Easy Sage and Onion Stuffing Without Eggs

Prepared using a few staple ingredients, this perfectly moist, homemade sage and onion stuffing recipe is the perfect side dish for any celebration!

Cook it on the stove, stuff the bird, or use it as a dressing and bake it on a buttered casserole dish. The choice is yours.

Ready in a handful of minutes and prepared without eggs, it is versatile and adaptable. This is the recipe you will keep coming back to every holiday!

It's hard not to love a traditional Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner, with all the different delicious treats that fill the table!

I have always considered myself very lucky when it came to holiday feasts. While my mother is Canadian, my grandparents are Italian, so our Christmas table would accommodate a variety of dishes that could make anyone drool!

The second main course [after brodo and beef cannelloni, of course] was my favorite, as we would have it only for Christmas! So much so, that even if Jay and I get to spend a lot of holidays on our own as we live abroad, I always make sure there are some mashed potatoes without milk, delicious homemade gravy, and obviously homemade stuffing. These three dishes make the dinner table worthy... at least for me!

So, here is my Gramma's sage and onion stuffing recipe! Very easy, buttery, and prize-worthy... no doubt, the dish everyone will be reaching for this holiday season!

For inspiration, have a look at our delicious Thanksgiving recipes and Christmas food ideas!

🛒 Ingredients

• Bread Loaf: A large loaf of white bread is all you need, preferably a couple of days old! Although I prefer to roughly chop it in cubes ¼ inch in size [5-6mm], you can also turn the bread into large bread crumbs using a food processor.
• Butter: Try using unsalted butter if possible. However, you can use salted butter instead if necessary - but adjust the seasoning accordingly.
• Celery Sticks and Onion: A medium chopped onion per celery stick is my proportion, and I use three of each. Any color onion will work, and if you like the sweetness and moisture these ingredients bring to the stuffing recipe, then you can increase their amount or decrease it as preferred.
• Dry Sage [and optional Rosemary]: These are the ultimate holiday and roast dinner herbs, there is no doubt. Ensure the pots of dry herbs haven't been open for longer than six months, or use fresh sage and rosemary instead - just double their amount, as fresh herbs are weaker than dry. Alternatively, you can use Salamoia Bolognese to season the sage stuffing - it also uses black pepper and garlic granules for that extra kick! If using Salamoia Bolognese, make sure you use unsalted butter.

♻️ Substitutions and Variations

• Pancetta: We occasionally like to add pancetta cubes to the stuffing. Add it to the pot at the same time as the onion and celery and allow it to slowly release its flavors in the butter that will coat the stale bread. You can substitute this for diced ham or bacon, although not the same.
• Sausage Meat or Ground Pork: These are great additions, too. Add a cup at the same time as the onion and celery, and allow to cook thoroughly. Adding sausage meat also adds more fat, so depending on the sausage you choose, perhaps reduce a little the amount of butter used.
• Nuts: Chopped nuts add an earthy, nutty flavor and crunch to the homemade stuffing. Walnuts, pecans, and hazelnuts work best!
• Dried Fruits: Chopped dried cranberries or apricots taste delicious in stuffing, especially as a side for poultry. Make sure your dried fruit pieces are chopped thinly so that they can be evenly spread in the stuffing.
• Other Herbs: Flat leaf parsley, marjoram, tarragon, and thyme are great flavorings that work well in this recipe. I would avoid basil and oregano, as the flavors wouldn't work.

👩🏻‍🍳 How to Make (step-by-step)

1. Thinly slice the onions and celery sticks to be about the same size.
2. Roughly chop the white bread loaf into cubes that are about ¼ inch in size [5-6 mm].
3. In a large saucepan, add the butter, chopped onion, and celery, and start warming up on low to medium heat. [Picture 1]
4. As soon as the butter starts melting, mix all the ingredients well together and allow them to slowly cook until the onions and celery soften completely and start turning light golden.
5. Next, add your herbs of choice and a little salt, or Salamoia bolognese, and mix well once more. [Picture 2]

6. Once ready, add the diced bread or rough bread crumbs to the mixture. [Picture 3]
7. Add a couple of handfuls at a time to ensure the melted butter and dried sage flavor each piece. Add more bread as you mix, and so on until completely mixed.
8. You can now choose your final cooking method!

🔥 Choose The Final Cooking Method

• In The Bird: Stuff your chosen bird with sage and onion stuffing, ensuring you don't over-press it. When cooking it this way, ensure the internal temperature of the stuffing reaches at least 165*F [74*C] before serving. The meat will keep the stuffing moist and add even more flavor to it! This works great with roasted chicken and turkey.
• In The Oven As Dressing: Simply spread the raw stuffing on a greased baking dish or roasting tin. Add a few optional dollops of butter on top, and bake in the oven. As all the ingredients are already cooked in reality, this dish is very forgiving, so you can add it alongside whatever other dish you are roasting. Simply keep in the oven until the top becomes golden brown.
• Stove Top: You can continue pan-frying your homemade classic sage and onion stuffing mix until you achieve your desired consistency. For added crunch, add a teaspoon of butter to a large frying pan and heat up. Once melted, add the stuffing and fry on medium heat until ready to your taste.

