Mom’s Sausage & Sage Dressing (Pork Sausage Stuffing Recipe)
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Once you make this stuffing recipe, you will never want to make another ever again! My Mom’s Sausage & Sage Dressing is the only one we have ever had on Thanksgiving. It’s my Grandma’s recipe and our family’s favorite part of the Thanksgiving holiday meal!
Growing up, my Grandma Czaplewski always had Thanksgiving dinner. When she passed away, a month after I gave birth to my first son, Spencer, we moved it to my Mom’s, but the dinner stayed exactly the same. Every year, my Mom says “Should I make something different? It’s like the same ‘ol same ‘ol.” To which I always reply “NO!!” I am a creature of habit and it is a dinner that I look forward to every year, and I want it exactly the same, just what I picture in my head when I think of Thanksgiving dinner.
Speaking of pictures, in this day and age, we take pictures of everything! I guess it’s because most of us have a camera phone at our disposal. But back in the day, that just wasn’t a thing. I had to search to find a picture to share with you of my grandma and me to post on this entry. This is her, with my husband and I back in 1991.
Sausage and sage stuffing
One of my favorite things about this recipe (next to the amazing flavor!) is that it’s one of the few recipes that I have that is in my Grandma’s handwriting. Handwriting sparks such nostalgia, doesn’t it? It can’t be duplicated, just like the person doing the writing cannot.
If you love sausage and sage dressing, you are sure to love these recipes that are perfect for your Thanksgiving table too: Smoked Turkey Recipe, Instant Pot Sweet Potato Mash, and these Broccoli Stuffed Mushrooms.
Grandma’s Sausage & Sage Dressing
I spoke with my Mom and shared the recipe that my Grandma wrote down for me some 35 years ago. She has made some variations to the recipe, but strangely, it tastes the same to me. My mom makes extra stuffing because we would all cry if there were no leftovers! So, these days, she buys a turkey that is somewhere between 22-24 pounds, prepares the dressing, and stuffs as much of it inside the turkey as it can hold. The remaining goes into a heavy-duty foil pouch and bakes along with the turkey. Yay for extra dressing!
I wrote this post for the first time in November 2012 and updated it in 2019 with the details of how to make it. My Mom had recently spent the day with me, and we made her entire Thanksgiving meal together. I was able to photograph it, and then update the pictures for you.
The day we made the stuffing to show you the step-by-step instructions, we prepared it in a bowl. As I mentioned before, my mom typically stuffs the bird and wraps the extra in tin foil to bake. She does this mostly for lack of oven space. The printable recipe card will tell you how to bake the stuffing in the bird, in foil, or in a casserole as I have here.
I know. I keep switching the name. “Dressing” and “Stuffing” – everyone uses them differently. Typically “stuffing” goes in the bird, and “dressing” is cooked outside of the bird. In our family, there was no rhyme or reason to that, as we always called it dressing, because that’s what my Grandma called it. Call it whatever you want, just make it! I promise you will love it!
Ingredients for sausage and sage stuffing
For complete ingredients and instructions scroll to the bottom of this post for the full printable recipe.
- Pork sausage: I like to use sage-flavored pork sausage.
- Bread crumbs: I used two different types of bread crumbs; herb-seasoned and country-style.
- Celery: Diced celery adds flavor and some crunch to the stuffing.
- Onion: Any kind of onion, minced, is good to add flavor.
- Chicken broth/ Chicken stock: Chicken broth adds flavor and moisture to the stuffing. You can use turkey stock or vegetable stock.
- Butter: Salted or unsalted butter both work to cook the vegetables.
Be sure to keep reading to find tips and tricks, substitutions, and answers to questions you may have about this sausage sage stuffing.
How to make this sausage sage stuffing recipe
There are a few simple steps to making this stuffing with sausage and sage.
In a large skillet over medium heat, brown sausage until cooked. Remove from pan and set aside.
In that same skillet, melt butter. Add celery and onion and cook until tender. About 10 minutes. Cool slightly so you are able to touch it for the next step.
Add your cooked celery and onion, bread crumbs and pork sausage to a big bowl.
