Prepared using a few staple ingredients, this perfectly moist 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, versatile and adaptable, this is the recipe you will keep coming back to!
Jump to:
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 [we used to sit in 21 around a table for 6... in Italy, there's always space for a couple more people!], would accommodate a variety of dishes that could make anyone drool!
The second main course [after brodo and lasagna, 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 gravy, and obviously homemade stuffing. These are THE three dishes that 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!
Sage and Onion Stuffing Recipe 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, if not available, salted butter can be used instead - just 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 my Salamoia Bolognese Recipe to season the sage stuffing - it also has some black pepper and garlic granules for that extra kick! If using Salamoia Bolognese, make sure you use unsalted butter.
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 Meat 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 homemade stuffing. Walnuts, pecans, 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 Make Homemade Sage and Onion Stuffing?
- Thinly slice the onions and celery sticks so that they are about the same size.
- Roughly chop the white bread loaf into cubes that are about ¼ inch in size [5-6 mm].
- In a large saucepan, add the butter, chopped onion, and celery, and start warming up on low to medium 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.
- 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!
- 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 ob 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]
Most good quality white bread can be used for making stuffing. Unsliced Italian-style or French-style loaves, such as ciabatta or baguette, sandwich loaves, sourdough, or richer options, such as challah or brioche, although these two will make for a sweeter, more lavish stuffing.
Yes, sage and onion stuffing can be frozen in an airtight container for up to three months.
Stuffing a bird helps it maintain its moisture, while also making the dish sufficient to feed more people.
Yes, sage and onion stuffing can be prepared up to three days in advance and stored in the fridge.
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.
Tips and Tricks for Homemade Stuffing
- 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.
- Gluten-Free Bread: This recipe can be made gluten-free, by simply swapping the bread.
- Fresh Sage vs Dried Sage: Dried sage leaves are much stronger than fresh, so you should use half the amount of dry compared to fresh ones. This applies to most herbs [i.e.: fresh and dried thyme, rosemary, etc], however, it is important that the dried herbs haven't been open for more than six months, as old spices lose their aromas and flavors. I wouldn't recommend using dried ground sage.
- Chicken Stock: Many like to cook stuffing with chicken stock, however, if the butter is well mixed with the ingredients, there are sufficient onions and celery sticks, and the bread is of good quality, then this won't be necessary. Should your stuffing be too dry once everything is mixed together, then you can add half a cup of stock [vegetable stock if following a vegetarian diet].
- Old or Stale Bread: Although most stuffing recipes call for totally dry bread cubes or bread crumbs, I would recommend using bread that is only two or three days old. As the bread is added to the pan with the other ingredients and cooked alongside them for a bit, it doesn't need to be completely dry before use!
- Low Oven Temperature: This stuffing will keep well in the oven on low heat until it's ready to be eaten. Ensure you cover tightly the baking dish and add a little more butter in the mixture if you know this is the plan!
Although this is a classic among holiday recipes, you can prepare stuffing for any Sunday meal! Have it with this Cheesy Stuffed Chicken Breast [wrapped in Parma ham!], or as a side to a classic Ham and Mushroom Hot Pot, or have more sides, like roasted fennel or a creamy potato salad [perfect for when you want a potato dish, but don't have much space on the hob to keep it warm!].
Fancy roast dinners shouldn't be prepared only as a holiday meal, as with the right recipes, they can be quite easy to prepare with staple pantry ingredients.
If you love stuffing [and mashed potatoes, and gravy!], then this is the recipe you should try this year! This moist, flavorful, easy stuffing recipe requires a handful of ingredients, very little time, and just a little bit of patience not to get your fork and dig in before everyone else is at the table. Enjoy!
WRITE TO US! Should you have any questions or suggestions, please let us know, as we'd love to hear from you. If you gave this recipe a go, please rate and comment on the recipe card below! It would be greatly appreciated.
🥗 More Recipes Fit For a Feast
🍽️ Recipe
Easy Sage and Onion Stuffing Without Eggs
Ingredients
- 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 ob 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.
Leave a Comment