Do you say stuffing or dressing? I grew up saying dressing but I feel like I sometimes I call it both these days. Honestly I don’t care what it’s called, all I know is that it happens to be my favorite Thanksgiving side dish. This might be an unpopular opinion, but I think most people who disagree just haven’t had a good dressing before. This recipe for easy sausage and herb dressing is going to quickly become a staple at your holiday table every year.

Even if you have your own recipe for dressing or stuffing, I think you should give my recipe a try. We had a Friendsgiving last week and several people who were self-proclaimed non-dressing lovers, ended up becoming fans by the end of dinner. This recipe is a spin off of my mom’s and really the only difference is that toast my own bread and she still buys the Pepperidge Farm bagged stuffing as her base. Both are delicious, so if you want to go the bagged route, feel free to make it easier on yourself! I personally love to get a good loaf of sourdough or homemade bakery white bread and cut it into small cubes and toast it lightly. I think it really makes a difference in the texture and the flavor department.

Some dressings can be mushy because the bread wasn’t toasted or on the opposite side of that, some dressings end up dry. Neither of those options are gonna work here, which is why I am going to help you out with my this recipe + a few tricks to make sure your dressing ends up perfect every single time!

I stay pretty classic here with sausage and herbs like rosemary, thyme, and sage and lots of onion and celery. I prefer stock straight from the turkey, but in a pinch I buy store bought turkey broth and infuse it to make it taste homemade by adding those same herbs, a little butter for richness, salt and pepper. Both options work great here. I also find that you have to find the right balance of moisture, so I like to add a little stock and stir, and repeat until I have the right consistency. I recommend tasting as you go also so that you know if it needs more salt etc and you can really tell the texture if you taste it.

I know that you are going to love making your own dressing from scratch and having your friends and family rave about it!

Ingredients:

• 1 Loaf Bakery Style White Bread (can be sourdough, boulle, or other variety)

• 1 Lb. Breakfast Sausage (can use sage, spicy, whichever you prefer)

• 1 Diced Onion

• 4 Stalks Diced Celery (leaves included)

• 4 Tbsp. Butter

• 1 Tbsp. Fresh Thyme Leaves

• 1 Tbsp. Fresh Sage Leaves

• 1 Tbsp. Fresh Rosemary Leaves

• 4 Cups Turkey Stock

• 1 Tbsp. Dried Poultry Seasoning

• 1 Tbsp. Salt

• 1 Tsp. Black Pepper

• 1 Tbsp. Olive Oil

Directions:

• Cut bread into small cubes and place onto a baking sheet and into an oven at 325 degrees and toast lightly for 10-15 minutes until bread is toasted but not hard. Let cool.

• Heat a large skillet over medium high heat and add oil and sausage, breaking up the sausage into small pieces.

• Cook the sausage until browned and then add in onion and celery along with half of the salt and pepper.

• Chop herbs finely and then add them into the skillet and sauté for another 2-3 minutes.

• Add in 2 tbsp. of butter at this time and stir until melted.

• Meanwhile simmer turkey stock on stove until warmed through.

• In a large bowl add bread cubes, sausage and veggie mixture, half of the dried poultry seasoning, and a couple ladles of the stock and stir to combine.

• Add in the rest of the salt, pepper, and dried poultry seasoning and a few more ladles of stock and stir again.

• Continue adding in ladles of stock stirring each time until dressing is just moist.

• Place into a 9 x 13 baking dish and add last 2 tbsp. of butter into small cubes and sprinkle a few on top of the stuffing.

• Place into an oven at 350 for 30 minutes until browned. Switch to broil the last two minutes of cooking if needed for browning.

• Serve immediately with gravy if desired.

I mean, I know dressing might not be the prettiest to look at, but it is honestly one of my favorite holiday dishes to enjoy. I hope that you will give this recipe for easy sausage and herb dressing a try this holiday season!