This old fashioned sausage dressing recipe tastes just like Thanksgiving. Made with breakfast sausage, white bread, and celery — crispy on top, tender in the middle, and full of savory holiday flavor.
We’ve been serving it for over 40 years, and it remains unchanged — a classic turkey side dish that brings everyone back to the table year after year.
⏱️ Quick Answer: How Long to Bake Sausage Dressing
Bake sausage dressing uncovered at 350°F for about 1 hour, until the top is golden brown and the center reaches 165°F for food safety. A shallow pan bakes faster; thicker casseroles may take a little longer.
Jump To (scroll for more)
- 💕Why I Love This Recipe
- 🍞 Ingredients for Sausage Dressing
- 👨🍳 Quick Overview: Making Sausage Dressing
- ⏲️ How Long to Cook Sausage Dressing
- 🥄 Variations & Substitutions
- ↕️ Scaling the Recipe for Two or a Crowd—Adjustments and Pan Sizes
- 👨🍳 Dressing vs. Stuffing — What’s the Difference?
- 📅 How to Make Dressing Ahead
- ⚕️ Food Safety for Dressing
- 🍽️ Serving
- ❄️ Storage & Reheating
- ❓FAQs
- 📖The Recipe Card
Featured Comment by Fae:
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"Did you peek in my Moms recipe box??? This is my family's recipe too! I have been fussing with trying to reduce this to a small recipe! So many thanks to you for doing this!!"
💕Why I Love This Recipe
- Classic holiday side dish – an old fashioned sausage stuffing baked golden and crisp.
- Made with savory breakfast sausage – all the flavor comes from the sausage – no bland cubes here.
- Easy to scale – make a small batch for two or double it for a crowd.
- Always safe – baked outside the turkey, cooked to a reliable 165°F.
- Make it your way – our version uses white bread and breakfast sausage, but the bread, sausage, and seasoning are all flexible.
🍞 Ingredients for Sausage Dressing
- Bread – Plain white sandwich bread works best.
- Breakfast sausage – We use Bob Evans, but any seasoned breakfast sausage will work.
- Eggs – Bind everything together so the dressing holds its shape.
- Milk or broth – Chicken or turkey broth adds flavor; milk works too.
- Onion & celery – Classic vegetables for flavor and texture.
- Seasonings – Thyme, sage, parsley, salt, and black pepper.
👨🍳 Quick Overview: Making Sausage Dressing
1. Prepare the ingredients
- Tear bread into small pieces.
- Brown sausage and set aside.
- Chop celery and onion.
2. Cook the vegetables
- Sauté celery and onion in the sausage fat (or butter).
3. Assemble
- Whisk eggs with broth or milk and seasonings.
- Mix with bread, sausage, and vegetables until coated.
4. Bake
- Spread into a casserole dish.
- Bake at 350°F for about 1 hour, until browned and the center reaches 165°F.
👇 Scroll down for the full printable recipe card and step-by-step photos. Keep reading here for extra tips, veggie swaps, and serving ideas.
⏲️ How Long to Cook Sausage Dressing
Sausage dressing usually takes about 1 hour at 350°F. The top should be golden brown, but don’t rely on color alone—check the center with a thermometer. For safety, the internal temperature must reach 165°F.
Cooking time can vary based on pan depth and batch size. A shallow layer cooks faster, while a thicker casserole may take longer. Smaller batches finish sooner; larger pans need extra time.
🥄 Variations & Substitutions
- Bread – Plain white sandwich bread is the classic. Other breads work, but “stuffing mixes” are often pre-seasoned, so adjust spices if you use them. Tear or cube the bread and let it air-dry a bit—no need for an overnight dry.
- Sausage – Breakfast pork sausage gives the best flavor. Italian sausage, turkey sausage, or your favorite brand (we’re a Bob Evans house) also work. Avoid unseasoned ground pork.
- Seasonings – Salt, pepper, thyme, sage, and parsley are the base. Add rosemary or poultry seasoning if you like. Fresh herbs are great, but dried work fine.
- Vegetables – Onion and celery are standard. Sauté briefly in sausage fat (or butter) before baking for best flavor.