Using your hands mix it all together. Begin adding chicken stock a little at a time, and working with your hands until it becomes the right consistency. The amount of bread crumbs you use will determine how much liquid you need, so working slowly is key.
My mom is showing here how the dressing will stick together and form a ball when it’s got enough moisture.
Stuff your turkey full and wrap the remaining stuffing in heavy-duty foil. Bake the turkey according to size and package instructions for a stuffed bird.
To bake the foil package, place it in the oven with the turkey for about 45 minutes before the turkey is done. When turkey is cooked, remove stuffing immediately.
Leftover stuffing will keep in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days. Reheat in the oven. You can freeze leftovers of this sausage stuffing recipe for up to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge overnight.
Love it? Pin it!
If you love this sausage and sage dressing recipe, make sure that you don’t lose it! Pin it to your favorite Pinterest recipe board before you go!
Dressing vs Stuffing – What’s the Difference?
Call it what you like, but if you’re cooking your stuffing inside the turkey, be sure to remove it from the cavity as soon as possible! While you don’t want to burn yourself, it’s important to get it out quickly to avoid any risk of bacteria turning your meal into a food safety issue.
Cooking stuffing in the bird does come with some perks. It helps keep the turkey moist and absorbs delicious flavors from the meat. But if you’re concerned about safety, you can always opt for adding aromatics like onions, carrots, or celery inside the turkey to keep it moist (just be sure to remove those promptly too).
For peace of mind, consider making the stuffing as dressing, cooked outside the bird. This way, you get all the flavor without the worry.
Here is a great cooking guide for cooking turkeys, both stuffed and unstuffed.
From left to right, My Mom, My Grandma and Me in the late 1980’s
Happy Thanksgiving, from my Mom, My Grandma and Me.
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Mom’s Sausage & Sage Dressing
Ingredients
- 2 pounds sage flavored pork sausage
- 2 (12 ounce) packages Pepperidge Farm bread crumbs,1 Herb Seasoned, 1 Country Style
- 3 cups celery chopped
- 1 cup onion minced divided
- 1 quart chicken broth
- 2 sticks (1 cup) butter melted
Instructions
- In a skillet over medium heat, brown sausage until cooked. Remove from pan and set aside.
- In that same skillet, melt butter. Add celery and onion and cook until tender. About 10 minutes. Cool slightly so you are able to touch it for the next step.
- In a big bowl, combine sausage, celery, and onion with your bread crumbs. Working with your hands, add small amounts of broth until dressing is moist, and forms into a ball.
- Stuff your turkey full. (we typically make a 20 pound bird) Wrap remaining stuffing in heavy duty foil. * see notes to prepare in a casserole dish
- Bake turkey according to size and package instructions for a stuffed bird.
- To bake the foil package, place in oven with turkey about 45 minutes before turkey is done.
- When turkey is cooked, remove stuffing immediately.
Notes
Nutrition
This recipe was originally posted in 2012. It was updated in 2019 and in 2024 to improve user experience.
love, Love LOVE Michaela!!! Thank you! I honestly didn’t realize how much we have in common 🙂 My Kansas grandmother’s stuffing was very similar to yours, except that she didn’t include any meat at all. There was always an extra pan of stuffing/dressing which included eith oysters or sausage or sometimes both, depending. I sooooo agree with you about the meal stayhing the same – year after year after year – that was extremely important to me. Over the years, I have hung onto family traditions as much as possible. My Thansgiving menu has expanded – and shrunk – but I still love my grandmother’s Thanksgving menu the best of all! Thank you for this excellent post! xoxo
P.S. I still have my grandmother’s pumpkin pie recipe on a 3×5 card in her handwriting 🙂 It’s so stained that it’s just barely legible, but I wouldn’t trade it for a million bucks! Thanks again 🙂 ~ Michele at La Belle Cuisine
Michele,
We TOTALLY do!! I am such a sentimental girl, and a CREATURE OF HABIT!! 🙂 Look forward to sharing LOTS more with you!!
This is very similar to my Moms and now mine! I use eggs ( fork whipped) to moisten before stuffing! Hmmm made me hungry for turkey day!
