What is your favorite side dish during the holidays? My absolute MUST HAVE is definitely the stuffing! I admit I have always just made the boxed stuff, but this year I decided to try homemade and… wow! This Buttery Herb and Sausage Stuffing is so delicious and will for sure be the recipe I make every year from now on.

I had a little fun with this dish and decided to really dress it up by adding sausage, mushrooms, and a variety of herbs from my garden. The thyme, rosemary, and sage pair so well together! Dress up this dish with mushrooms and sausage or keep it really simple and hold any or all of these extras.

Looking for other favorite sides to serve this holiday season? Check out my very favorite Old Fashioned Candied Yams, our Favorite Loaded Mashed Potatoes, or my Fool-Proof Crescent Dinner Rolls.

The bread:

For this homemade stuffing I wanted to add some texture by using several breads. In this dish I combined French, Italian and wheat bread. If you are using 2 types, I would recommend French and wheat. We loved the texture and variety the wheat bread added!

Shop my non-toxic pans here (0n sale!)

The veggies:

I used traditional celery and onion sautéed in butter, but I also decided to use some mushrooms too! Totally optional, I know not everyone loves mushrooms like we do. When they are sautéed, they really just add a subtle savory bite to the stuffing that I love so much.

Fresh Herbs:

I feel so lucky to still have some herbs growing in my garden this winter! Normally they are covered in snow by now, but I was able to clip some fresh rosemary, thyme and sage. YUM! You can, of course, use dried and ground if needed.

After sautéing the veggies in butter and a sprinkle of kosher salt, I added the fresh herbs. By this time my bread was toasting, my sausage was browning and these herbs and veggies had the kitchen smelling like holiday Heaven! Oh my!

Drying your bread

As far as drying your bread, you have a few options. We want our bread to be crouton texture since we will be adding liquids to it. You can either tent your fresh bread with tin foil and allow it to get stale overnight, or you can toast it in the oven. I toasted mine at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes.

Add it all together

After everything is sautéed and your sausage is browned, add it all together in a large bowl and toss/fluff together.

Prepare for baking:

At this point you will be adding a little more chicken broth and beaten egg to the bread mixture to bind it all together. The stuffing will bake at 350 degrees for about 55-60 minutes. If the top starts to get too browned, you can tint with foil. Use a thermometer to make sure the center is at least 160 degrees and it is finished!

Buttery Herb and Sausage Stuffing

Handmade Farmhouse

Buttery homemade stuffing with delicious fresh herbs, mushrooms and sausage! Sure to be a holiday side-dish favorite!

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Ingredients

12 Cups Bread (cut into cubes) I like to use at least 2 types of bread: French, Italian or wheat. You can choose how much of each you'd like to add.
1 Sweet onion chopped
2 cups Celery chopped
1 Teaspoon Minced Garlic
1 1/2 Sticks Salted Butter 12 Tablespoons
4-8 Ounces Baby Bella or button mushrooms This is optional but really delicious! You can add all or half of the container, washed and chopped.
12 Ounces Jimmy Dean Regular Pork Sausage This is optional and you can add half or the whole amount if desired. Sautee and brown before adding to bread mixture.
1 Tablesoon Chopped fresh Thyme
1 Tablespoon Chopped fresh Rosemary
1 Tablespoon Chopped fresh Sage
1 Tablespoon Beef au Jus or brown gravy powder Optional but adds great depth of flavor!
2 1/2 Cups Chicken Broth
2 Large Eggs Beaten
Kosher salt to taste

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350°
Prepare a 9×13 baking dish (or two smaller dishes) by spraying with non-stick spray.
Slice your bread into small cubes. Place on a baking sheet and toast at 350° for 15-20 minutes or until bread is crouton texture. You can also leave bread out to become stale overnight on a baking sheet tented with foil.
In a large pan, melt butter and add onions, garlic, celery and mushrooms. Sprinkle with a good pinch of kosher salt. At least 1 teaspoon. Sautee 10-12 minutes or until softened. Add fresh herbs (dried and ground may be substituted in 1/2 teaspoon of each). Add 1 cup of chicken broth and (optional) 1 tablespoon beef au jus or beef gravy powder.
In another pan, brown sausage and set aside.
Add bread crumbs to a large bowl and toss with veggie mixture. Add ground sausage.
In a small bowl, beat 2 eggs into the remaining 1 1/2 cups chicken broth. Pour over bread mixture. Fold quickly and carefully until all bread cubes are covered.
Pour stuffing into a 9×13 pan or two smaller baking dishes. Bake for 55-60 minutes or until center temperature reads 160°. Tent the stuffing if the bread is becoming too dark on top.
This dish can be doubled to serve a larger crowd, but you may need to bake 10-15 extra minutes.

Optional Ingredients

The mushrooms and sausage are totally optional in this dish. I really love the way they dress up the stuffing! If you do not have access to fresh herbs, you can use 1/2 teaspoon of each in ground and dried. The beef au jus or gravy powder is optional as well, but really adds a great depth of flavor!