Stuffing Casserole
This Stuffing Casserole with sausage and green beans is an easy Thanksgiving side dish idea. Make on the Stove Top or in the Crock Pot!
Love Casseroles? Try this Twice Baked Potato Casserole or Paula Deen’s Corn Casserole recipe next!
Stuffing Casserole
This recipe is inspired by my super popular Crock Pot Chicken and Stuffing recipe and makes an excellent side dish with Roast Chicken. Let’s get into everything you need to know to make this recipe a success!
Ingredients
- Ground Sausage– Sweet, hot, and breakfast sausage all work!
- Butter
- Green Beans– Fresh or frozen
- Onions
- Celery
- Garlic- Mince fresh garlic cloves yourself for the best flavor
- Salt/Pepper
- Chicken Broth– Homemade is best. Consider using low-sodium.
- Condensed Cream of Chicken Soup– This gives it that casserole texture, try my homemade version!
- Sour Cream– Just trust me on this.
- Dried Cranberries
- Boxed Stuffing
- Crispy Fried Onions
How to Make It
Brown sausage in a pan. Set aside. Add butter, celery, fresh green beans, & onions.
Add Garlic, Salt, & Pepper. Cook for 1 minute. Add Chicken Broth, Cream of Chicken Soup, and Sour Cream.
Add Stuffing and Stir to Combine. Place in Lightly Greased Casserole dish. Bake or heat in Crock Pot when ready!
⭐PRO TIP: If you prefer your stuffing extra moist, you may want to add slightly less than 14 oz. of stuffing, (or add additional chicken broth), especially if you’re baking it in the oven or making it ahead of time.
Make-Ahead Method
- This Stuffing Casserole can be assembled up to three days ahead of time and refrigerated until ready to bake. Let it sit out for 10-15 minutes prior to baking.
- You can also freeze it for up to three months and let it thaw in the refrigerator overnight prior to baking it.
- Note: Don’t stuff a turkey ahead of time as that can create salmonella from the moist stuffing/raw turkey.
Crock Pot Method
- To cook this in the Crock Pot, cook, crumble and drain the sausage in a pan. (Or use precooked sausage links and dice them up.)
- Combine the cooked sausage with all other uncooked stuffing ingredients.
- Heat it on low for 6-7 hours or on high for 4 hours.
- To crisp the top, place the crock pot in a 350° oven for 10 minutes.
- Remove and top with crispy fried onions. Bake for 5 more minutes.
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Did You Make This Recipe?
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Stuffing Casserole
Ingredients
- 1 lb. ground sausage, see Note 1
- 4 Tablespoons butter, preferably unsalted
- 1 small yellow onion, diced
- 2 cups fresh green beans, see Note 2
- ¾ cups celery, diced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- Salt/Pepper, to taste
- 2.5 cups chicken broth, see Note 3
- 10.5 oz. condensed cream of chicken soup
- 1/3 cup sour cream
- ¼ cup dried cranberries
- 14 oz. stuffing mix, equal to 8 cups
- ½ cup crispy fried onions
- Fresh parsley, to garnish
Instructions
Oven Method
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Brown the sausage in a large pan (at least 10”) over medium heat.
- Remove the sausage and melt 4 Tablespoons butter.
- Add the onions, fresh green beans, and celery. Cook until softened, about 5 minutes.
- Add the garlic, salt, and pepper. Cook for an additional minute.
- Add the chicken broth.
- Use a silicone spatula to scrape up any brown bits on the pan into the chicken broth for added flavor.
- Turn off the heat. Mix in the cream of chicken soup, sour cream, and dried cranberries.
- Add the sausage back to the pan along with the stuffing and stir until well-combined.
- Add to a lightly greased casserole dish. (At least 13” x 9”)
- Bake, covered, for 1 hour.
- Remove cover and bake for 5 additional minutes to brown the top.
- Add the crispy fried onions and bake for 5 additional minutes.
- Top with fresh parsley and serve!
Crock Pot Method
- Cook, crumble and drain the sausage first. (Or use precooked sausage links and dice them up.)
- Combine the sausage with remaining uncooked stuffing ingredients.
- Add the stuffing mixture to a lightly greased Crock Pot instead of a casserole dish.
- Cook on low heat for 6-7 hours or on high for 4 hours.
