The Best Stuffing Recipe Ever

5 from 5 votes

This is without a doubt The Best Stuffing Recipe I’ve ever had. Made with sourdough, cornbread, and so much more, this delicious stuffing will be the star of your Thanksgiving dinner!

baked thanksgiving stuffing

Thanksgiving Stuffing Recipe

If you are looking for a stuffing recipe that all of your guests will love, look no further, I’ve got the perfect recipe! I know it’s a bold statement to say this could be the best stuffing ever, but…..it really is 🙂  No joke, my husband who absolutely despises stuffing, came home and said, “Oh wow, this is the best stuffing I have ever had!” There’s nothing more unappealing than a dry tasteless stuffing, so I decided to create my own version with ALL of my favorite stuffing ingredients.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

  • It’s the only Thanksgiving Stuffing recipe you’ll ever need!
  • Even people who don’t love stuffing, love this stuffing recipe.
  • It makes delicious leftovers inside a sandwich with turkey and mashed potatoes!

Try my Perfect Mashed Potatoes Recipe too! Follow Picky Palate on Instagram for daily recipe inspiration and all of your Holiday baking needs!

ingredients for thanksgiving stuffing recipe

Ingredients For The BEST Thanksgiving Stuffing Recipe

Here are the ingredients you’ll need to make the best Thanksgiving stuffing. See the recipe card located at the bottom of the post for full details and instructions.

  • cornbread– I generally buy the pre-made cornbread at my grocery store. Saves a little time. You can absolutely make your own if you’d rather.
  • sourdough or other artisan bread of choice– I enjoy using a jalapeno cheddar
  • butter– For the most part I use salted butter for my cooking and baking.
  • carrots– Wash, dry and peel your carrots and dice.
  • onion– White onion works great. Peel and dice same size as carrots.
  • celery– Wash, dry and dice same size as onion and carrots.
  • baby bella mushrooms– Gently wash and dry mushrooms. Give a coarse chop.
  • garlic– You can get the minced garlic in jars from the grocery store or use fresh garlic and mince yourself.
  • chicken broth– Use low sodium chicken broth when possible.
  • ground sausage– Look for the Jimmy Dean mild sausage or other flavors you prefer.
  • fresh parsley– Fresh parsley adds freshness and color to the stuffing.
  • fresh rosemary– Rosemary is so fragrant and is perfect herb in stuffing.
  • fresh thyme– Thyme adds another layer of flavor and freshness to the stuffing.
  • fresh sage– Find fresh sage in the produce department near the other fresh herbs.
  • kosher salt– Kosher salt is a coarse salt that is commonly used in cooking and baking.
  • freshly ground black pepper- For best tasting results use fresh ground black pepper.
thanksgiving stuffing recipe ingredients set up

How To Make The BEST Thanksgiving Stuffing Recipe

Preheat Oven. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Place cubed sourdough and cornbread onto a large  baking sheet.

Toast Bread Cubes. Bake for 25 minutes, until lightly toasted. Remove from oven.

Cook Vegetables. Melt butter into a large dutch oven or large pot over medium heat. Saute onions, celery, carrots and mushrooms for about 10 minutes or until veggies turn tender. Stir in garlic and cook for another minute.

Add Chicken Broth and Herbs. Pour in chicken broth, parsley, rosemary, sage, thyme, salt and pepper. Stir and reduce heat to low to simmer.

Cook Sausage. Brown sausage in skillet, drain if necessary then add to vegetable mixture.

Add Sausage Broth Mixture To Bread Cubes. Place bread cubes into a large bowl and slowly pour mixture over cubes gently stirring throughout to ensure all pieces get coated. Taste a couple pieces and season with additional salt and pepper according to taste. I added a few more pinches of kosher salt and pepper at this point.

thanksgiving stuffing in baking dish ready to bake

Transfer Stuffing To Baking Dish. Divide stuffing into a 9×13 inch baking dish and a 11×7 inch baking dish (if needing more room). Lightly spray a 9 x 13 inch baking dish with cooking spray and transfer stuffing to dish. If needed, use another small baking dish to bake stuffing.

