I’ve been making this Italian Sausage Thanksgiving Dressing for so long that now it wouldn’t feel like Thanksgiving without it. In the years that we’ve been doing this blog, we’ve learned a lot about others’ family tradition when it comes to Thanksgiving. One thing we’ve learned is everyone is scared of making the turkey (don’t be...our turkey recipe is a lot of work, but it’s hard to mess up!) Another thing we’ve learned is people don’t like you messing with their Thanksgiving dressing (or stuffing, depending on what you actually did with it and where you live).
Ingredients Needed
- Italian sausage – I recommend mild/sweet Italian sausage.
- Onion
- Celery
- Fresh garlic
- Mushrooms
- Granny smith apple
- Cubed stuffing or dressing bread mix – I like Pepperidge Farms Herb Seasoned Classic Stuffing. For this recipe, I try to stay away from Stove Top because the flavor is so overwhelming.
- Chicken broth
- Pecans – Chopped and toasted.
- Dried cranberries
How to Make Italian Sausage Dressing
- Preheat oven to 350℉. Lightly spray a 9×13″ baking dish with non-stick cooking spray. Set aside.
- Heat a very large skillet or Dutch oven to medium heat and add a light drizzle of olive oil. If necessary, remove sausage casings and crumble the sausage in the pan. As it starts to brown, stir in onions, celery, and garlic. As the sausage cooks, break up larger pieces.
- As the onions begin to turn translucent, stir in mushrooms and apple and cook until the mushrooms are tender.
- Sprinkle dressing mix over the sausage mix and then add chicken broth. Continue stirring as the dressing mix absorbs the liquid. Add in pecans and cranberries (if desired). When the liquid has been incorporated and the mixture is fully mixed, taste and add hot sauce (like Tabasco) to taste.
- Transfer to a 9×13 dish sprayed with cooking spray. Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 10 minutes. Remove foil and bake for another 10 minutes.
Storing and Other Tips
- Store leftover dressing in an airtight container in the refrigerator and consume within 3-4 days for best results.
- If you’d like to make this 1-2 days ahead of time, cover it after you place it in the 9×13 pan, and then bake it straight from the fridge.
Frequently Asked Questions
This recipe is designed for use with a dry, pre-seasoned bread mix. While you can certainly play around with using fresh bread and seasonings and adjusting the liquid, it would probably be best to find a recipe that calls for fresh bread.
You can, but I prefer to use sweet/mild sausage and adjust the heat by adding other spices to the whole batch as desired.
Yes! You can assemble the dressing 1-2 days before, simple cover it in the baking dish and refrigerate until ready to bake. Keep in mind it may need a few extra minutes in the oven when being baked straight from the fridge.
Italian Sausage Thanksgiving Dressing
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 pound Italian sausage I recommend mild/sweet and then adding additional heat if desired
- 1 onion chopped
- 2 stalks celery chopped
- 5-6 cloves garlic minced
- 1 cup mushrooms chopped
- 1 Granny Smith apple, grated a food processor is handy but not necessary
- 1 16-oz. package cubed stuffing or dressing I like Pepperidge Farms; for this recipe, I try to stay away from Stove Top because the flavor is so overwhelming
- 2 ½ cups chicken broth
- 1 cup chopped pecans toasted (optional)
- ½ + cup cranberries, dried optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350℉. Lightly spray a 9×13" baking dish with non-stick cooking spray. Set aside.
- Heat a very large skillet or Dutch oven to medium heat and add a light drizzle of olive oil. If necessary, remove sausage casings and crumble the sausage in the pan. As it starts to brown, stir in onions, celery, and garlic. As the sausage cooks, break up larger pieces.
- As the onions begin to turn translucent, stir in mushrooms and apple and cook until the mushrooms are tender.
- Sprinkle dressing mix over the sausage mix and then add chicken broth. Continue stirring as the dressing mix absorbs the liquid. Add in pecans and cranberries (if desired). When the liquid has been incorporated and the mixture is fully mixed, taste and add hot sauce (like Tabasco) to taste.
- Transfer to a 9×13 dish sprayed with cooking spray. Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 10 minutes. Remove foil and bake for another 10 minutes.
Notes
- Store leftover dressing in an airtight container in the refrigerator and consume within 3-4 days for best results.
- If you’d like to make this 1-2 days ahead of time, cover it after you place it in the 9×13 pan, and then bake it straight from the fridge.
Questions & Reviews
I have a silly question 🙂 It's my first Thanksgiving ever, just moved to US this year and I was wondering about difference between stuffing and dressing. I have gathered that stuffing goes in the turkey and dressing is made like this one but.. I found couple yummy sounding dressing recipes like yours with sausage and I would like to use the as stuffing. Can I do that? Thanks so much if you find time to answer 🙂
Yum! I love stuffing! This one looks very tasty : )
My family also makes cornbread dressing with sausage. It is so good, and Thanksgiving would not be the same without it!
I love Heather's comment because I had a similar conversation last week! I kept describing my favorite thanksgiving dish, and my friend was completely confused–salad dressing with sausage?
For a while there I was trying to figure out what kind of (salad) dressing had sausage in it. Sounded weird :).
I know it is time for Thanksgiving food, but I have been looking everywhere for a good southern red velvet cupcake recipe. I had these cupcakes that were a little dense and had a little bit of a different texture then an airy cake. It was so yummy. I trust your guys recipes, so I thought I would check to see if you had one :o) Pre Christmas red cake!
That looks really yummy Kate. It's so totally different than the stuffing we make at our house that I'm intrigued! I love the idea of the sweet and savory, soft and crunchy, all together. Sounds delish!
Yum! We make one almost they same as this at our house for years. The cranberries would be a nice addition!
Your dad sounds exactly like my dad- mix a little of this with a little of that and no recipe to follow. Looks amazing. I love apple and sausage stuffing, although when it comes to Thanksgiving I like traditional. Maybe I'll branch out this year.
Ooooo. . . that looks delicious. I can almost taste it!
Loved your description about your dad too. . .
I decided to try a sausage stuffing this year for the first time. Mine was also made with corn bread instead of regular bread cubes… I loved it. Yours sounds delicious, too!