- Liquid – Eggs provide structure, while a splash of milk or broth keeps the bread moist. Turkey broth (or chicken broth) is best—coat the bread, but don’t overmix.
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↕️ Scaling the Recipe for Two or a Crowd—Adjustments and Pan Sizes
- A full recipe makes 6–8 servings. Double it for a crowd, or halve it for a small batch dressing for two.
- Pan sizes are flexible:
• Full recipe → 1½ quart casserole or 6x9 pan
• Double recipe → 2½ quart dish or 9x13 pan
• Half recipe → 6-inch round or other small dish - The dressing should be about 1–2 inches thick. Bigger pans cook slower, smaller pans faster.
- Always bake to 165°F in the center for safety due to the eggs. Round up to the next whole egg if scaling leads to a fraction – and don’t be shy with extra sausage.
👨🍳 Dressing vs. Stuffing — What’s the Difference?
- What’s the difference? Traditionally, “stuffing” was cooked inside the turkey and “dressing” was baked in a pan.
- What about now? These days the terms are used interchangeably—even the National Turkey Federation doesn’t separate them.
- I grew up calling it stuffing, but since we bake it outside the bird, I usually say dressing. Whatever you call it, it’s the same classic mix of bread, sausage, vegetables, and herbs.
📅 How to Make Dressing Ahead
For safety, the USDA recommends not mixing and refrigerating uncooked dressing. Once combined, it should be baked right away.
What you can do: prep the parts. Cut the bread, chop the vegetables, and cook the sausage ahead of time. Store each separately, then assemble and bake when you’re ready. If you need to make it fully ahead, bake it, cool, and reheat later to 165°F.
⚕️ Food Safety for Dressing
- Dressing contains eggs and sausage → it must reach 165°F in the center.
- Never refrigerate uncooked, mixed dressing. Bake right after assembly.
- Stuffing inside the turkey is unsafe: if the bird is cooked right, the stuffing won’t be; if the stuffing is safe, the bird will be dry.
- Cook’s Illustrated method: Place stuffing in cheesecloth inside the cavity, then remove it halfway and finish baking separately. Safer than stuffing alone, but still fussy.
🍽️ Serving
This sausage dressing is a natural partner for Roasted Bone-in Turkey Breast with Homemade Gravy. It is a classic holiday side dish for Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner, along with Sweet Potato Casserole and Green Bean Casserole.
We always serve it for Thanksgiving, but it’s just as good for Christmas dinner if your family insists on a second round of turkey. Pair it with ham, roast chicken, or even prime rib roast – it holds its own on any holiday table.
👉 For more inspiration, check out my Thanksgiving Recipe Roundup.
❄️ Storage & Reheating
- Refrigerator: Store cooked sausage dressing in an airtight container for 3–4 days.
- Freezer: Freeze airtight for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge before reheating.
- Reheating: Warm in the oven or microwave until hot. Serving leftovers with gravy makes a great main course all on its own.
❓FAQs
Eggs act as a binder. Without them, the bread and sausage won’t hold together and the dressing will fall apart.
For safety, the center must reach 165°F. If the turkey is done, the stuffing won’t be safe; if the stuffing is safe, the turkey will be overcooked and dry. That’s why it’s best baked in a casserole dish.
Yes. Halve the recipe and use a small baking dish. Keep the dressing about 1–2 inches thick so it bakes evenly.
Yes—plain white bread is the classic choice and gives the best texture. Stuffing mixes or heavily seasoned breads can throw off the flavor.
Yes — but only after it’s fully cooked. Cool completely, then seal airtight and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator and reheat until hot in the center.
📖The Recipe Card
Old Fashioned Sausage Dressing (Crispy, Savory & Perfect with Turkey)
Video Slideshow
Ingredients
- 15 slices bread - a little under a loaf, do a little extra
- 1 lb breakfast sausage
- 2 ribs celery - diced
- 1 onion - small
- ¾ teaspoon dry thyme
- ¾ teaspoon dry sage
- 3 tablespoons dry parsley
- 2 eggs - slightly beaten
- ¼ cup milk or broth
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
Step-by-Step Instructions
Prepare the ingredients
- Start by ripping or cutting about 15 slices of bread (about one loaf) into small pieces or cubes—dice 2 ribs of celery to make about 1 cup and one small onion.