Bake. Bake at 350 degrees F. for 25-30 minutes. Tops will get slightly golden.

If I Don’t Have Fresh Herbs Can I Use Dried?

While I recommend using fresh herbs for your homemade stuffing, you can use fresh herbs. For the parsley use 2 tablespoons of dried and 1 teaspoon each of dried rosemary, thyme and sage.

Can I Leave Out The Mushrooms?

Mushrooms are not for everyone, if they are not a favorite in your home, feel free to leave them out of the recipe. No other substitutions needed.

cooked thanksgiving stuffing in baking dish

How To Serve Thanksgiving Stuffing Recipe

Serve this homemade stuffing warm with your favorite Thanksgiving Dinner menu. Try topping  your stuffing with 1/4 cup shredded Parmesan Cheese before baking too. I’ve even added my favorite hot sauce to my bowl of stuffing before enjoying.

How To Store Leftovers

Store any leftover stuffing in an airtight container for up to 3-5 days in the refrigerator. Re-heat as needed. It’s nice to add a splash or two of chicken broth before re-heating. Keeps stuffing moist. Use your other Thanksgiving leftovers to make a turkey stuffing sandwich. Add a little gravy and even cranberry sauce. It’s delicious!

Try More Thanksgiving Recipes!

5 from 5 votes

The Best Stuffing Recipe Ever

This is without a doubt The Best Stuffing Recipe I've ever had. Made with sourdough, cornbread, and so much more. This delicious stuffing will be the star of your Thanksgiving dinner!
Course: Side Dish
Cuisine: American
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 50 minutes
Servings: 12 servings
Calories: 457kcal
Author: Jenny
Cost: $35
Print Pin Rate

Equipment

  • Oven
  • Dutch Oven or large pot
  • 9 x 13 inch baking dish
  • cutting board
  • chef knife
  • measuring spoons
  • measuring cups
  • mixing spoon

Ingredients

  • 1 lb Sourdough Loaf cubed
  • 12 oz baked cornbread cubed
  • 14 Tablespoons butter 1  3/4 sticks
  • 1 large onion diced (about 1 1/2 Cups)
  • 1 bunch of celery chopped (about 3 Cups)
  • 3 large carrots chopped (about 2 Cups)
  • 8 oz baby bella mushrooms chopped (about 1 1/4 Cups)
  • 2 Tablespoons minced garlic
  • 2 1/2 Cups chicken broth
  • 1/2 Cup fresh chopped parsley
  • 2 Tablespoons fresh rosemary
  • 1 Tablespoon fresh sage
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground thyme or 1 Tablespoon fresh
  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon fresh cracked black pepper
  • 1 lb Jimmy Dean Sage Sausage

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.   Place cubed sourdough and cornbread onto a large baking sheet.  Bake for 25 minutes, until lightly toasted.  Remove from oven.
  • Melt butter into a large dutch oven or large pot over medium heat.  Saute onions, celery, carrots and mushrooms for about 10 minutes or until veggies turn tender.  Stir in garlic and cook for another minute then pour in chicken broth, parsley, rosemary, sage,  thyme, salt and pepper.  Stir and reduce heat to low to simmer.
  • Brown sausage in skillet, drain if necessary then add to vegetable mixture.  Place bread cubes into a large bowl and slowly pour mixture over cubes gently stirring throughout to ensure all pieces get coated.  Taste a couple pieces and season with additional salt and pepper according to taste.  I added a few more pinches of kosher salt and pepper at this point.
  • Divide stuffing into a 9×13 inch baking dish and a 11×7 inch baking dish (if needing more room).  Bake for 25-30 minutes, until just golden brown on top.  Should still be nice and moist.  Remove from oven and serve!

