to carve it, make a mess on the counter with dripping juices, and end up leaving half the meat on the bird because it’s too hot to handle.

I cook my turkey the day before, let it rest, and allow it to cool completely so it’s easy to handle. Then, I clean every last bit of meat off the bone, yielding far more meat with zero mess on Thanksgiving Day. On the big day, I place the separated light and dark meat into two crock pots with a splash of broth at the bottom to warm gently. Everyone who tries this trick loves how simple it makes serving!