The Very Best Thanksgiving Stuffing

The very best Thanksgiving stuffing is so delicious, you’ll want to make it year ’round! Onion, garlic, and celery will have you reminiscing of holidays from years gone by, while juicy pork sausage and tart cranberries add interesting layers of flavor to this not-so-traditional stuffing.

Whether you’re stuffing the bird with it or just serving it up as a side, your family will definitely want seconds!

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What Makes This Stuffing “The Very Best”?

Our Very Best Thanksgiving Stuffing has a delicious homemade taste, but uses convenience ingredients to simplify the process and save time. We add fresh vegetables and apples, along with dried cranberries, to bring additional flavor and texture to basic stuffing.

I love to make things from scratch, but when it comes to Thanksgiving I look for shortcuts that will make my life easier. If I don’t have to worry about cubing, drying, and seasoning bread for stuffing, I’m happy. And honestly, I love boxed stuffing mixes anyway. It’s one of the few convenience foods that I don’t mind buying.

This recipe is also amazing because it can be easily adapted for vegetarian or vegan diets. One of my family members is a vegetarian, so I make 1/4 of a batch vegetarian-style and 3/4 traditional. Both ways are equally delicious!

How Can I Adjust the Recipe for a Vegan Diet?

It’s very easy to tweak this recipe to be vegetarian or even vegan friendly. Be sure to start with a vegetarian or vegan stuffing. I like to use Pepperidge Farm Herb Seasoned Stuffing Mix, and it happens to contain vegan ingredients. Be sure to use your favorite vegan butter substitute when preparing the stuffing mix.

You can also substitute vegan veggie crumbles for the pork sausage. We like to use Boca Original Veggie Crumbles, but you’ll have to cook them in a little olive oil or vegan butter substitute since they don’t contain fat. You will also need to cook the onion, garlic, and celery in oil or butter substitute for the same reason.

Finally, use vegetable broth in place of the turkey stock for this recipe. You can either make your own vegetable broth or purchase the brand of your choice.

What Brands of Stuffing Mix and Sausage Work Best?

It’s fun to play with different “flavors” of stuffing mix and sausage. My personal favorite combination is Pepperidge Farm Herb Seasoned stuffing with regular Jimmy Dean pork sausage. That combination isn’t too spicy, but still provides a pleasant balance with the tart apples and cranberries.

A close second favorite pork sausage is Tennessee Pride sage breakfast sausage. That sage flavor seems to always scream autumn for me, and I love the way apples and sage taste together!

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Directions

• Brown the pork sausage in a large skillet until it is cooked through. Remove the sausage to a paper towel covered plate. Do not drain the drippings from the pan.
• Cook the celery, onion, and garlic in the sausage drippings until they’re soft and slightly browned.
• Add cooked sausage, diced apple, butter, and dried cranberries to the skillet. Stir to mix components well. Add turkey stock or broth. Bring to a boil.
• Pour the skillet mixture into a large mixing bowl. Stir in stuffing mix and mix until the stuffing is evenly moistened.
• If you like to stuff your turkey, you can do that now. If your turkey isn’t ready for roasting, you can place the stuffing in a container with a lid and refrigerate until ready to use.
  
  If you prefer to bake your stuffing out of the bird, pour it into a buttered casserole dish. Cover and bake in a preheated 350-degree oven for 30 minutes.

Looking for More Thanksgiving Dishes?

• Find out how easy it is to make a Traditional Roast Turkey
• Not a stuffing fan? Autumn’s Bounty Wild Rice makes a great substitute
• For a sweet side, check out our Pecan Praline Sweet Potato Bake

The Very Best Thanksgiving Stuffing

Recipe by Chicken Soup with DumplingsCourse: Recipes, SidesDifficulty: Easy

Servings

12

servings

Prep time

20

minutes

Cooking time

30

minutes

Total time

50

minutes

The very best Thanksgiving stuffing is so delicious, you’ll want to make it year ’round! Sausage, cranberries, and apples elevate packaged stuffing to another level of YUM!

Ingredients

• 16 oz pork sausage

• 2 stalks celery, diced

• 1 large onion, diced

• 2 cloves garlic, minced

• 1 apple, cored, peeled, and diced

• 1/4 cup butter, cut into pieces

• 1 cup dried cranberries

• 2 cups turkey stock or broth

• 1- 12oz package Pepperidge Farm stuffing

Directions

• Brown the pork sausage in a large skillet until it is cooked through. Remove sausage to a paper towel covered plate. Do not drain drippings from pan.
• Cook celery, onion, and garlic in sausage drippings until soft and slightly browned.
• Add cooked sausage, diced apple, butter, and dried cranberries to the skillet. Stir to mix components well. Add turkey stock or broth. Bring to a boil.
• Pour the skillet mixture into a large mixing bowl. Stir in stuffing mix and mix until the stuffing is evenly moistened.
• If you are prepping ahead, place in a lidded container and refrigerate until ready to use.
  
  If stuffing a turkey, loosely pack inside cavity and follow proper roasting instructions for a stuffed turkey. Extra stuffing can be baked as directed below.
  
  If you prefer to bake your stuffing out of the bird, pour it into a buttered casserole dish. Cover and bake in a preheated 350-degree oven for 30 minutes.

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