Michele,
My favorite thing? Your grandmother’s recipe card in her handwriting!!!! Love the story behind the dressing! When I think of my grandmother, Emma, it is all mixed up with smells: stuffing, turkey, sage, mincemeat…all cooking in the kitchen and the lovely sound of her voice. It doesn’t get any better than Thanksgiving and the wonderful memories that go along with the holiday!
Laurie, Thank you kindly for sharing some of your memories with me. Isn’t it amazing how the sounds and smells stay with us, and can get those memories flooding back? Happy Thanksgiving!
I agree with you about being a creature of habit…especially for the holidays. In food, we have memories, and what better memories than during the holidays?
Awww, I love love, recipes with a memorable story! When a recipe has a wonderful memory to go with it, it make the dish that more delicious! Thank you for sharing this recipe!
I love this! I am so in agreement about treasuring those handwritten recipes. I have a few that were my Mama’s and I wouldn’t give anything for them. We call it dressing too, but whatever you call it – it looks delicious and warms your heart to think of loved ones when you eat it.
This stuffing is the best! It has all the good ingredients.
Thank you for sharing such a special recipe. I also cherish recipes that my grandmothers have handwritten and are such an irreplaceable gift!
I love the handwriting on those old recipe cards and fondly remember my dad’s handwriting. These recipes are chapters in our lives that I hope neer disappear. My Grandmother made “dressing” even though it was stuffed in the bird. In my opinion, just call it delicious. I love the addition of sausage in this recipe and the tip about cooking extra in tin foil!
Old is Gold and Grandma’s recipe is surely a hit. This looks delicious and I would love to have it as my Christmas Dinner platter.
Recipes handed down through the generations are the ones you can absolutely trust. This sausage stuffing sounds so perfect for Thanksgiving and has such a sweet background.
I can well feel all the emotions you must be going through while writing this post! This is such a versatile recipe.
Love that you added celery to this dressing! Also didn’t know there was a difference between stuffing and dressing – thanks for explaining.
Isn’t this the BEST dressing! My mom did something a little similar to this and the flavors are so good!
It IS!! Best part of Thanksgiving!
I made this for my in-laws last year (my wife’s family loved it) and was scrambling to find it to make for my parents this year! I searched for about 15 minutes trying several different search options and then finally found it (remembered the basic recipe AND the great 80’s hair photos)! Thanks to you, your mom, and grandma for sharing this delicious recipe. I can’t wait to make it again… And I’ve saved it this time! ?
This comment made me smile!! (80’s hair! 😉 . ) . I am so happy you loved it like we do!!
Do you use any eggs?
no eggs. 🙂
How many ounces is the large size package of Pepperidge Farm bread crumbs? Their website indicates it is available in 12, 14, and 16 oz,
One of my pet peeves is when a recipe does not indicate a measurement. I don’t know if the store the author of this recipe shops at carries all three sizes, so there is no guarantee the 16 oz is her version of large. It has long been a pattern of companies to reduce package sizes to avoid raising prices (remember the 5-lb bag of sugar or can of coffee?). 16 oz might be the largest size now (2020, the year that keeps on giving and taking), though, in a year or two, the “largest” size might only be 15 oz.
Of the recipes I have found online, this one is closest to how I remember my grandmother’s. I may have to keep looking if I can’t get an answer.
Debbi – have you ever heard the phrase “you catch more flies with honey than with vinegar?” MY Grandmother taught me that. Heaven forbid you could simply ask a question like “how many ounces of stuffing do you use?” instead of coming to my blog, yes, the “her” and the “author” is me. I am fully aware that sizes change. That is why it states to add the liquid slowly, depending on the amount of bread crumbs that you use. I hope that if you “have to keep looking” that you will extend some kindness to the next food blog that is sharing free recipes with you because honestly, there is enough hatred in the world. Have a GREAT DAY.
Hi, Michaela! Thank you for sharing this yummy-looking recipe. I am planning on making this in a casserole dish, and I was wondering if you think it will still taste as good if I make this the day before Thanksgiving and just re-heat it on Thanksgiving?
Thank you!
Hi, Jenn! It would still taste amazing! In fact, it’s the first “leftover” that is gone in our house!
Do you baked uncovered in the 325 oven for 1 hour?
If it isn’t inside the bird, cover it before baking.