- Brown the top in a 350 degree oven for 5 minutes, add the crispy fried onions, and bake for 5 more minutes.
Make Ahead Method
- This Stuffing Casserole can be assembled in the casserole dish up to three days ahead of time and refrigerated until ready to bake. Let it sit out for 10-15 minutes prior to baking.
- You can also freeze it for up to three months and let it thaw in the refrigerator overnight prior to baking it.
Notes
I like breakfast sausage with this stuffing but you can use sweet or hot Italian sausage as well. If you are only able to find links, remove the cases before cooking. Always cook the sausage before mixing with the other ingredients.
Note 2- Green Beans
I like using fresh green beans for this recipe but frozen may also be used. If using frozen, don’t cook them in the pan, just add them when you mix the whole thing together.
Note 3- Chicken Broth
If you prefer more moist stuffing, consider adding up to 1 cup additional chicken broth, especially if you are making this recipe ahead of time or baking it (as opposed to making it in the crock pot.)
I use Bell's Traditional Stuffing for this recipe.
HI! I’m about to makes this ahead of time for tomorrow and I wasn’t sure if I should prep it all now and wait to put it in the oven or I can cook the whole thing now and just reheat? I know you said you could make this ahead but I don’t know if you meant just prep it. Thanks so much for this!!
Hi Stacey! I would assemble the whole thing now as if you were going to bake and serve it now, but hold off on actually baking it until tomorrow! HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!!
yay thank you so much and Happy Thanksgiving!!
I baked this dish for thanksgiving tomorrow, what do you recommend for rewarming?
Hello there. Since you’ve baked it already, I would take a look at it tomorrow and drizzle additional chicken broth over it, up to 1/4 cup. I would drizzle a little bit of melted butter over it too. Then I would cover it and bake it at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. If you want the top to crisp up, remove the cover and bake for an additional 10-15 minutes. Enjoy, it will taste fabulous! PS- If time allows, let it sit out for 20 minutes or so before you bake it. Happy Thanksgiving! -Stephanie
If I’m making this in the crockpot do I cook anything ahead of time or just pop it all in and stir?
Hey Amy! The only thing I would prepare ahead of time is the sausage so that it’s cooked and drained when you mix it in. You can also dice up pre-cooked breakfast sausage links, I love using that in my stuffing!
I was wondering if anyone has tried fresh cranberries in this casserole?
Hi Elaine! I haven’t tried it, but it should work just fine, I would add it when you add the onions/celery, etc and cook it with that before you mix it with the stuffing and bake it 🙂 -Stephanie
Hey! I’m looking at the crock pot recipe one. Are the high and low temp cook times backwards? 6-7 hours for low and 4 hours for high?
Hi Amy! OOPS, totally backwards, thank you so much for catching that!! -Stephanie
Sorry. Re-read the recipe! Got my answer. Off to make it. Thanks!
Awesome Susan, so happy to hear it! I’d love to hear what you think of it! I hope you LOVE it! 🙂 -Stephanie
Can you use a stove top type boxed stuffing? Any volume/cup requirements?
I finally have a stuffing recipe, THANKS❤! I have tried so many, sadly not kidding and was so disappointed in them. Same even goes for other people’s stuffing, when I go to their homes. This one is THE BOMB! I ate more stuffing than anything else! Oh, it is so good and wow, it is so easy to make! THANKS SOOOO MUCH FOR THIS RECIPE!
Hi Gwen! You made me SO SO happy with this….I honestly feel like stuffing is such a personal thing, people like it so many different ways, textures, etc! I personally I love this casserole and all of the flavors in it but it makes me so happy to hear that you felt the same way. You really made my day. THANK YOU. Thank you so so much!!!! <3 -Stephanie
So good, I could probably eat it just as a main dish, especially with sausage.
Hey Andrea! Thanks so much! I totally agree, I could easily eat this as a main!!! 🙂 XOXO -Stephanie
doesn’t actually say to cook with the lid on but in one of the comments it says to take the lid off for the last 10 minutes for more firm stuffing so cook with the lid on the whole time?
Hi Jodi! My apologies, I just updated the recipe- you do cook it with the lid on, thank you for checking on this! 🙂
Would canned green beans work? I have way too many I would like to use up
Hi Jazmine, I do think that would be fine! They have more sodium so just be aware of that, you could always use low sodium chicken broth to counteract that 🙂