Sourdough Stuffing

5 from 2 votes

This sourdough stuffing recipe is a flavor packed homemade stuffing that's perfect for your Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner! It's made with sausage, fresh herbs, and topped with pecans and dried cranberries for a sweet and savory twist.

Prep Time25

Cook Time50

Total Time1 15

Course: Dinner, Holidays, Thanksgiving

Cuisine: American

Servings:

Calories: 622kcal

Author: Britney

Equipment

1 9x13 baking dish
2 Large Mixing Bowls
1 Large Skillet

Ingredients

1 Loaf Sourdough Bread cut into chunks (12 cups)
1 ½ lbs Breakfast Sausage
4 Celery Stalks (diced)
½ Yellow Onion (diced)
6 Fresh Sage Leaves (chopped)
2 tbsp Fresh Thyme
1 tbsp Fresh Rosemary (chopped)
½ cup Pecans (chopped)
½ cup Dried Cranberries
3 cups Chicken Broth
3 Large Eggs
½ cup Salted Butter (melted)
Salt and pepper

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Tear bread into medium sized bread cubes (about 1-inch cubes) and place on a rimmed baking sheet. Drizzle with a little olive oil, kosher salt, and black pepper. Toast the bread in the oven on the top rack for 10-15 minutes, until hardened and slightly golden brown. Increase the oven temperature to 400 degrees F.
While the bread toasts, cook the sausage. Add sausage to a large skillet over medium heat. Then add diced onions and celery and continue to cook down until sausage is thoroughly cooked and onions have softened. Season with salt and pepper. Then add fresh herbs (sage, rosemary, and thyme) and cook until fragrant, about 3-4 minutes. Remove from the heat and set aside.
In a large bowl, whisk together eggs and chicken broth. In a separate bowl, combine toasted bread, sausage and onion mixture, pecans and dried cranberries. Gently fold everything together then begin pouring in the egg and chicken broth mixture - one cup at a time, tossing between each addition. The bread should be moist, not wet/drenched.
Pour melted butter on top and toss to coat. Generously season with salt and pepper as the dry bread tends to soak up a lot of the flavor.
Spray a casserole dish with oil or rub with butter. Add bread mixture into the dish and bake in the oven for 30 minutes covered with aluminum foil. Remove the foil and continue to bake for another 15-20 minutes uncovered.

Notes

Tips for the Best Stuffing

Use a large mixing bowl to mix everything together. This may seem like a no brainer but trying to mix the breadcrumbs and the broth is difficult if using a small bowl.
Add the liquid to the breadcrumbs one cup at a time to allow the liquid to evenly disperse throughout the stuffing. This prevents some pieces from being too dry and other from becoming too soggy.
Use fresh herbs! Fresh herbs provide the most flavor. Be sure not to overcook your herbs as they'll taste bitter.
The best bread to use is day old bread that's kind of dry and hard. When the bread reaches this point, it holds onto the liquid better and won't become soggy.

Substitutions

Make this recipe vegetarian by omitting the sausage and using vegetable broth in place of chicken stock. You can also use white wine for a little extra flavor.
For a gluten free option, use gluten free bread instead.
Omit the pecans if you have a nut allergy.

Nutrition