This Homemade Stuffing is life changing with chunks of sourdough bread, savory sausage, flavorful herbs, and wrapped in a buttery finish. Crispy on the outside and soft on the inside, this is a side dish everyone will request for Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners!

Why We Love This Homemade Stuffing

Stuffing seems to be one of those polarizing Thanksgiving recipes that people either love or hate. If you grew up with mushy stuffing, or stuffing from a box, you might not understand why stuffing is probably our favorite part of Thanksgiving dinner. However, we are willing to bet that this recipe- made with hearty bread cubes, ground sausage, and fresh herbs- will make a lover out of even your toughest critic.

Our secret is using fresh herbs and pulsing the vegetables in a food processor until you almost get a paste. The flavor gets into every nook and cranny of the stuffing and you avoid huge chunks of onion and celery. Baking it in a casserole dish gives you a crunchy, golden brown topping with just enough moisture to hold it all together. No mushiness here!

homemade stuffing being scooped out with a large wooden spoon

The Ingredients:

  • sourdough bread
  • ground pork sausage
  • celery
  • onion
  • salt
  • pepper
  • rubbed sage
  • poultry seasoning
  • fresh sage
  • fresh parsley
  • fresh rosemary
  • fresh thyme
ingredients for homemade stuffing on a wooden tray

How to Make Homemade Stuffing

This Homemade Stuffing Recipe has a few steps, but really is so easy to make!

  1. Cube or tear the bread into bite size pieces. We love using sourdough bread because it is hearty, flavorful, and adds great texture. Add your bread to a very large bowl.
  2. Give your onion and celery a rough chop and throw it in your food processor. Pulse until it is finely diced. Add to the bowl with the bread cubes.
  3. Melt the butter and add the seasonings; whisk to combine. Drizzle over the bread and veggies and toss to coat.
  4. Brown the sausage. Drain any extra fat and add the sausage to the stuffing mixture. Stir well to combine.
  5. Put stuffing into a large greased baking dish. Cover with foil and bake at 375 degrees for 45 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for an additional 10-15 minutes or until golden brown.
minced onion and celery in a food processor
What is the best bread to use for homemade stuffing?

We really like using homemade or bakery sourdough bread when making homemade stuffing. Sourdough is a hearty, chewy bread with a flavor that goes so well with stuffing. But you can really use any bread. Try to avoid soft, fluffy bread because it can turn to mush pretty quickly. However, if that is what you have we recommend drying the cubes out overnight or toasting in an oven until dry and toasty before using in your stuffing. Often your local grocery store or bakery will sell bags of stuffing cubes around the holidays that you can also use in this recipe. If using dried bread cubes, you might need to chicken broth to ensure that your stuffing isn’t too dry.

Can you make homemade stuffing without sausage?

Absolutely! We love the spicy flavor the sausage brings to the stuffing, but you can simply leave it out and it will still be very tasty. You can also substitute turkey sausage for the bulk sausage if you prefer.

Can I add anything else to this Homemade Stuffing Recipe?

Yes! That’s something I love about stuffing- it is super customizable. Try adding diced apples, dried cranberries, sliced mushrooms, or chopped pecans.

Can you freeze homemade stuffing?

Yes! Leftover stuffing freezes really well and will last for several months. You might need to add additional chicken broth when reheating if the stuffing is too dry.

stuffing ingredients in a large metal bowl
baked stuffing in a casserole dish

More Holiday Recipes You’ll Love:

  • 1 pound sourdough bread 8 cups cubed
  • 1 pound ground pork sausage
  • 1 bunch celery roughly chopped
  • 1 large onion roughly chopped
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon black pepper
  • 1 tablespoon rubbed sage
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons poultry seasoning
  • 1 tablespoon fresh sage chopped
  • 1/2 cup fresh parsley chopped
  • 3 tablespoons fresh rosemary chopped
  • 2 tablespoons fresh thyme chopped
  • 1/2 cup butter unsalted
  • Preheat oven to 375°F

  • Tear bread into bite size pieces or use a knife to cube it, and place in a large bowl.

  • In a food processor, add roughly chopped celery and onion and pulse until diced into tiny pieces.

  • In a skillet over medium/high heat, melt the butter and add the diced celery and onion. Saute for 2-3 minutes, just until the veggies soften. Add herbs and seasonings to the mixture and stir well to combine. Pour over the bread in your large bowl and stir to combine.

  • Cook the sausage in a saute pan, breaking it into small pieces. Drain the fat. Stir into the bread mixture.

  • Place into a greased 9×13 baking pan. Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 45 minutes. Remove foil and bake an additional 10 minutes or until golden brown. You can turn up the temperature at this point to speed up the browning. Serve warm and enjoy!

  • *If you are using dry bread cubes, add 1/2 cup of chicken broth to the mixture when you stir in the sausage.

Calories: 334kcal | Carbohydrates: 31g | Protein: 15g | Fat: 16g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 7g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 41mg | Sodium: 926mg | Potassium: 232mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 522IU | Vitamin C: 10mg | Calcium: 44mg | Iron: 3mg

baked homemade stuffing in a white casserole dish with a wooden spoon

Natalie Monson

I’m a registered dietitian, mom of 4, avid lover of food and strong promoter of healthy habits. Here you will find lots of delicious recipes full of fruits and veggies, tips for getting your kids to eat better and become intuitive eaters and lots of resources for feeding your family.

Learn More about Natalie



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