Try my sausage stuffing flavoured with sage, pear and many more fragrant herbs. It really is the perfect accompaniment to a turkey dinner. I make it every single year and my family never gets tired of it!
For another delicious side dish, take a look at my Fresh Green Bean Casserole made from scratch. Or better yet check out my Thanksgiving Recipe Collection for all recipes you can possibly need for your holiday table!
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I am not entirely sure how this happened but it appears this stuffing is the favourite side dish in my family. I never seem to make enough of it and it’s the first thing we run out of.
Classic autumn flavours of sage, parsley and a touch of pear make this sausage and bread stuffing into a delicious and comforting side dish to a roast turkey. Once in a while I find a more exotic stuffing to make just to keep things interesting.
Still, we always come back to this tried and true recipe. This is precisely why I am confident you are going to love this recipe as well!
Ingredients
It’ll surprise no one to find bread top of the list of stuffing ingredients. It’s essential to add bulk and soak up all that delicious flavour. I chose sourdough because I like that it has a bit more chew and flavour, although pretty much any bread will work.
It’s best to use bread that isn’t too fresh for stuffing, just like with French toast. Older bread isn’t going to fall apart as easily as fresh, making it a great option for recipes like this one.
With bread in place, it’s time to bring the flavour. Sausage, parsley and sage create a wonderful medley but the real winner in this stuffing is slightly sweet and fragrant pear!
The pear shines in this meat-heavy recipe, adding a much needed sweetness and a touch of tartness. It brings a balance!
Recipe tips and notes
- Use crusty bread for more texture. Sourdough is my favourite for its sour notes and interesting character.
- I wouldn’t recommend using bulk sausage, not nearly enough of flavour. Use good quality sausages with herbs and spices already added. I love Italian-style sausages here.
- Take the time to brown everything first. Those little steps add up to a Big Flavour
- Toss out dried herbs that have been sitting in your cupboard for ages and use fresh herbs! Sage and parsley are delicious in this sausage stuffing but rosemary and thyme will also work.
- Don’t stuff your turkey with it. Cook this sausage and pear stuffing in a baking dish for 30 minutes for a delicious crusty top.
- I prefer baking my stuffing uncovered to get that crusty topping, which everyone fights over! No, this doesn’t make my stuffing dry. Shorter cooking time and the addition of chicken stock and a beaten egg to the mixture ensures moist stuffing with a delicious golden crust.
Serving suggestions
Although stuffing is technically a side dish to go with a turkey dinner, it might be top of the list in my family. Here’s what else I would serve to make a complete turkey feast:
- Roast turkey is obvious, but I also love turkey crown for smaller gatherings
- Turkey loves it’s sweet and tart partner cranberry sauce
- Homemade gravy is a must
- Potatoes, sometimes roasted and sometimes mashed
- Some fresh veggies to round it off, such as lemon butter green beans or roasted carrots
- And a beautiful dessert to finish, which could be a decadent chocolate cake or a traditional pumpkin pie, depending on how I’m feeling!
But that’s just how I build my turkey dinner. There’s so many other ways you could go, and I have all sorts of suggestions ready for you in my Thanksgiving Collection!
Storage and leftovers
Leftover stuffing can be kept refrigerated for 3-4 days, or frozen for 3 months without compromising quality.
If you have a lot of stuffing to reheat, the best way is to return it to the oven set at 180C/350F. Bake for 20 minutes or until it is hot all the way through.
Adding a splash of broth before baking can help prevent the stuffing from drying out.
Favourite Thanksgiving Side Dishes
- Port Cranberry Sauce
- Maple Butter Cornbread Muffins
- Sweet Potato and Rutabaga Mash
- Apple Salad with Bacon, Walnuts and Blue Cheese
- Brie and Bacon Macaroni and Cheese
Sausage, Pear and Sage Stuffing
Ingredients
- 500g/4 cups sourdough bread or any other crusty bread (approximately 8 slices of bread)
- 6-8(400g/14oz) Italian-style sausages or your favourite sausage
- 250ml/1 cup This is an affiliate link.chicken stock
- 2 stalks celery diced
- 1 onion chopped
- 1 pear diced
- 1 tbsp fresh sage chopped
- 13g/1/4 cup fresh parsley chopped
- 1 egg
- 1 tsp salt
- ½ tsp pepper
- 1 tbsp butter
- 1 tsp This is an affiliate link.olive oil
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F/180C. Cut the bread into cubes and put them in a large bowl. Remove the sausage from casing and cook in a frying pan (no extra oil needed) breaking it up with a wooden spoon. Cook the sausage over medium heat until lightly browned for 3 minutes.
