This Semi-Homemade Thanksgiving Stuffing recipe elevates store-bought box stuffing all while taking the fuss out of the traditional homemade Thanksgiving dish.
Table of Contents
- This recipe is…
- Stuffing vs. Dressing
- Why You’ll Love This Thanksgiving Stuffing Recipe
- Thanksgiving Stuffing Recipe Ingredients
- Thanksgiving Stuffing Video
- Thanksgiving Dressing Recipe Variations and Modifications
- How to Make Thanksgiving Stuffing
- Recipe Tip
- How to Serve
- How to Store and Reheat
- Thanksgiving Stuffing Frequently Asked Questions
- More of Our Best Thanksgiving Sides
- Semi-Homemade Thanksgiving Stuffing Recipe
This recipe is…
There are a few very essential components of Thanksgiving dinner that I feel like are *musts* and not just yummy extras. Turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, gravy, green beans, some form of marshmallowy sweet potatoes, and pie (preferably pumpkin!) are ALL musts in my book, and Thanksgiving just wouldn’t be complete without each and every single one of those components sitting on the holiday table!
Here’s the deal, though, stuffing, though a favorite classic side, can be fussy and finicky, leaving less experienced cooks frustrated, discouraged, and generally just “over” the whole thing. Ready for the good news, though? IT DOESN’T HAVE TO BE! This semi-homemade box stuffing recipe is as easy as they come, but still yields an incredibly delicious finished side dish!
With only 10 minutes of prep, this Thanksgiving dressing recipe is easy enough to get into the oven while you get the rest of a weeknight dinner together. But of course it will be one of the stars on your holiday table alongside dishes like our Garlic Herb Roasted Turkey Breast, Balsamic Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Bacon, Hasselback Potatoes with Rosemary, and Pecan Pie Bars or Sweet Potato Pie Recipe.
Stuffing vs. Dressing
Let’s get this out of the way first: What in the world is the difference between stuffing and dressing? Simply put: stuffing is *technically* only stuffing when it is actually stuffed inside of the turkey. Makes sense, doesn’t it? Because the two names (stuffing and dressing) have been thrown around interchangeably for so long now, though, either is acceptable, stuffed or not.
This stuffing is NOT stuffed inside of a turkey, but we’re calling it stuffing nonetheless because that’s what it is to us! It’s baked bready goodness that soaks up gravy beautifully and sits next to our sliced turkey and green beans and totally holds its own on our holiday plates.
Bottom line: if you’ve always called this delish side “stuffing” (even if you’ve never actually stuffed your bird with it), keep calling it stuffing! If you prefer the term “dressing,” call it that! You do you.
Why You’ll Love This Thanksgiving Stuffing Recipe
- Less fussy and time-consuming than from-scratch recipes
- Only 10 minutes of prep!
- Easy to customize to whatever veggies, fruit, nuts, sausage, cheese, and herbs you like
Thanksgiving Stuffing Recipe Ingredients
Here’s how this quick and easy Thanksgiving dressing recipe comes together with just 10 minutes of prep. Find ingredient notes (including substitutions and swaps) below.
- Boxed Stuffing – first, you’ll need a 6-to-10-ounces of boxed of stuffing mix, or you could even use plain stuffing croutons since we will be throwing out the seasoning package. We used this boxed stuffing for gluten-free.
- Spices – you can choose between either 1 tablespoon of minced fresh herbs (such as sage, fresh thyme, and rosemary) OR 1 teaspoon of dried herbs here.
- Eggs – we recommend using an egg to bind everything together!
- Stock – you’ll also need 1 1/2 cups of chicken (or turkey!) stock. The higher-quality your stock, the better your stuffing will taste!
- Butter – of course, it isn’t Thanksgiving without butter! 2 tablespoons of melted butter poured over top of the stuffing gives it a delicious crispy golden crust.
More Boxed Stuffing Additions
Here’s how you can improve store-bought stuffing mix with a few simple additions. You can pick a few of these, or add multiple!
- Protein – 1/2 pound of breakfast sausage, Italian sausage, or even cooked and crumbled bacon (about 6 strips) work great here!
- Veggies – Using fresh onion and garlic instead of onion and garlic powder go a long way toward making this stuffing taste truly homemade. Diced celery, shallots, and carrots are also great additions!
- Fruit – about 1/4 cup of dried cranberries or 1/2 cup of fresh give a pop of tangynesss and sweetness with each bite. Dried figs would also make an unexpected sweet addition!
- Cheese – mix in about 1/2 cup of shredded parmesan for a fun cheesy spin on traditional stuffing!
- Mushrooms – mushrooms are another great stuffing addition. Simply saute them with your other veggies before mixing everything up.
- Nuts – about 1/2 cup of pecans, walnuts, hazelnuts, or pine nuts adds a wonderful flavor and satisfying crunch!
Thanksgiving Stuffing Video
Thanksgiving Dressing Recipe Variations and Modifications
If you’re looking for a dairy- or gluten-free stuffing, or a vegetarian dressing, just make these easy swaps:
- Veggie-friendly – to make this recipe vegetarian, simply skip the sausage and use veggie stock.
- Go gluten-free – opt for a gluten-free boxed stuffing mix, like this one.
- Skip the dairy – For dairy-free: use extra-virgin olive oil or vegan butter in place of the butter.
How to Make Thanksgiving Stuffing
Truly, this stuffing is exceptionally easy! In fact, it’s easy enough that we’d be willing to bet that ANYONE (regardless of prior Thanksgiving stuffing experience) can *not only* just pull it off, but pull it off REALLY well! Here’s how you’ll bring this lovely side together.
