Ma Frank's Easy Sausage Stuffing is a vintage recipe that has been a fixture on the Thanksgiving/Christmas Day table for decades. Perfect for any festive occasion involving turkey, duck, or Cornish game hens.
(Updated post)
Fun fact: stuffing isn't technically stuffing unless you stuff it into something. Otherwise, it's dressing. (Send me a cyber butt kick if you already knew that—I only learned it a few years ago!)
My first experience delivering Thanksgiving Dinner on my own was for a crowd of 18.
This included us, the kids, 3 of Phil's brothers and their families, and Dad Frank.
I won't lie: it was a bit stressful.
"Sacred Stuffing"
As we planned the meal, Phil helpfully informed me that any stuffing recipe other than his late mom's would be RIGHT OUT with his brothers.
He then proceeded to dig her handwritten recipe out of a file.
It's not exactly a from-scratch recipe: it uses store-bought dried bread cubes. Honestly, I'm okay with that. It's ever so much easier, and my attempts at using homemade bread cubes have turned out a bit soggy.
The recipe has a ton of butter. I'm okay with that too. We eat a all-out turkey dinner only once or twice a year. A very infrequent, minor calorie explosion isn't the end of the world.
What I learned is that, for the big Frank family shin-dig, I must not alter this easy sausage stuffing in any way.
I must make it exactly as Ma Frank directed. Do not add nuts or cranberries, do not pass GO.
This has earned it the (snarky) nickname "Sacred Stuffing".
If it's just MY family eating the stuffing, I do sometimes add in some cranberries or even cubed squash, which goes over very well.
Notes on food safety when making easy sausage stuffing
There's always somebody who refuses to eat the stuffing that comes out of the bird because they're afraid of food poisoning. With this in mind, I always bake some stuffing (now technically dressing) separately.
This is a legitimate concern: turkeys can harbor nasty bacteria, chief among which is Salmonella.
Clearly, when you stuff a bird, its juices soak into the stuffing as it cooks. Although the result is absolutely delicious, you have to be very careful to roast the bird enough to kill any bacteria that might be lurking in the stuffing.
As a former microbiologist in a food testing lab, I'm well aware of the danger.
Make sure the Salmonella bacteria is good and dead
Salmonella bacteria begin to die off at 135º F.
Maintaining an internal temperature (i.e., monitored by a thermometer probe inserted into the center of the stuffing) of 140º F for 45 minutes has been demonstrated to be sufficient to reduce Salmonella in contaminated food to non-detectable—non-infectious—levels.
(You can read about this in glorious, jargon-filled science geekery here.)
Most recipes will tell you to shoot for a stuffing temperature of 165º to be safe, although this can result in an overcooked bird.
I like to make this easy sausage stuffing in the morning when I'm about to begin roasting the turkey. This way, the stuffing is still piping hot when I stuff the bird.
Then I rely on a meat thermometer inserted either in the breast or thigh of the bird so that I don't overcook it. (I do still check the stuffing with an instant-read thermometer before taking the bird out of the oven.)
Then I remove the stuffing to a serving dish (keeping it separate from the "dressing") before carving the bird. If you're still uncomfortable with the idea of stuffing your turkey, just cook the stuffing/dressing separately. You won't hurt my feelings.
What goes into sausage stuffing?
It's a simple matter of store-bought bread cubes, seasoned sausage, celery, onion, butter, chicken broth, and salt and pepper.
How do I make sausage stuffing?
I have all the details in the recipe below, but this process collage shows the highlights.
Also be sure to check out my video!
I can't imagine a turkey dinner without stuffing: it's one of my few guilty pleasures. Last year, we made waffles out of the leftovers. Oh. my. GOODNESS. But I can't—in good conscience—write that recipe.
I hope that your family loves this easy sausage stuffing as much as mine does! Have a wonderful holiday season.
—xoxo Michelle
Easy Sausage Stuffing
What I am about to impart to you is the SACRED COW of turkey stuffing. By this, I mean that it’s the recipe passed down by Phil’s mom. That dear lady has since passed away—but her memory is kept alive, in part, by this stuffing’s presence on the Thanksgiving table. Because this recipe is hallowed, it MUST NOT be altered in ANY WAY. I kid. YOU are more than welcome to alter it any way you’d like.
Ingredients
- 1 14- oz. bag Brownberry Sage & Onion Stuffing, not breadcrumbs!
- 1 lb. pork sausage
- 1 large onion,, chopped
- 2 cups chopped celery
- 1.5 sticks butter
- 1.5 cups chicken broth
- S & P to taste
- 2-3 fresh sage leaves (optional)
- 2-3 sprigs fresh rosemary (optional)
Instructions
- Brown the pork sausage with the onion and celery; drain fat. Meanwhile, heat the chicken broth and butter until boiling. Remove from heat.
