Sourdough has officially earned its spot at the Thanksgiving table, and this Sourdough Stuffing might just outshine the turkey. It’s a cozy, savory twist on my grandma’s classic recipe, loaded with buttery veggies, herby roux, and mild Italian sausage for the ultimate holiday side.
This is a Must-Have Thanksgiving Side
Sourdough, welcome to the Thanksgiving dinner table. You’ve infiltrated all other holidays and celebrities (hi, Taylor Swift inspired Cinnamon Swirl Sourdough), so it makes sense you’ve pulled up a seat at this thanksgiving day feast too!
I cannot get over how freaking good this recipe is, though. I ate it for dinner and then again for breakfast the next day (sausage and sourdough, technically it could be breakfast?!); Next time I’m going to fry an egg over it for a little sourdough bread stuffing sausage hash situation, YUM YUM).
This sourdough stuffing recipe is a spin off of my grandma’s traditional thanksgiving stuffing, which is a holiday favorite. I called her to get the recipe; then added my own twist. I said no-no to the cream of chicken soup and swapped it with a flavorful, homemade herb roux and nixed the shredded chicken/turkey pieces for sweet italian sausage. And after a few tests, I can confirm, you want this as the star of the show during the holiday season.
BUT if you need more oven space on Thanksgiving morning, I hear you. Also check out my Thanksgiving Rice or this Stove Top Stuffing with Sausage, which are just as delicious but you can steer clear of the need to bake anything.
Recipe Ingredients
- Veggies – Celery, carrots and onion.
- Butter – To sauté the veggies in, and also to contribute to our roux.
- Mild Italian Sausage – Ground. **if you do not use a pre-seasoned sausage, you will need to season the stuffing! Add salt, pepper, dried rosemary/sage/thyme, coriander and plenty of garlic.
- Sourdough Bread – Day-old sourdough bread is best as opposed to fresh, homemade bread. Day-old bread makes for the best texture and gives a crispy top to this hearty side dish.
- Roux – Made with butter, flour, bone broth (chicken broth, turkey broth or even vegetable broth are all acceptable too, however bone broth is a great way to add even more savory flavor), fresh herbs (I like fresh parsley, fresh sage, rosemary and thyme), salt & pepper.
See the recipe card below for a full list of ingredients and measurements.
Substitutions and Variations
- To save time, you can substitute the homemade roux for 2 cans of Campbells cream of chicken. *as my grandma’s recipe calls for.
- Instead of Italian sausage, try turkey sausage, shredded turkey (try my Slow Cooker Turkey Tenderloin!) or coined sausage links.
- For some sweetness, add chopped apples, raisins, dried craberries or add cranberry sauce on top.
How to Make This Recipe
1. Dice the sourdough bread into small pieces (less than ½” per cube). Place into a large mixing bowl and set aside.
2. Heat a large skillet to medium heat. Once warm, add ¼ cup (½ stick) of butter, diced onions, diced carrots & diced celery to the pan and salt. Cover and saute for 8-10 minutes until vegetables start to soften and become translucent.
3. Once the vegetables are tender, reduce the heat to low and add the other ½ cup of butter (1 stick). Allow to melt, then transfer the buttered vegetables into the large bowl with the bread cubes.
4. Heat the skillet again and brown the mild sausage until 90% cooked. Pour sausage into the mixing bowl with the other ingredients. Note: Use a seasoned sausage! It adds to the flavor of the dish. If not, the stuffing will be quite bland.
5. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Heat the skillet to low and make the roux: melt butter and fresh herbs. They will become fragrant and smell fabulous. Once butter is 90% melted, add the all purpose flour. Whisk to create a paste.
6. Pour broth into the skillet. Whisk together and heat until mixture boils. Reduce to a simmer and let the mixture thicken!
7. Transfer the bread mixture from the large mixing bowl to a 9×13 pan. Spoon the creamy roux onto the top of the stuffing mixture, ensuring to cover the whole pan.
8. Bake for 32-35 minutes until the bread is toasted and the top is set. Move the baking dish to the top rack and switch the oven to broil. Broil for 3-5 minutes until the top is golden brown. Serve warm!
