This is a classic done right. Sausage Chestnut Stuffing will be a winner on your Thanksgiving table.

Keeping it classic
Sausage and bread stuffing is served every Thanksgiving in my family. Sometimes traditional recipes are the best. Although we don’t usually include chestnuts in our stuffing, they’re a common ingredient and add a wonderful crunch and sweetness.
I kind of cheated and bought pre-roasted, pre-peeled chestnuts to test this recipe with, but they were actually really good! I also picked up some fresh Italian chestnuts the other day, so I’m thinking I should use the real deal for next week’s family dinner. We’ll see.
Which bread is best?
Good quality bread is essential for a good stuffing. None of that sliced prepackaged stuff, and PLEASE refrain from using those stuffing croutons from the grocery store. I think you know what I’m talking about. My first several stuffing experiences were not very good, and I attribute that to that awful bread product.
Go to a bakery or the bakery section of your supermarket, and pick up some quality bread. I used sour dough for that extra kick of flavor. I needed a little more than 1 loaf, so I suggest you buy more bread than you think you might need, just in case.
Tips for great stuffing
- Dry out the bread. The bread should be dried out so it can soak up the maximum amount of broth.
- Option 1: The day before you’re planning to cook the stuffing, tear up the bread and spread it out uncovered on a sheet tray so it can dry out overnight. You can even do this several days in advance.
- Option 2: Stick your bread in the oven, heat it to 300掳F and allow it to dry out. You don’t want any browning here.
- Brown that sausage properly. My old chef boss taught me to put ground sausage in a hot pan and just leave it. Don’t even worry about breaking it up right away. Leave it undisturbed for a solid 10 minutes or so, and you’ll see it’ll brown like a dream.
- Cook the soffritto low and slow. In Italian, the combo of carrots, celery and onion is called a soffritto. Soffritto translates to under-fried or fried slowly. I actually spent an entire hour cooking my soffritto, because the flavor development is so amazing. The vegetables become incredibly sweet and flavorful this way.
- Cook in advance. If the process sounds a little too time consuming for your Thanksgiving day schedule, don’t fret. You can actually prepare all of the stuffing ingredients the day before.
- You can cook the soffritto up to a week in advance if you wanted. I’ve read recipes that state you can even add the broth to the bread the day before and refrigerate it. You could also wait until the day of to add the liquid. Whatever works for you.
- Don’t skimp on the butter. If you try to cut back on the butter (and trust me, I’ve done it before), the stuffing won’t come out nearly as good. If you’re worried about the fat and calories, just eat less and try to avoid leftovers!聽
More Thanksgiving Recipes:
- Sweet Potato Casserole with Marshmallows and Brown Butter Pecan Topping
- Brussels Sprouts with Pancetta
- Apple Cider Braised Turkey Legs
- Garlic Mashed Potatoes
- Pumpkin Meringue Pie
- Kale Apple Salad with Blue Cheese and Maple Glazed Walnuts
- Pear and Pomegranate Salad with Goat Cheese and Pistachios
If you make this recipe, please post a comment and rating down below. If you want to be notified every time I post a new recipe, subscribe to my blog and give me a follow on my social accounts: instagram, pinterest, twitter, youtube. See you next time!
Classic Sausage Chestnut Stuffing
- Total Time: 3 hours
- Yield: 12 servings 1x
Description
This is a classic done right. Sausage Chestnut Stuffing will be a winner on your Thanksgiving table.
Ingredients
- 10 cups sour dough bread, coarsely torn into 1 inch pieces
- 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 戮 cup chopped roasted chestnuts
- 1lb sweet Italian sausage, removed from casing
- 2 medium onions, chopped into 陆 inch pieces
- 4 stalks celery, chopped into 陆 inch pieces
- 2 medium carrots, chopped into 陆 inch pieces
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tsp fresh thyme, roughly chopped
- 14 tbsp unsalted butter, divided
- 2–3 cups chicken stock
- 2 large eggs
Instructions
- Dry out the bread: Tear bread one day or up to several days ahead of assembling the stuffing. Place on a sheet tray and allow to sit out uncovered to dry out. Alternatively, place sheet tray in oven and dry out at 300掳F for about 15 minutes, or until you reach desired result. Cool. Place in a large bowl.
- Fry the chestnuts: Heat a large pan over medium heat. Add olive oil followed by chopped chestnuts. Toast for about 5 minutes or until browned, stirring frequently. Remove from pan and set aside.
- Brown the sausage: Increase pan to medium-high heat. Add sausage to pan. Allow to brown undisturbed for about 8-10 minutes or until very well-browned on bottom side. Flip using a spatula and break up into smaller pieces. Brown on opposite side for another 8-10 minutes minutes or until well browned. Remove sausage from pan using a slotted spoon and transfer to bowl with bread, reserving fat in pan.
- Cook the soffritto: Reduce heat to medium. Add carrots, celery and onion to pan. Season with salt. Allow to sweat out moisture and slowly cook and sweeten. Reduce heat when needed to medium-low to low to avoid browning. After about 30 minutes, add 2 tablespoons of butter to pan so vegetables continue to cook without browning. Cook another 20-30 minutes over low heat or until very sweet and flavorful. Add garlic and thyme and cook 1 minute. Transfer to bowl with bread.
- Prep oven and pan: While soffritto cooks, preheat oven to 350掳F. Butter a 9×13 inch baking pan. Butter foil to put over the pan.
- Add butter, eggs & stock: Add 8 tablespoons (1 stick) of butter to pan and melt. Pour over bread mixture. In a bowl or liquid measuring cup, whisk together 2 cups of stock with eggs. Transfer bread mixture to prepared pan. Pour over egg/stock mixture. Pour over additional stock, a few tablespoons at a time as needed, until bread is moistened.
- Bake & Serve: Bake on center rack of oven covered with foil until a paring knife inserted into the center comes out hot, 30-35 minutes. Increase heat to 450掳F and uncover pan. Bake 20-25 minutes or until browned and crispy on top. Allow to cool for about 10 minutes before serving. Enjoy.
Notes
This recipe is adapted from Bon Appetit Magazine.
- Prep Time: 45 minutes
- Cook Time: 2 hours 15 minutes
- Category: Sides
- Method: Bake and Saute
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1/12 of tray
- Calories: 560
- Sugar: 7g
- Sodium: 880mg
- Fat: 26g
- Saturated Fat: 12g
- Carbohydrates: 61g
- Fiber: 3g
- Protein: 21g
This is my favorite stuffing recipe! Absolutely delicious !
Thanks, mom 馃檪
Very nice post, thank you for all the tips!
Thanks, Irene! Hope it helps 馃檪
Nice recipe. I like your tips.
Thanks Kamini 馃檪
Enough butter, decent bread and a good Maillard reaction on the sausage. This belongs on everyone’s Thanksgiving table for sure!
Those are the keys to good stuffing 馃檪