Classic Sourdough Stuffing with Sausage

This from-scratch sourdough sausage stuffing is a showstopper! It has all the savory, cozy delightful flavors wrapped up with bread, sausage and a little bit of butter. This is the only stuffing that I want at my Thanksgiving! 

Basic Steps

The basic steps in this recipe are:

1. Cube up a loaf of bread
2. Drizzle it with oil and toast it in the oven
3. Cook up some sausage, onion, leeks and celery.
4. Add a little white wine (or broth) and some seasonings.
5. Toss the toasted bread chunks with the sausage and vegetable mixture.
6. Add some chicken broth and a few tablespoons of butter.
7. Bake it in the oven.
8. Enjoy!  

Types of bread you can use

For this recipe, I generally use a loaf of my homemade Crusty Sourdough Dutch Oven bread, but any type of neutral flavored bread will do! 

What to look for in what type of bread to use:

• A loaf that weighs about 1.75 pounds, give or take a bit.
• A neutral flavored loaf 
• A bread that goes well with savory flavors
• While sourdough is preferred, non-sourdough bread would be fine.
• Either homemade or store bought will be ok
• A standard size loaf of bread is about right.
• While crusty bread is preferred, non-crusty loaves will work out ok for this recipe. It’s very forgiving! 

Types of sausage to use

For this recipe, you only want to use country sausage. 

Do not use Italian sausage or it will have a completely different flavor profile.  

Do not use sweet breakfast sausage, or the whole dish will taste odd because it will be too sweet. 

* If you want to add some heat to your stuffing, feel free to add some red pepper flakes to taste when you add in the other seasonings. 

Why leeks?

Leeks are allium vegetable family, so they are related to garlic, chives, onions, and shallots. 

They look like a giant green onion, and almost taste like it too! In fact, if you don’t have access to leeks, you can absolutely just use 1/2 bunch of green onions instead of 2-3 large leeks.

When using leeks, try and only use the bottom white, and pale green parts because those are the most tender and have the best flavor. 

Why does this recipe need wine?

It actually doesn’t *need* wine, you can substitute the wine for chicken broth. But adding some wine adds some acidity and depth of flavor. 

I don’t personally drink alcohol, but I keep white wine on hand to make risotto and stuffing! 

I use Chardonnay, but feel free to use any white wine that you like. If you don’t want to use wine, this recipe will be perfectly fine with chicken broth instead of wine. 

If you use the wine to de-glaze the vegetables and sausage, you’ll add it at the same time as the seasonings and then you’ll continue to let it cook for ten minutes or so to let the alcohol cook off. 

Time saving tips:

If you are making this recipe for thanksgiving, here are some ways you can make this fit into your busy baking schedule!

• Cube and freeze the bread weeks ahead of time!
• Toast the (thawed) bread cubes and store in an airtight container for up to two days.
• Cook the sausage and vegetables up to two days ahead of time. Put them in an airtight container and into the fridge until it’s time to assemble the stuffing. Then on the day of Thanksgiving, you can simply combine the toasted bread cubes, the sausage and vegetable mixture with some chicken broth and put it all into a 9×13 inch pan. Top with a little butter and bake! 
• Two days in advance, Prepare and bake the entire recipe, cover with foil and refrigerate. On thanksgiving morning, let it come to room temperature, then uncover it, add a bit more broth (1/2 to 1 cup) and put it back into the oven until it is toasty and warm.

Leftovers?

If you have any leftover stuffing, it is still delicious! Just cover and refrigerate any leftover stuffing, then to re-warm it, simply cover it will foil, and put it into the oven for about 20 minutes. Uncover for the last 5 minutes or so. 

Classic Sourdough Stuffing with Sausage

This is the only stuffing that I want at thanksgiving! You can’t beat from-scratch, real food stuffing that doesn’t come out of a box!

5 from 2 votes

Print Pin Rate

Course: Sauces & Dressings

Prep Time: 40 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes minutes

Total Time: 1 hour hour 10 minutes minutes

Servings: 20 servings

Ingredients

• 1 loaf of crusty sourdough bread 1.75 pounds
• 1/2 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 1 pound country sausage
• 1 medium onion
• 2-3 large leeks
• 3-4 ribs of celery
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon dried sage
• 1 teaspoon dried parsley
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1/2 cup white wine
• 2 to 3 cups chicken broth or bone broth
• 4 Tablespoons Butter

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Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Over a large cutting board,  cut the bread into small cubes. 
• Put cubes of bread onto a sheet pan, then toss with the Olive Oil. Bake for 20 minutes, tossing around halfway through. 
• In a large frying pan, combine the sausage, leeks, onion and celery. Cook over medium heat until they are all cooked through, sausage is completely cooked and vegetables are completely soft. Add a bit of oil if it goes dry. 
• Add the salt, thyme, parsley, sage and white wine (or broth) to the sausage/ vegetable mixture. Let cook for another ten minutes or so, stirring often, over medium heat to deglaze the pan, and let all the flavor come together. 
• In a large mixing bowl, combine the sausage/vegetable mixture with the toasted bread cubes. Toss to combine. Then add 2 to 3 cups of chicken broth. You want the bread cubes to be moistened but not crazy soggy. 
• Empty the contents of the large bowl into a greased 9x13 inch baking dish. Spread evenly, then top with 4 tablespoons of butter. Put it into a 400 degree oven to cook for 30 minutes. Cover with foil if needed for the last ten minutes, or if some of the bread cubes are browning too dark. 
• Remove from oven and serve immediately! 

Notes

Types of Sausage to Use:

For this recipe, you only want to use country sausage. 

Do not use Italian sausage or it will have a completely different flavor profile.  

Do not use sweet breakfast sausage, or the whole dish will taste odd because it will be too sweet. 

* If you want to add some heat to your stuffing, feel free to add some red pepper flakes to taste when you add in the other seasonings. 

Time Saving Tips:

If you are making this recipe for thanksgiving, here are some ways you can make this fit into your busy baking schedule!

• Cube and freeze the bread weeks ahead of time!
• Toast the (thawed) bread cubes and store in an airtight container for up to two days.
• Cook the sausage and vegetables up to two days ahead of time. Put them in an airtight container and into the fridge until it’s time to assemble the stuffing. Then on the day of Thanksgiving, you can simply combine the toasted bread cubes, the sausage and vegetable mixture with some chicken broth and put it all into a 9x13 inch pan. Top with a little butter and bake! 
• Two days in advance, Prepare and bake the entire recipe, cover with foil and refrigerate. On thanksgiving morning, let it come to room temperature, then uncover it, add a bit more broth (1/2 to 1 cup) and put it back into the oven until it is toasty and warm.