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Sides & Snacks
Sourdough, Sausage & Herb Stuffing
Your Thanksgiving table just got kicked up a notch! This sourdough stuffing is worthy of seconds and will be requested every year from now on.
Stuffing used to be one of those dishes for me that was just kind of forgettable amidst all the other good food on the Thanksgiving table. But I must just not have had a good version, because now?! I’M OBSESSED!!! This is hands down the best stuffing I’ve ever tasted. It was surprisingly easier to make than I thought because I kept it pretty simple, but the fresh herbs and sausage really give it tons of great flavor. This. Must. Be. On. Your. Thanksgiving. Table.
Watch Me Make Sourdough Stuffing
Table of Contents
What is Stuffing?
Using Sourdough in Stuffing
Ingredients and Substitutions
How to Make
Storing and Reheating
More Thanksgiving Sides
What is Stuffing?
Stuffing is a savory bread-based dish that we Americans seem to only ever eat on one day a year — Thanksgiving. It’s usually mixed with vegetables, stock or broth, and herbs and baked in a tray and/or inside the turkey.
In my experience, stuffing was always that bland, brown mushy thing I always avoided on Thanksgiving, so the trick is adding texture and bright, harmonious flavors. The goal is getting guests to go back for seconds.
The Magic of Using Sourdough for Homemade Stuffing
As stuffing is a bread dish, I believe bread should be the hero.
Sourdough bread completely solves the texture problem that traditional stuffing has. It’s chewier than other kinds of bread, with a soft interior and chewy crust. This means the bread cubes actually hold their shape and you get a variety of textures in every bite. It won’t just become a mushy lump on the plate.
With all of its nooks and crannies, sourdough bread soaks up the broth, butter, and small bits of sausage. It’s the perfect bread for absorbing all of the pan drippings. Sourdough’s slightly tangy flavor also brings a little extra something special to the party that I just love.
Ingredients and Substitutions
Sourdough Bread
See above.
Ground Sausage
Ground sausage adds so much flavor to stuffing and makes it more than just bread with some bits of onion and celery. Any kind works (you could go hot or sweet Italian), but I used pork breakfast sausage. You can make it vegetarian by just leaving out the sausage.
Vegetables
I keep it traditional here, with yellow onion, celery, and garlic. You could dial the garlic up or down to suit your tastes.
Apple
Adding apple to this Sourdough Stuffing really brightens everything up. It adds some much-needed acidity to an otherwise heavy dish. I used Granny Mmith because it tends to hold its shape when baked (texture!) and has a strong tartness that really holds up with everything else.
Chicken Broth
Any kind will do, but pay attention to the sodium levels and adjust the added salt accordingly. You can make it vegetarian by swapping for vegetable broth.
Herbs
Adding a ton of herbs is the best way to brighten up a stuffing. And I don’t hold back. I used a lot of parsley (leaves only), as well as fresh thyme, sage, and rosemary. Thyme sage and rosemary are all robust, strong herbs that bring a lot of depth and flavor to the stuffing without muddying the flavor.
If you’d like, you can also add 2 tablespoons of Harmony All Purpose Blend for more flavor.
Salted Butter
Stuffing is traditionally big on butter and mine is no different. A whole stick of unsalted butter is used to cook the veggies. I use unsalted instead of salted so I can control the salt level myself, but you can use salted if you prefer.
How to Make Sourdough Stuffing
Step 1
Preheat oven to 250ºF. Arrange the bread on a large baking sheet in an even layer. Bake for 1 hour until the bread is completely dried out; it should be dry and crunchy like a crouton.
Step 2
Meanwhile, cook the sausage: In a large skillet over medium heat, add the sausage and break it up. Cook until it’s browned and just cooked through. Transfer the sausage to a bowl and set aside.
Step 3
Add the butter to the same skillet and increase the heat to medium-high. Add the onions, celery, and garlic and sauté for 10 minutes, stirring often, until they’ve softened.
Step 4
Meanwhile, mix the wet ingredients: In a medium mixing bowl, add the chicken broth, eggs, salt, pepper, and herbs and whisk together until well combined.
Step 5
To a very large bowl, add the baked bread, cooked sausage, veggies, and chopped apple.
Step 6
Pour the wet ingredients over the bread mixture and use a large spoon to stir everything together until the bread is completely moistened.
Step 7
Add the stuffing mixture to a 9×13-inch baking dish. Cover the baking pan with foil and bake for 1 hour.
Step 8
Remove the foil and bake for another 45 minutes until the top is nicely browned and crispy.
Storing and Reheating
Store leftover stuffing in the refrigerator in the same baking dish you cooked it in. Cover with a lid if it has one or with aluminum foil for up to 5 days. To reheat for a crowd, add a splash of water and pop the stuffing, covered in aluminum foil, back in the oven at 350 degrees for 20 minutes or until warmed through. To reheat a single portion, reheat in the microwave in 30-second increments until warmed through.