Step 1: Add the sausage to a large skillet on the stovetop over medium heat and cook for 8-10 minutes, breaking it up as it cooks. Once browned, remove the sausage from the skillet and drain the excess fat.
Step 2: Melt the butter in the same skillet that the sausage was browned in, and then add the onion, celery, and garlic. Cook for 8-10 minutes, until softened, then remove from heat.
Step 3: Discard the stuffing seasoning packet, then combine the boxed stuffing croutons (or bread cubes), browned sausage, cooked veggies, herbs, beaten eggs, and turkey stock to a 9×13 inch casserole dish (or another 4-quart baking dish), and stir it all together. Press the stuffing into an even layer in the dish, then drizzle the top with butter.
Step 4: Cover the dish with foil, then bake at 375 degrees F for 30 minutes. Once the timer goes off, remove the foil and bake, uncovered, for an additional 15 minutes, until the top of the stuffing is browned and crisp.
Recipe Tip
Seasoning – we found that the already sodium-laden seasoning packet combined with our additions made for a super salty stuffing. So we prefer to toss it and use fresher, homemade seasonings instead that allow us to control the saltiness.
How to Serve
Serve this stuffing warm from the oven with all of your favorite Thanksgiving favorites!
How to Store and Reheat
Cover and refrigerate leftover Thanksgiving dressing for up to 5 days. To reheat it, cook in a microwave or oven until heated through (the oven will give you crisper results).
Thanksgiving Stuffing Frequently Asked Questions
Both dishes contain the same essential ingredients. But stuffing is *technically* only stuffing when it is actually stuffed inside of the turkey, while dressing is cooked separately.
Even though this stuffing is NOT stuffed inside of a turkey, we’re calling it stuffing here anyway since that’s what we prefer to call it.
While it IS safe to stuff a turkey as long as you cook it to 165 °F, it actually isn’t our preference. Here’s why: generally speaking, when a turkey is stuffed, it takes a longer amount of time to cook, and as a result of this, the turkey inevitably dries out. To avoid this, we think that serving your stuffing (er, dressing!) on the side is the best way to go.
YES! Sausage stuffing is an excellent thing to make (or semi-make) ahead of time. We like the idea of getting the veggies and sausage cooked the day before Thanksgiving (just pop them both in an airtight container and store in the refrigerator) so that a quick mix and bake is all that is required on Thanksgiving day.
More of Our Best Thanksgiving Sides
If you tried this recipe for Semi Homemade Thanksgiving Stuffing, or any other recipe on the Fed & Fit website, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let us know how it went in the 📝 comments below!
Semi-Homemade Thanksgiving Stuffing
Ingredients
- 6-to-10- ounces boxed stuffing mix
- 1/2 pound breakfast or Italian sausage
- 1/2 small yellow onion, diced
- 2 stalks celery, diced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon minced fresh herbs, such as sage, fresh thyme, or rosemary OR 1 teaspoon dried herbs
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
- 1 egg, whisked
- 1 1/2 cups chicken or turkey stock
- 3 tablespoons melted butter
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 F.
- Add the sausage to a large skillet over medium heat and cook for 8-10 minutes, breaking it up as it cooks, until browned, then remove the sausage from the skillet.
- Add the onion, celery, and garlic to the skillet and cook for 5-7 minutes, until softened, then remove from heat.
- Remove the seasoning pack from the stuffing mix, then add the stuffing croutons, sausage, cooked veggies, herbs, salt, egg, and stock to an 8×8 inch pan or other 3-quart baking dish and mix it all together. Press the stuffing into an even layer in the pan, then drizzle the top with butter.
- Bake for 35-40 minutes, until the top of the stuffing is browned and crisp. Let cool slightly, then enjoy.
Recipe Notes
- For dairy-free: use extra-virgin olive oil or vegan butter in place of the butter.
- For gluten-free: use a gluten-free boxed stuffing mix, like this one.
Nutrition
FYI you list up top to cover the dish with foil when baking, but don’t mention that in the actual recipe!
Could this be made in the show cooker?
I haven’t tried it, so I can’t say for sure, Liz, but it’s certainly worth a try if you’re up for it! You’ll definitely need to cook the sausage in a pan first, and you will likely miss out on the crispy, browned part on top, but the slow cooker should do a good job of keeping everything nice and hot.
Should you only make the meat and veggies ahead of time? Is it not advised to make the whole dish ahead of time? Or will the croutons become soggy?
You can absolutely make the whole thing ahead of time, but for the very best (and freshest) tasting stuffing, I’d premake just the sausage and veggies!
Stuffing is my favorite Thanksgiving side, well my Mom’s stuffing is my favorite and I try always to recreate it. This year was a special challenge because we didn’t do a turkey (2020 wooooo).
You guys – this was amazing. I prepped all the dry ingredients ahead of time and then added the wet ingredients just before a cook time of 15 minutes in the oven?! Amazing!
I did add 1 apple and 2 tbsp pine nuts in respects to my moms recipe and it did not disappoint. Making this every year!
Yay! We’re so glad it turned out so great!!
I made this tonight for thanksgiving. Doesn’t get any quicker and easier than this! My husband and I loved it.
Wahoo! We’re so glad, Annette!
Question on the dried herbs…do I use 1 tsp of each or pick just one seasoning?
You just need a tablespoon of minced, fresh herbs (or a teaspoon dried). You can mix several or just use one herb…up to you!
You guys are nailing it with this Thanksgiving lineup of posts! I can’t wait to make this!
So glad you’re loving them, Annette! Thank you for sharing this with us!!