Look no further than this for Italian stuffing recipes for Thanksgiving. This flavorful recipe is made with ground Italian sausage, fresh herbs and homemade bread cubes. Use it as a make ahead side dish or use it to stuff your turkey. It’s a hearty and easy side dish.
The Thanksgiving meal is one we look forward to every fall and Thanksgiving stuffing is a family favorite even among Italian families. Am I right? My Italian immigrant family- mom, aunt, uncle and cousin LOVED bread stuffing. It was always included at Thanksgiving and other times of the year.
Of course, this stuffing recipe will taste great with homemade turkey or chicken gravy! You can make the gravy without drippings too!
This delicious Italian stuffing recipe is made with homemade bread cubes, mild Italian sausage and fresh herbs- rosemary, sage, thyme and Italian parsley. The fresh herbs give this recipe most of its flavor so, don’t use dried herbs. It’s a bit similar to the stuffing I use in my Italian Stuffed Peppers with Bread Stuffing except that this recipe has ground Italian sausage rather than the cured, hard Italian sausage.
In the produce department of the grocery store, you can find fresh poultry seasoning, which includes thyme, sage and rosemary. It’s in one container and so convenient.
When you cook the sausage, the pork fat mixes with the olive oil and makes a great fat base for the other ingredients. It’s so delicious!
This dish can be a part of any meal but, especially a nice holiday meal so, it’d be great for Easter or Christmas as well.
When you have a large Italian family to feed, you know they’ll love homemade Italian stuffing made with Italian bread and Italian pork sausage. If you have a larger family, you may want to double this recipe.
The main difference between this recipe and an American sausage stuffing is that this one uses extra virgin olive oil instead of butter, which is a healthier fat. Also, in contrary to the American version, the Italian version has Italian sausage, which has fennel seeds, which makes it taste really Italian.
This Italian stuffing recipe is similar to my Italian Stuffed Peppers with Bread Stuffing except that the sausage is ground Italian sausage rather than cured Italian sausage. It’s tasty too.
Best Thanksgiving Italian Sausage Stuffing Recipe
*The full, printable recipe is at the bottom of this post.
Ingredients
*The full, printable recipe is in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
- extra virgin olive oil
- chopped onions
- chopped celery
- ground sweet Italian sausage or hot Italian sausage
- chicken broth or chicken stock
- Italian bread (stale or old bread)
- fresh poultry seasoning- 1 tbsp thyme leaves, 1 tbsp chopped fresh rosemary, 2 tbsp chopped sage
- Italian flat leaf parsley
- large eggs
- garlic cloves
- salt and black pepper to taste
If you can’t find ground Italian pork sausage, then buy the regular Italian sausage links (sweet or hot) and take the casings off using a sharp, serrated knife. Discard the casings.
First, you’ll make the stale bread cubes so they have time to become stale overnight. They don’t have to be very hard, just stale.
I like to make my own stale bread cubes because I can choose what kind of bread I want to use. I buy a good-quality Italian bread, preferably sliced. You can also use French bread if that’s all that is available.
Then, I just cut it into cubes and let it sit on a baking sheet overnight to become stale.
NOTE: If the bread you’re using is very fresh, it could take longer than overnight to become stale. You may need 18-24 hours.
Next, to a large skillet on medium-high heat, add extra virgin olive oil, onions, celery and minced garlic. Let that cook a few minutes until the celery is soft. Don’t let the garlic burn or it’ll become bitter.
Then, add the fresh herbs to the skillet. Let that cook a couple of minutes for the herbs to excrete their flavors.
Then, add the ground Italian sausage and break it up into pieces. I use a chopper tool to do this, which is great for making meat sauce and tacos.
Cook the Italian pork sausage for about ten minutes. It should be cooked through.
Meanwhile, in a large bowl, add the stale bread cubes.
Then, pour the chicken broth into it and stir with a wooden spoon to combine.
Next, add the whisked eggs and stir to combine.
Next, add the cooked sausage mixture, including the browned bits left at the bottom of the pan, to it and stir it.
Then, add the sausage and bread mixture to a 13″ x 9″ x 3″ casserole dish.
Bake it at 350F, uncovered for about 30 minutes. You want the sausage and bread cubes to get browned so, don’t cover it in aluminum foil until you remove it from the oven and want to keep it warm before serving.
Substitutions
- Use French bread if Italian bread isn’t available.
- Use hot Italian sausage or spicy sausage instead of mild Italian sausage if that’s your preference.
- If you’re short on prep time, use good-quality unseasoned bread cubes. If you can only find them fresh, let them sit out overnight to get stale.
- Use a combo of olive oil and butter if you want to add some butter flavor.
- Vegetable broth can be substituted instead of chicken broth.
- Substitute turkey sausage or chicken sausage if you prefer.
Make Ahead Instructions
Follow the instructions in the recipe card but, cover it and store it in your refrigerator until ready to bake. You can make it up to two days ahead for maximum freshness.
What to serve with Italian Sausage Stuffing
Easy Crockpot Thanksgiving Turkey Breast with Gravy + VIDEO
Air Fryer Crispy Garlic Parmesan Potatoes + VIDEO
Homemade Green Bean Casserole + VIDEO
Easy Citrus Herb Roasted Turkey
How to Make Turkey Gravy with Drippings
Baked Ham Recipe Not So Sweet Maple Glaze
Air Fryer Parmesan Green Beans
Roasted Garlic Parmesan Mashed Potatoes
Storage
Store your stuffing leftovers in an airtight container in your refrigerator for 3 days for maximum freshness. You can freeze it too for up to a few months.
Your Thanksgiving dinner or holiday table deserves a flavorful stuffing like this. This Italian sausage stuffing recipe just may become your favorite stuffing recipe. It will be one of the best dishes on your Thanksgiving table.
You may also like
Italian Stuffed Peppers with Bread Stuffing
Italian Stuffed Red Peppers with Bread Stuffing
Air Fryer Thanksgiving Side Dishes
How to Keep Thanksgiving Sides Warm
I took this recipe to Weekend Potluck.
Best Thanksgiving Italian Sausage Stuffing Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 lb good-quality sliced Italian bread
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1/2 cup chopped onions
- 1 cup chopped celery
- 6 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tbsp chopped fresh rosemary
- 1 tbsp fresh thyme leaves
- 2 tbsp chopped fresh sage leaves
- 2 tbsp chopped fresh Italian flat leaf parsley
- 16 oz ground Italian sausage
- 3 cups chicken broth
- 2 large eggs, whisked
- sat and pepper to taste (add only after taste testing)
Instructions
- First, preheat oven to 350F.
- Next, add extra virgin olive oil, chopped onions, minced garlic and celery to a large frying pan. Cook for about five minutes.
- Then, add the chopped rosemary, sage, thyme and parsley. Cook for about one minute.
- Next, add the ground Italian sausage and break up into small pieces with a chopper. Cook for about 10-15 minutes on medium-high heat until the sausage is cooked.
- Then, in a large mixing bowl, add the stale unseasoned bread cubes and room temperature chicken broth.
- Then, add whisked eggs to the bread cubes and stir until combined.
- Next, add the sausage mixture to the bread cubes and stir to combine.
- Then, put the stuffing mixture into a 13" x 9" x 3" casserole dish and bake at 350F for 30 minutes. The bread cubes should become golden brown and the sausage
Notes
Did You Make This Recipe?
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Optimized on 10/11/24.
Hi Bob. The eggs acts as a binding agent in this recipe. You’re free to omit them if you wish.
why the egg??