- Empty the bag of stuffing into a large bowl; add chicken broth-butter mixture and fluff with a fork until completely moistened. Stir in pork mixture. Taste for seasoning; adjust as needed with S&P.
- IF YOU ARE STUFFING A BIRD: make the stuffing immediately before the turkey goes into the oven. Pack the stuffing loosely into the cavity along with the fresh herbs. Roast the turkey according to directions, making sure that the temperature of the stuffing (measured with an instant-read thermometer placed in the center of the stuffing) reaches 165°.
- Any remaining stuffing can be baked in a buttered casserole for 45 minutes at 375° while the bird rests. Top the stuffing with any extra fresh herbs (if you like), and cover with foil for the first 30 minutes of baking.
- Remove the stuffing from the cavity to a serving dish. Discard the fresh herbs. Return to the oven while you carve the bird. Serve piping hot.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 10 Serving Size: 1 cupAmount Per Serving: Calories: 428Total Fat: 32gSaturated Fat: 16gTrans Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 14gCholesterol: 76mgSodium: 684mgCarbohydrates: 31gFiber: 17gSugar: 3gProtein: 14g
Nutrition data provided here is only an estimate: if you are tracking this information for medical purposes, please consult a trusted external source. Thanks!
Scarlet says
Thanks for this easy sausage stuffing recipe. Sounds like just the thing for my husband !
Michelle says
Thanks, Scarlet! I hope he loves it!
Luci says
Delicious, I think I will follow this recipe for my families Harvest dinner coming up. Thank you for sharing.
Michelle says
Thank you, Luci! I hope it’s a hit!
Rezel Kealoha says
I love love love stuffing! Its the best part of thanksgiving in my opinion. I like your addition of the sausage. I might try that this year. Thank you for the recipe!
Michelle says
You're welcome, Rezel! I'm with you: I'm a stuffing addict!
April says
I'm not a fan of stuffing but yours sound amazing! I used to wonder why people called it stuffing when it wasn't stuffed into anything lol.
Michelle says
Haha, thanks, April! I hope this recipe changes your mind. 😉
Tara says
This stuffing looks incredible! Such wonderful flavors. I am quite ok with lots of butter on Thanksgiving. The perfect day to splurge.
Michelle says
Thank you, Tara! And I totally agree. 🙂
Mary says
I love sausage stuffing and try a different version of it every year at Thanksgiving.
Michelle says
I love that idea, Mary! I wish I could convince my hubster's family!
Gloria @ Homemade & Yummy says
Stuffing is the BEST part of the meal. I have never tried sausage...but I think I am really missing out here. And YES we call it DRESSING to ...either works!! I always make a HUGE tin foil pan...we like LOTS of leftovers. Especially stuffing...it always tastes better the next day.
Michelle says
Thanks, Gloria! It's my favorite part, for sure! And yes, the leftovers are always best.
Catherine Brown says
This is so pretty! I love the fresh sage on top especially. My family has been using my grandmother's stuffing recipe for years and it's a must each holiday, very similar to this one. Nice photos!
Michelle says
Aw, thank you, Catherine!
Stephanie says
This looks so good! It might just make its way onto my table this Thanksgiving 🙂
Michelle says
Thank you, Stephanie!
Karyl | Karyl's Kulinary Krusade says
I'm embarrassed to admit, but I have yet to make any stuffing that doesn't come out of a box! I really need to change that, and I'm loving your simple sausage stuffing recipe. I definitely need to give this a try
Michelle says
Thanks, Karyl! This is perfect then: it's halfway homemade! 😀
Eb Gargano | Easy Peasy Foodie says
This sounds lovely...and not a million miles away from my family's traditional stuffing recipe . I have never ever heard of stuffing called dressing before! Dressing is strictly something that gets poured over salad in the UK! It's just stuffing here...whether it's stuffed in a bird or not. Though if it's rolled into ball shapes then they're stuffing balls! Thanks for linking this up to #CookBlogShare 😀 Eb x
Michelle says
Thanks, Eb! And that was exactly my thought when I learned the stuffing-dressing distinction: dressing is poured over salad! 😀
Elizabeth | The Recipe Revival says
This seems like an easy and flavorful recipe! I love the addition of sausage. It really kicks up the flavor! 🙂
Michelle says
Thank you, Elizabeth! Yes, I'm now a big fan of sausage in the stuffing!
Monika Dabrowski says
This sounds so delicious, as well as super easy to make, which I love! Stumbled and pinned:)
Michelle says
Thanks so much, Monika! I'm all about easy and delicious! 🙂
Corina Blum says
I love stuffing on special occasions and this sounds really tasty!
Michelle says
Thanks, Corina! I probably enjoy the stuffing even more than the turkey!