- Prepare spices if fresh—¾ teaspoon dry thyme leaves or 3 times that if fresh. ¾ teaspoon dry ground sage or double if fresh. And dry parsley 3 tablespoons or ½ cup of fresh parsley.
- In a Dutch oven or large skillet over medium heat, cook 1 lb sausage until brown. With a slotted spoon, remove the sausage into a medium bowl and set aside.
Cook the vegetables
- Pour out all but 2 tablespoons of the pan's sausage drippings. In the remaining drippings, cook the onion and celery over medium-high heat until tender (about ten minutes), stirring occasionally.
Assemble
- In a separate bowl, beat 2 eggs, ¼ cups of milk (or broth), parsley, thyme, sage, ½ teaspoon of salt, and ¼ teaspoon of black pepper. You can use turkey or chicken broth instead of milk if you wish.
- Mix all the ingredients in a large bowl using a wooden spoon or clean hands, reserving about ⅓ of the bread to add at the end. The goal is fully coated bread, but not soggy. If it feels dry, add a splash more broth. You may not need all the bread. You may need to add a bit more milk or broth if you add too much bread and can't get it all moist.
Bake
- Place in an oven-safe 6X9 baking dish or 1½ quart casserole.
- Bake at 350°F for about 1 hour until golden brown and 165°F internal temperature.
Recipe Notes
Pro Tips
- You can use the bread and sausage you like, or you can change the ingredients to suit your taste. We use only white bread and Bob Evans breakfast sausage.
- Do a little extra bread; you may want it.
- The recipe, as written, is a small batch. The adjustment of up or down is covered in the post.
- The pan size should allow for a 1–2-inch thick casserole – if it fits, it will cook fine. A single recipe usually fits in a 1½-quart casserole dish or a 6X9 dish. A double recipe needs a 2½-quart dish or a 9X13 dish. The type of bread used will affect the pan size.
- Do not try to cook inside the turkey. It is not safe.
- You can cook the giblets on the stovetop ahead of time, add the broth for the milk, and add the cooked meat.
- I prefer to dice the bread first and let it dry while I cook the sausage, cut the veggies, and mix the wet components.
- Cook until golden brown and 165°F internal temperature (for food safety).
- Leftovers are good refrigerated for 3-4 days or frozen for about 3 months.
Your Own Private Notes
To adjust the recipe size:
You can adjust the number of servings above; however, only the amount in the ingredient list is adjusted, not the instructions.
Nutrition Estimate (may vary)
Editor's note: Originally Published November 29, 2011. Updated with expanded options, refreshed photos, and a table of contents to help navigation. Enjoy this Thanksgiving Classic.
Fae says
Did you peek in my Moms recipe box??? This is my family's recipe too!
I have been fussing with trying to reduce this to a small recipe!
So many thanks to you for doing this!!
Dan Mikesell AKA DrDan says
Hi Fae,
Welcome to the blog.
I talked with my wife and she said the basic recipe was from her Betty Crocker cookbook. That would be the 1972 edition.
Thanks for the note and rating.
Dan
Dan Mikesell AKA DrDan says
Any recipe on this site and almost every recipe site will state cover if it should be. This is uncovered.
Carolyn Stephens says
I have plenty of "small army" recipes. I was looking forward to a stuffing recipe for two (with leftovers). That's why I subscribe to your blog.
DrDan says
Hi Carolyn,
Welcome to the blog.
This one is easy to adjust. I left it this one in the version we usually make.
You can easily adjust the ingredients in the recipe card. Set it to 3 servings and you will have a nice for two with large servings. It will not adjust the instructions.
Hope that helps.
Dan
Leslie says
How far in advance can I make the turkey sausage stuffings?
DrDan says
With the raw egg, I wouldn't make ahead. You can get the sausage cooked etc but assemble and cook that day.
DrDan
Chris says
I don't need anything besides that for a meal. I crave savory sausage stuffing and have been known to eat it for breakfast....cold.
Dolores says
Me too! LOVE it.