- Then push the sausage to one side of the pan and add chopped onion and diced celery, cook for 5 minutes until softened. (Give the sausage a stir once in a while to avoid burning.) Then mix everything together and add diced pear, sage and parsley and cook for 2 minutes longer.
- Add the sausage mixture to a bowl with bread cubes, pour in chicken broth and mix to combine, then add beaten egg, salt and pepper and quickly stir everything together.
- Empty the stuffing into a buttered baking dish and brush the top with a teaspoon of olive oil for a beautiful and golden crusty top. Bake at 350F/180C for 30 minutes.
Bean says
This will be my 3rd thanksgiving making this stuffing recipe! It comes out perfect every time! Bea
Julia Frey (Vikalinka) says
I am so glad, Bea! Happy Thanksgiving!
Meg Cutler says
I’m planning on making this for Thanksgiving. Can you tell me, in ounces, how much sausage to use? Can’t wait to make this!
Julia Frey (Vikalinka) says
Hi Meg, it’s 14 oz of sausage. Enjoy!
Suzy says
This is something similar to what my mom used to make but she never put pear in! I love this idea! I’m going to give it a try!
Anna says
I love the combination of pear and sage! This stuffing is delicious!
Melissa says
Great recipe – so many wonderful flavors in one! Very moist with a great crust!
Natasha says
Sage would be such a fun change for stuffing! Cant wait to try this out
Katie says
Oh my goodness, this stuffing looks AMAZING. Need to try this for Thanksgiving!
Tiffany M says
This has been my go to stuffing recipe for the last 3 years! Love it!
vikalinka says
You just made my day, Tiffany! Happy Thanksgiving! 🙂
Nune Mahrouk says
Thank you so much for wonderful recipes!
So beautiful and creative! Really love your website! And photos are precise!
Kathleen says
How many does this serve?
vikalinka says
Kathleen, it will serve up to 10 people as a smallish side.
Valerie says
I would like to make this recipe for Thanksgiving as it looks very tasty!
1- Do I need to roast the bread first so it becomes crunchy?
2- Can I put the stuffing to cook in the turkey rather than cooking it separately?
Thank you!
vikalinka says
Valerie, no, you don’t need to do anything to the bread but you need to buy a loaf with with a nice crust on it, and yes, you can stuff your turkey with it, however it won’t be crusty on top as not much of it will be exposed while the turkey is roasting.
Valerie says
Sounds great thank you!
Valerie
Stephanie says
How many people would this serve? I am looking to make this for a group of 25. Thank you it looks so yummy 🙂
vikalinka says
Stephanie, I would double the recipe if I was serving 25 people. 🙂
Stephanie says
Great thank you!!
Jen says
Did you use red onion for this or some other kind? Looks yummy, yummy!
vikalinka says
Yes, red onion but a white one will be fine as well. Thank you, Jen.
Chung-Ah (@damn_delicious) says
Gorgeous stuffing! You have me very excited for Thanksgiving now!
Vikalinka says
Thank you! We are done with Thanksgiving here but very much looking forward to Christmas. 🙂
Julia | JuliasAlbum.com says
What a lovely stuffing, and what a gorgeous, crusty loaf of bread! I usually save bread like that and use much simpler bread for the stuffing. 🙂 But maybe in Europe all bread looks like that! 🙂
Vikalinka says
Well English bread is not as gorgeous as French but there is definitely not shortage of real stuff. 🙂 Thank God as we all love REAL bread!
On Top Of Spaghetti says
This has made me really hungry!
Vikalinka says
Glad to hear it. 🙂
tinywhitecottage says
I’ll bookmark this for November. I know I could just make it now, however, I’ll wait until our Thanksgiving. Wonderful recipe and your photographs are beautiful.
Vikalinka says
Thank you so much! I do hope you make this stuffing for Thanksgiving or Christmas. I know what you mean about reserving it for special occasion, I always do too!