🙋‍♀️ People Also Ask [FAQs]

❄️ Storing & Reheating

• In the fridge: Sage and onion stuffing without eggs can be stored in an airtight container for up to three days.
• In the freezer: Leftover stuffing can be frozen in an airtight container for up to three months. To serve, allow it to thaw overnight in the fridge. Then thoroughly reheat in the oven or microwave in a buttered baking dish or a large skillet with a little butter.

🥗 More Recipes Fit For a Feast

🍽️ Recipe

Easy Sage and Onion Stuffing Without Eggs

Elle John

Moist, rich, and easy to prepare... homemade stuffing is the ultimate treat!

5 from 3 votes

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 20 minutes mins

Total Time 30 minutes mins

Course Side Dish

Cuisine American, British, Canadian

Servings 8 portions

Calories 431 kcal

Ingredients

 

MetricUS Customary

 

1x2x3x

• ▢ 400 g Bread Loaf White and Cubed
• ▢ 150 g Unsalted Butter
• ▢ 3 Celery Sticks Whashed and Thinly Sliced
• ▢ 3 Medium Onions Thinly Sliced
• ▢ 1 teaspoon Dried Sage
• ▢ ½ teaspoon Dried Rosemary [optional]
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon Cracked Black Pepper [optional]
• ▢ Salt to taste

Instructions

 

• Thinly slice the onions and celery sticks so that they are about the same size.
• Roughly chop the bread loaf in cubes that are about ¼ inch in size [5-6 mm].
• In a large saucepan, add the butter, chopped onion and celery, start warming up on medium-low heat.
• As soon as the butter starts melting, mix all the ingredients well together, and allow them to slowly cook until the onions and celery soften completely, and start turning light golden. This process will take about 7-10 minutes.
• Next, add your herbs of choice and a little salt, or Salamoia bolognese, and mix well once more.
• Once ready, start adding the diced bread or rough bread crumbs to the mixture. Add a couple of handfuls at a time, to ensure the melted butter and dried sage flavor each piece. As soon as well mixed, add some more bread, and so on until completely mixed.

Next, choose your final cooking method:

• In The Bird: Stuff your chosen bird with sage and onion stuffing, ensuring you don't over press it. When cooking it this way, ensure the internal temperature of the stuffing reaches at least 165*F [74*C] before serving. The meat will keep the stuffing moist and add even more flavor to it! Any stuffing that doesn't fit in the bird, can be baked ina small baking dish on the side.
• In The Oven As Dressing: Simply spread the raw stuffing on a greased baking dish, add a few optional dollops of butter on top, and bake in the oven. As all the ingredients are already cooked in reality, this dish is very forgiving, so you can add it alongside whatever other dish you are roasting. Simply keep in the oven until the top becomes golden brown.
• Stove Top: You can continue panfrying your homemade classic sage and onion stuffing mix until you achieve the consistency you like. For added crunch, add a teaspoon of butter to a large frying pan and heat up; once melted, add the stuffing and panfry until ready to your taste.

Notes

Optional Ingredients

• Pancetta: We occasionally like to add pancetta cubes to the stuffing. Simply add it to the pot at the same time as the onion and celery and allow it to slowly release its flavors in the butter that will coat the stale bread. Although not the same, this can be substituted with diced ham or bacon.
• Sausage or Ground Pork: These are great additions too. Simply add a cup at the same time as the onion and celery, and allow to thoroughly cook. Adding sausage meat also adds more fat, so depending on the sausage you choose, perhaps reduce a little the amount of butter used.
• Nuts: Chopped nuts add an earthy nutty flavor and crunch to the classic stuffing. Walnuts, peacans, and hazelnuts work best!
• Dried Fruits: Chopped dried cranberries or apricots taste delicious in stuffing, especially when as a side for poultry. Make sure your dried fruit pieces are chopped thinly, so that they can be evenly spread in the stuffing.
• Other Herbs: Flat leaf parsley, marjoram, tarragon, and thyme are great flavorings that work well in this recipe. I would avoid basil and origano.

How to store sage and onion stuffing?

• In the fridge: Stuffing can be stored in an airtight container for up to three days.
• In the freezer: Leftover stuffing can be frozen in an airtight container for up to three months. To serve, allow it to thaw overnight in the fridge, then thoroughly reheat in the oven or microwave in a buttered baking dish, or in a large skillet with a little butter.

 

Stuffing Balls: If you are planning to make stuffing balls, then opt for homemade bread crumbs rather than bread cubes, as this will allow you to form the balls better. Making your own breadcrumbs will allow you to keep them quite big and coarse, which will help absorb moisture better.

Nutrition

Calories: 431kcalCarbohydrates: 30gProtein: 5gFat: 33gSaturated Fat: 19gPolyunsaturated Fat: 4gMonounsaturated Fat: 8gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 40mgSodium: 190mgPotassium: 179mgFiber: 3gSugar: 17gVitamin A: 478IUVitamin C: 3mgCalcium: 15mgIron: 1mg

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