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Onion and sage stuffing is the best Thanksgiving side dish and belongs on any holiday table. The buttery, herb-filled bread pairs well with turkey, roast beef or ham. Best of all, you can assemble it ahead of time and bake it when you’re ready to serve.
Serve it with a side of turkey gravy or brown gravy for a classic holiday side dish.
Onion and Sage Stuffing Recipe Ingredients
Here are the key ingredients you need to make this old fashioned sage and onion stuffing. You’ll find the complete list of ingredients and measurements in the recipe card below.
- Bread: Classic white bread or sourdough is the way to go for this easy stuffing recipe. I prefer to keep the bread cubed for this version, but coarse breadcrumbs also work well. It’s important the bread is stale so you’re not left with soggy stuffing. There’s soft and then there’s soggy.
- Butter: You can never have enough butter, especially when it comes to stuffing. The butter helps to bind the bread together, adds a rich depth of flavor, and is used to sauté the aromatic ingredients.
- Onion & Celery: Celery is a classic addition to stuffing, but you can omit if you don’t care for it.
- Fresh Sage & Fresh Thyme: Fresh herbs are a must. You can pretty much use any herbs found in a classic turkey rub. You can also use 3 teaspoons of poultry seasoning instead.
- Chicken, Vegetable or Turkey Broth: Use a high-quality stock for this one. I did make a test batch with beef stock and found it a bit overwhelming.
How To Make Onion and Sage Stuffing
To make this stuffing recipe, you’ll need to set aside about 20 minutes of hands-on time. Most of it being spent chopping the vegetables and sautéing them.
Recipe Tips and Notes
- Prep the Bread. I recommend cutting the bread into cubes, spreading out on baking sheets, and leaving out for 24-48 hours to dry out.
- Feel free to adjust the amount of sage according to your taste preferences. Sage can easily overwhelm the dish if too much is used, so keep that in mind.
- For added richness, consider incorporating cooked sausage, sautéed mushrooms or nuts.
- Use leftovers to make these turkey sliders with stuffing.
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What To Serve With Baked Stuffing
This stuffing is versatile and can complement a wide range of dishes, not just boneless turkey breast or smoked turkey. It also pairs well with prime rib, roast chicken, and roasted pork.
Of course, a Sunday Roast or holiday plate isn’t complete without creamy mashed potatoes and an easy Thanksgiving gravy recipe.
Variation Ideas
- For added sweetness, add diced apples or dried fruits like cranberries or apricots.
- For added richness, add cooked sausage. An apple flavored pork or chicken sausage would be an amazing addition.
How To Make Stuffing In Advance
This stuffing can be made ahead of time to help ease the stress of your holiday dinner. You can prepare all the ingredients, and store them separately before assembling right before cooking, or bake in-advance and re-heat on the day of.
To reheat the stuffing, drizzle 1/4 cup broth over the top and bake for 20 minutes or until hot throughout.
For more Thanksgiving ideas, check out my Thanksgiving Food Guide and explore more delicious recipes in our Thanksgiving Recipes.
Onion and Sage Stuffing
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 large egg
- 1 cup turkey broth, room temperature or below (*Note 1)
- 1½ tbsp fresh sage (*Note 2)
- 2 tsp fresh thyme (*Note 2)
- 2½ tsp minced garlic
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- ½ cup salted butter
- ½ cup diced onions
- 2 stalks celery, finely chopped
- 6 cups stale bread cubes (*Note 3)
- 1 cup turkey broth (*Note 4)
- 2 tablespoon salted butter, melted
- optional garnish: chopped parsley
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF/170ºC.
- In a medium-size mixing bowl, whisk together the egg, 1 cup of cold broth, fresh sage, fresh thyme, garlic and black pepper. Set aside. 1 large egg 1 cup turkey broth, room temperature or below 1½ tbsp fresh sage 2 tsp fresh thyme 2½ tsp minced garlic ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- Preheat a large skillet over medium heat and add the butter. ½ cup salted butter
- Once the butter is melted, add the onions, celery, and salt. Cook until softened, approx. 6-7 minutes. ½ cup diced onions 2 stalks celery, finely chopped
- Add the bread cubes and cooked onion mixture into a large bowl and stir to combine. Transfer to a buttered 9×13" baking dish. 6 cups stale bread cubes
- Pour the reserved egg/broth mixture evenly over the top of the bread. Gently push the bread cubes down into the mixture if necessary to ensure all pieces are wet.
- If pieces of bread are still dry, use the remaining cup of broth to drizzle over the dry spots. 1 cup turkey broth
- Evenly drizzle the butter over the top of the stuffing. 2 tablespoon salted butter, melted
- Cover the casserole dish with foil and bake for 35 minutes.
- Remove the foil and bake for 10-15 minutes until the top is golden. Garnish with parsley and serve.