Nutrition

Calories: 457kcal | Carbohydrates: 41g | Protein: 13g | Fat: 26g | Saturated Fat: 13g | Cholesterol: 78mg | Sodium: 1013mg | Potassium: 402mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin A: 3265IU | Vitamin C: 9.7mg | Calcium: 86mg | Iron: 2.8mg
Keywords: best stuffing recipe, easy stuffing recipe, homemade stuffing, homemade stuffing recipe, how to make stuffing, stuffing recipe sausage, stuffing recipe thanksgiving, stuffing recipe with sausage, thanksgiving stuffing

Pin The BEST Stuffing Recipe!

photo collage of thanksgiving stuffing recipe
118 Responses
  1. Blog is the New Black

    I made this last year and it was phenomenal! I made it again this year already, with some tweaks that I noted last year, and it’s just as wonderful as I remembered. I will be making this for years to come!!!

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    Excellent goods from you, man. I’ve take note your stuff previous to and you are simply extremely excellent. I actually like what you’ve got right here, really like what you’re stating and the way by which you assert it. You are making it entertaining and you continue to take care of to keep it wise. I can’t wait to read far more from you. This is actually a great web site.

  3. Roberta

    The only thing I add to my stuffing (which is amazingly similar, except I don’t cube I just tear it all into pieces) is I make Jalapeno cornbread and use that… and the Jimmy Dean Hot Sausage. I mean, we are Mexicans. 🙂

  4. Jacqueline

    I just made this as a trial run tonight for Thanksgiving. It’s delicious. Making some small tweaks due to my own inexperience cooking but overall a 10!

  5. Juicy Outlet

    Great points altogether, you just received a logo new reader. What might you suggest about your publish that you just made a few days in the past? Any sure?

  6. Janet Moran

    Just wanted to say I made this for our pre-Thanksgiving neighborhood get together last night and it recieved very high compliments. I think it is a great combo of the more southern cornbread “dressing” and the typical yankee “stuffing”. Glad it made an extra pan because last night’s pan is GONE! 😉

  7. Makenna

    I made this last year for Thanksgiving and it was indeed, The Best Stuffing Ever! If you are looking for a stuffing recipe this year, look no further. It is on my keeper list!

  8. Alexa Elsberry

    One year the turkey didn’t get the chance to thaw all the way and we had to take an ice pick to the cavity before we could start cooking it! Disaster!

  9. Jessi

    OMGoodness!!! This was the best stuffing ever! I made it for my family at Thanksgiving and they loved it. My dad even looked at my mom and said “I love what you did with the stuffing this year”. My mom looked at me and said “its Jessi’s recipe”. I felt guilty claiming it but I did anyways. So thank YOU for a great recipe. Here’s a secret I also passed along your blog to my sister who is now stalking you too (just like me!). Keep up the great stuff!!!

  10. Jenny

    I made this for Turkey Day and everyone absolutely loved it! This was my first time cooking for Thanksgiving and I will make continue to make this every Turkey day and Christmas! Thanks 🙂

  11. corinne

    This was great even though my roommates got drunk the night before and ate all the sourdough, and I could only find french to replace it morning of, and I cut the bread in unreasonably large chunks… still delicious! Thanks!

  12. Debbie

    I wanted to come back and tell you that your delicious stuffing recipe was a hit with my family. I followed each step of the recipe and it really helped with your photos. I loved the sage flavor and the sausage was more in the background of the flavors. I will definitely make this one again next year.

    My husband’s favorite part of the Thanksgiving meal is stuffing and he loved it. So thank you.

    Blessings,
    Debbie

  13. crystal

    OH MY GOODNESS! I just made this for tomorrow (Thanksgiving) and I’m slapping my hand to stop sampling!!! My 2 year old daughter keeps begging for another bite! Absolutely yummy!!! :O)

    Thank you! I love your blog 🙂

  14. mandy schneider

    Hi, If I prepare this tonight but don’t bake it till tomorrow will it be mushy?? or should I just prepare it early in the morning and bake it late? thank you 🙂
    I am going to make your little pecan cheesecakes and stuffing so I can’t wait..
    Mandy

  15. Erica

    Hi Jenny,

    This looks soooo good, and I went to the store got my stuff, so excited to try it..but question..you say each dish is 12 servings? just want to make sure, cause I do need a lg portion, and was wondering if I should double it, but if each dish is 12 servings, that brings the grand total to 24 servings total?

    just double checking..
    thx for your amazing site, I go to it regularly..

