By Meredith Hayden
Sides

Sausage & Fennel Stuffing

November 4, 2025

Stuffing is the best part about Thanksgiving, especially if you’re making this stuffing. If your stuffing is usually soggy, limp and underwhelming, please refer to the below. Sourdough bread, crunchy veg, crispy sausage, lots ‘o herbs. Say less!!!!!!

Words cannot describe how perfect this stuffing is.. good enough to eat year round: on God.

welcome to wishbone

I believe in happy & whole food that’s equally as fun to make as it is to eat.

Wishbone Kitchen

Sausage & Fennel Stuffing

Pin It Print It Share It

Ingredients

  • 1 ½ stick of butter
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 lb sourdough boule
  • 1 lb sweet Italian sausage
  • 1 large or 2 small chopped yellow onions
  • ½ cup chopped celery
  • ½ cup chopped fennel bulb
  • 2 cups chopped parsley
  • 1 tablespoon of chopped fresh sage
  • 1 tablespoon of chopped fresh rosemary
  • 2 tablespoon of chopped fresh thyme
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 ½ cups chicken broth
  • 1 cup white wine
  • 1 tbsp kosher salt
  • 2 tsp freshly cracked black pepper

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 250°. Tear bread into jagged pieces, around 1-2 inches large, and arrange them in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet. Bake until the bread is almost completely dried out, about 45 minutes – 1 hour. Let cool.
  2. Butter a 9×13 inch baking dish and set aside. Preheat the oven to 350. Take sausage out of its casing and brown in a large pot with a splash of olive oil. Once cooked through, brown and crispy, remove from the pot and transfer to a paper towel lined plate.
  3. Add one stick of butter and 2 tbsp of olive oil to the pot and scrape up the browned sausage bits as the butter melts. When butter is melted, add the chopped onion, celery and fennel. Cook on low for 5-10 minutes, or until partially softened, but still crisp. Add the cup of white wine, increase the heat to medium and simmer until the wine has reduced by ⅔ . Remove from heat.
  4. Toss together the dried bread, the cooked onion, celery and fennel mixture, and 1 cup of chicken stock. Once the stock is absorbed, fold in the chopped herbs. In a separate bowl, whisk together the 2 eggs, remaining cup of chicken stock, 1 tbsp of kosher salt, and 2 tsp of fresh cracked pepper. Add the egg mixture to the bread mixture and gently mix. Once the bread has absorbed all of the egg mixture, fold in the the cooked sausage.
  5. Transfer the stuffing to your buttered baking dish and cover with aluminum foil. Cook at 350 for 40 minutes. Remove the aluminum foil and cook for another 40 minutes or until the top is brown and crispy.

did you make this recipe?

TAG @WISHBONEKITCHEN ON INSTAGRAM SO WE CAN SEE YOUR CREATIONS!

Hungry For More?

Pasta

Pasta L’Amatriciana
Dessert

Guinness Chocolate Cake
Appetizer

Mini Twice Baked Potatoes with Caviar
5 based on 4 reviews
RATE + REVIEW

What do you think of this recipe?

This stuffing was incredible! Super flavorful with all the yummy spices. Wasn’t sure though if the parsley was for garnish or to be mixed in with the herbs, so I did half and half.

Best stuffing ever. I get the most compliments on it!

Made this for my family thanksgiving and it was a hit! Everyone insisted on the best stuffing ever, and that I have to make this again next year. So yummy!