Best Crockpot Sausage Stuffing

Thanksgiving is one of a few times a year that mainstream American dishes fill my husband’s family’s table instead of their traditional Cambodian food (which is delicious). And every year our family jokes about the variety of food items we see on the Thanksgiving table. A turkey rests alongside a ribeye roast and a box of 7-11 doughnuts while a large bag of Fiery Ranch Doritos is plopped next to the pumpkin pie and best crockpot sausage stuffing. Come early enough and watch the mishaps in the kitchen such as mom puzzling over the frozen roll dough or my husband “decorating” the turkey with the relish tray veggies. We laugh a lot at Thanksgiving as it is a favorite event for us. Big family dynamics are different, so learning to roll with things is important. The world has not ended if Thanksgiving is not picture perfect. Being blessed with a wonderful family is what is important.

To feed the bulging house of people we divide the work involved. Every year the same people do the same jobs which helps ensure the day runs smoothly and avoids hiccups. Since my reputation as a baker is set in stone my job is bringing pies. The Tuesday before T-day pie dough covers our kitchen table while my marble rolling pin is busy rolling crusts. My hands are busy chopping pecans, slicing apples, mixing pumpkin and more. The large Viking oven is on most of the day, heating the house to a pleasant warm ambiance on a chilly November day. Before the day is out eight pies sit on the table cooling. The family favorites are Pecan, pumpkin, French apple, and custard, and there needs to be a lot. 

how the stuffing came to be

My husband’s four sisters and I share the other food jobs. One sister brings vegetables and stuffing every year, and today’s post is on that stuffing. Like many people with extended families do, we celebrate Thanksgiving twice. On Thursday I cook our own Thanksgiving dinner. I have tried many stuffing recipes, but when a good thing comes along that everyone loves there is no point in fighting. Part of being a good host is picking your battles, so the need to consult Bon Appetit or Epicurious November 1 for stuffing recipes was surrendered, and I asked my husband’s sister for hers. This best crockpot sausage stuffing recipe is now a staple at Thanksgiving in our house, and it smells so good cooking in the crock pot.

From what I learned, several generations of women and a boxed stuffing created this recipe. It is very flavorful, easy, economical, and is even cooked in the crock pot. In fact, I recommend this stuffing be cooked in the crock pot instead of stuffing the turkey. You cannot beat the moistness of the finished dish not to mention it takes away the complications of cooking with a stuffed turkey. Additionally, anyone who has cooked a Thanksgiving meal knows the value of a make-ahead dish that does not require being in the oven- especially an easy one. Juggling the oven space with the many dishes involved is always tricky, so you can eliminate some of that stress with this recipe.

best Crockpot sausage Stuffing Recipe

This moist stuffing has traditional and simple ingredients with sausage giving it the excellent flavor. However, the best part is that it is cooked in the crockpot, so the oven is freed up for other things. There is nothing fancy here that requires a special trip to a select store. Its ingredients are bread cubes, butter, broth, onions, sausage, and celery. Celery is left out of my version- we don’t get along. I don’t even want to cut the stuff it smells so bad, but if you love celery add it in! This is a forgiving recipe, so adjust as needed. Some people don’t like onion and may leave it out. A side tip: if you have kids who don’t like onions then use dried, minced onion instead. You still get the flavor, but the dried onion chunks are so tiny they disappear in the stuffing.

My sister-in-law has graciously given her permission to share this recipe. Hopefully, you enjoy this moist sausage stuffing as much as we do!

stuffing Ingredients:

2 12 oz. boxes of Mrs. Cubbison’s Dressing Mix

3 cups of chicken broth (or enough broth to moisten dressing mix without oversaturating it; see note below)

1 16 oz. package of Jimmy Dean’s Regular Premium Pork Sausage (or use the Jimmy Dean’s Pork Sausage with sage in it)

1 cup of butter

2 medium onions chopped

Optional: 1 tbsp minced fresh sage

large, heat-safe cooking bag

Method for best crockpot stuffing

Sauté the onion in the butter until soft and translucent. Set aside.

Crumble and cook the sausage until done. Set aside.

Combine boxes of stuffing mix, sausage, and onion in a large cooking bag. If desired, add sage. Gradually add broth, combining in bag with each addition.

Seal bag and put in crock pot on high for 2-3 hours or until steaming and cooked through. Remove bag from crock pot and let cool a bit before opening- you don’t want to burn yourself from steam. A note on cooking bag: I get the bags designed for crock pots. The instructions call for you to overlap the bag along the edge of the pot, but we loosely tie it closed. The choice is yours.

Serve. This recipe can be doubled, but it may require longer cooking time.

Enjoy and Happy Thanksgiving!

I hope you enjoy this best crockpot sausage stuffing as much as we do. You can’t go wrong with a recipe this easy and flavorful. This is a crowd-friendly recipe, so double or triple the recipe if you wish- just make sure you have a big enough crock pot. When we host large events, I love having recipes that work for a lot of people, so this recipe stays in my permanent files. As a side note, if you need to, freeze the already -made stuffing for up to a month. This is helpful for making ahead or dealing with leftovers. A very happy Thanksgiving season to you!

Best to you all, Anna