PRO TIPS
- Dry bread is best for stuffing (sourdough is already a bit drier of a bread), but feel free to use a little bit more stale bread (~2 days old)! I tested this recipe with a homemade, fresh sourdough loaf. While it was delicious, I found that older, store-bought sourdough more uniform and easier to cook with and made the perfect base. An electric bread knife is CRUCIAL if you’re going to use a homemade fresh bread!!!
- If you notice small portions of the top of the sourdough dressing are beginning to burn before the center is set, place aluminum foil across the top to trap some of the heat and protect the edges of your must-have thanksgiving side dish.
Recipe FAQs
Store leftover sourdough stuffing in an airtight container for up to 4 days. I like to reheat portions by giving it a quick pan fry. Microwave works too, but stove top keeps the bread crispier.
Yes! You can fully assemble the stuffing (without baking) up to 1 day in advance. Just cover and refrigerate, then bake when ready to serve. We all know advanced holiday prep can do wonders for a successful meal.
No! The crust adds great texture and flavor to the final dish.
Serving suggestions
Complete your holiday table with this Butternut Squash Mac and Cheese, Fall Kale Salad and these French Onion Potatoes.
Serve leftovers for breakfast with a fried egg and hot sauce on top (DROOL)!
More Recipes You’ll Love
Love this recipe? Please leave a 5-star 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 rating and comment in the recipe card below. Thanks for visiting!
Sourdough Stuffing
Equipment
- skillet
- 9×13 baking dish
- Large mixing bowl
- Whisk
- Tongs
- knife & cutting board
- measuring cups / spoons
Ingredients
- 3 sticks Celery, diced/cubed
- 3 large carrots, diced/cubed
- 1 medium sweet onion, diced
- 3/4 cup Unsalted butter, 1 ½ sticks
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 lbs ground mild italian sausage, see note*
- 1 Loaf of sourdough bread, 17oz, ~8 cups cubed sourdough
Roux
- 3 tbsp Butter
- 3 tbsp All purpose flour
- 2 ½ cups Bone broth
- 4 tbsp Fresh herbs, diced (thyme/sage/rosemary)
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
Instructions
- Dice the sourdough bread into small pieces (less than ½” per cube). Place into a large mixing bowl and set aside.
- Heat a large skillet to medium heat. Once warm, add ¼ cup (½ stick) of butter, diced onions, diced carrots & diced celery to the pan and salt. Cover and saute for 8-10 minutes until vegetables start to soften and become translucent.
- Once the vegetables are tender, reduce the heat to low and add the other ½ cup of butter (1 stick). Allow to melt, then transfer the buttered vegetables into the large bowl with the bread cubes.
- Heat the skillet again and brown the mild sausage until 90% cooked. Pour sausage into the mixing bowl with the other ingredients. Note: Use a seasoned sausage! It adds to the flavor of the dish. If not, the stuffing will be quite bland.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Heat the skillet to low and make the roux: melt butter and fresh herbs. They will become fragrant and smell fabulous. Once butter is 90% melted, add the all purpose flour. Whisk to create a paste.
- Pour broth into the skillet. Whisk together and heat until mixture boils. Reduce to a simmer and let the mixture thicken!
- Transfer the bread mixture from the large mixing bowl to a 9×13 pan. Spoon the creamy roux onto the top of the stuffing mixture, ensuring to cover the whole pan. Tip: let it sit for up to an hour to soak up all the flavor before baking!
- Bake for 32-35 minutes until the bread is toasted and the top is set. Move the baking dish to the top rack and switch the oven to broil. Broil for 3-5 minutes until the top is golden brown. Serve warm!
Nutrition
Video
Notes
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I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments below. It’s my passion to create dishes that can be shared with others. Tell me something you loved or just say hi!
So savory – I can’t wait to share with our family this Thanksgiving.
I’ll be the first to say sourdough everything! But this stuffing is EXCEPTIONAL. the sourdough bread brings a perfect tang. love!!!!
Amazing!
If I was Derek from DWTS, I’d give this a 10!!!
I made this for the first time and everyone loved it. It will definitely be a staple on our Thanksgiving table from now on. The prep time was a little longer than 30 minutes for me.
Mary Ann, this is the nicest comment! I will note the prep time. It will always vary slightly but good to know for others!