  16. Shannon

    I feel a Simon & Garfunkel song coming on…did anyone else notice? Parsley, Sage, Rosemary, & Thyme. I really want to try this recipe, it looks waaaaaay better than the boxed stuff!

  17. Lynn

    After deciding to make a different homemade stuffing this year, I’ve been looking and looking for a dressing recipe that combines cornbread and sourdough because it sounded so good to me. This looks great, can’t wait to try it, and I’m glad to see I’m not crazy thinking of putting these 2 breads together!

  18. Tiffani

    Hi Jenny,
    I plan on making this stuffing for Thanksgiving. Do you have any tips on making ahead and freezing? Would it work to make the whole thing, and freeze the pans? Or maybe just some of the individual ingredients, then thaw and assemble the day of? Any tips would be really helpful, since I’m not a big stuffing fan, and am not that experienced making it. Love your site – I visit every day!

    1. Jenny

      Hi Tiffani,
      I would prepare the whole thing one day in advance at the most. I wouldn’t freeze it, only because I haven’t tried it and I’d hate to waste all of that stuffing!!

      Anyway, if you can do it a day in advance then just warm it the day of, you should be just fine 🙂 Happy eating!

  19. Diane

    I have been surfing the websites for an awesome stuffing recipe and this sure looks like a winner. Two questions. How many will this serve and can I make it a day or two ahead. Thanks

    1. Jenny

      Hi Diane,
      This makes two 9×13 inch dishes, so I am thinking about 24 total. I would make it one day in advance at the most. My leftovers were delicious so I think it will be fine 🙂

  20. Jen

    I can’t wait to make this for Thanksgiving.

    Also, I just have to tell you that I have been stalking your site for a while and I just love it. I love your recipes and the photos are gorgeous. Please keep up the awesome work, my hungry tummy demand it. 🙂

  21. BROOKIE

    hey jennie,
    i have a question…will the top be alittle crispy? or is the whole thing moist? this stuffing looks so delicious, but i always liked the crispy top and the moist middle. could i just cook it alittle longer or would that ruin it?? this recipe looks divine! thank you for your site jenny, it is my favorite!!

    1. Jenny

      Hi Brookie,
      If you want to make the top a little more crispy, I would dollop a little softened butter evenly over the top (as if we need more butter? 🙂 This will give it a nice little crust, but the inside will still be nice and moist, enjoy!

  22. Lindsey

    That looks amazing! Unfortunately, the one thing my husband has to have at Thanksgiving is his mother’s stuffing…Maybe I’ll make 2 kinds of stuffing this year.

  23. Jackie

    Hi Jenny

    I was wondering if I could use those shady brook farms italian turkey sausages in this recipe. Or do you need the sweetness of the jimmy dean sausages in this recipe.

  24. Dessert Darling

    Wow- you make everything look so easy with those step-by-step pictures.. then I see the ingredients list. HA! You are a true inspiration! I’ve never had a stuffing with this combo of ingredients.. my mom always makes her famous chestnut stuffing.
    I can’t wait to see what dessert you whip up for the holidays!

  25. janessa

    This looks amazing! I don’t know how i feel about cornbread because I hate cornbread, but hubby loves it, so I might give it a try. ONE QUESTION though, could you cook this stuffing in the turkey? What do you think?????? Thanks!

    1. Jenny

      Hi Janessa,
      I think this recipe would be fine stuffed inside the turkey, just check the temperature of the turkey to make sure it’s all cooked through around the stuffing 🙂

  26. Mindy Christensen

    My sister, Melanie, has been looking for a cornbread stuffing recipe. I will definitely be telling her about yours. It looks great. Totally getting me in the mood for Thanksgiving!

  27. Tracy

    There’s nothing about this stuffing that I don’t like! I’ve also never tried it with cornbread before, and simply must after seeing this. Yum!

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