slow cooker stuffing with sausage and kale
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This slow cooker stuffing recipe is the perfect way to free up your oven while still enjoying a hearty, savory Thanksgiving stuffing. Flavored with pork sausage, kale, plenty of aromatics and herbs, this set-it-and-forget-it recipe takes only 20 minutes of hands-on time before cooking in the crockpot for 5 hours.
Shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone that Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays because it focuses on one of my favorite things: eating.
Of course, Thanksgiving is about more than just food, but my favorite part of the holiday is gathering around the table with my family and friends, digging into a delicious feast.
Everyone has their favorite Thanksgiving dish, and mine is definitely stuffing.
I’ve been making my Thanksgiving stuffing in the slow cooker for years now, and it’s absolutely my favorite method. AJ usually deep fries our turkey, so we can’t stuff our bird. (Yes, I know that technically it’s “dressing” because we don’t stuff it into the turkey, but I don’t care.)
Plus, it saves on oven space for things like roasted Brussels sprouts or honey roasted carrots and makes the whole recipe much more hands-off so you can go sip on an apple cider mimosa instead.
This version is a spin on my mom’s classic bread stuffing, with a few little additions of my own such as spicy sausage and kale. After 20 minutes of prep (a lot of which you can do ahead of time), it cooks in the crockpot for 4-5 hours and boom: you’ve got slow cooker stuffing perfection for your holiday table.
Chrissie’s recipe testing notes
- Toast the bread in the oven if you don’t have time to let it dry out. Trust me, stuffing is much better if you use bread that’s a little dry. But if you don’t have time to let it get stale on the counter for a few days (or forget to set it out), toast it in the oven for about 30 minutes.
- Use some broth to deglaze the pan after sautéing the vegetables. We’re gonna cook the aromatics and kale in some butter before adding them to the slow cooker. There’s lots of flavorful bits stuck to the bottom of the pan, though. Instead of leaving them behind, I use a splash of chicken broth to deglaze the pan so that flavor makes it into the final stuffing.
- Prevent burning by placing foil around the sides of the crockpot. While I like crispy bits of stuffing, I don’t want the stuffing to burn and stick to my slow cooker. A band of foil around the inside makes cleanup a lot easier later.
Ingredient notes and substitutions
For the full recipe, including ingredient amounts, scroll to the printable recipe card below.
- Bread: I personally like using wheat bread for my stuffing, but almost any bread will work well. A loaf of Italian bread would work great, as would a sourdough sandwich loaf. If you use a really crusty bread, you may need additional chicken broth to keep the stuffing moist. You need around 1 pound of bread total.
- Sausage: I use ground pork breakfast sausage or country sausage in my slow cooker stuffing. My personal favorite is Neese’s Hot Country Sausage because we like things a bit spicy. Use mild sausage if you don’t want the added heat.
- Aromatics: I like a mix of diced white or yellow onion and celery. You can add a few cloves of minced garlic as well if you have them on hand.
- Kale: Make sure it is washed and chopped, with the tough stems removed. You can also buy a bag of ready-to-eat kale to save some time. If you aren’t a fan of kale, Swiss chard would be a great substitute.
- Butter: For sautéing the vegetables. Add extra flavor by using a good salted butter.
- Herbs: A mix of fresh thyme and fresh sage.
- Egg: A large egg helps bind the stuffing together.
- Chicken broth: You can also use chicken stock. This keeps the stuffing moist and adds some extra flavor. If you have turkey stock on hand, use that!
And of course, we’ll also need plenty of salt and black pepper!
How to make my slow cooker stuffing recipe
If you’ve never made homemade stuffing before, don’t stress. This is easy. All we have to do is toast the bread, cook the sausage and veggies, and dump everything in the crockpot.
I don’t usually remember to set my bread out to dry ahead of time, so I like to toast it in the oven for about 30 minutes. If your bread is already stale or dry, you can skip this step!
While the bread is toasting, brown the sausage. Both of those can go in the same bowl when they’re done.
Don’t clean out the skillet you used for the sausage! There’s tons of flavor in there, so use it to sauté the onion and celery, along with a big pinch of salt and pepper for layers of flavor. Toss in the kale to wilt, add the herbs, and then use some of the broth to get all the browned bits off the bottom of the pan.
If you were using a rubber spatula to this point, switch to a wooden spoon. It’ll make it much easier to scrape all the yummy bits up.
Add the whole veggie mixture to the bowl with the sausage and bread. Whisk up the egg and the rest of the broth (don’t forget another pinch of salt and pepper!), and toss that with everything else.
Make sure to check that your bread doesn’t seem too dry! If it does, add a splash more broth. You don’t want it to be wet, but the bread should be nice and moist.
Add everything to your slow cooker, cover, and cook on low for 4-5 hours. That’s it!
Make-ahead instructions
One of my biggest Thanksgiving hosting tips is to prep as much stuff ahead of time as you can.
For this stuffing, you can toast the bread and cook the sausage and vegetables up to 2 days ahead of time.
Toast the bread as directed. Let the cubes cool, then pop them into an airtight container at room temperature.
Brown the sausage, sauté the vegetables, add the herbs, and deglaze the pan as directed. Add everything—the sausage and the entire vegetable mixture—to an airtight container and store in the fridge.
On the day of, add the bread and the sausage mixture to a large bowl. Add the broth and egg, mix everything up, and cook as directed!
Slow Cooker Stuffing with Sausage and Kale
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 loaf wheat bread about 16–20 ounces, cut into cubes
- 1 pound ground pork country sausage see notes
- 3 tablespoons salted butter
- 1 yellow or white onion diced
- 5 stalks celery diced
- 2 cups washed and chopped kale
- 1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh sage
- 1 1/2 cups chicken broth divided use
- 1 large egg
- Salt and black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 300℉. Place bread cubes in an even layer on a rimmed baking sheet. Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until bread cubes are dry. Transfer to a large mixing bowl.1 loaf wheat bread
- While bread is in the oven, cook the sausage in a large skillet over medium to medium-high heat until browned and cooked through. Drain the fat from the sausage and add the sausage to the bowl with the bread.1 pound ground pork country sausage
- Return the skillet used to cook the sausage to medium heat. Melt the butter, then add the onion, celery, and a big pinch of salt and pepper. Sauté until soft, about 7 minutes. Add the kale and cook, stirring frequently, until wilted.3 tablespoons salted butter, 1 yellow or white onion, 5 stalks celery, Salt and black pepper, 2 cups washed and chopped kale
- Add the herbs to the skillet and stir until aromatic, about 1 minute.1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves, 1 tablespoon chopped fresh sage
- Add about 1/2 cup of the chicken broth to the pan. Stir, using a wooden spoon to scrape up the browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Once the broth is simmering, remove the pan from the heat and pour the mixture on top of the sausage and bread.½ cups chicken broth
- In separate bowl or measuring cup, whisk together the remaining broth, egg, and a big pinch of salt and pepper. Pour on top of the bread mixture and stir until well combined. If the bread seems a bit too dry, add a splash more chicken broth as needed.1 cups chicken broth, 1 large egg, Salt and black pepper
- Use a large sheet of aluminum foil to make a band around the inside of the slow cooker—this will help prevent burning later. Spray the inside of the slow cooker and foil band with nonstick spray.
- Transfer bread mixture to the slow cooker. Cover and cook on LOW for 4 to 5 hours until the stuffing edges are crispy but the center is still moist. Serve hot.
Notes
Ingredients
- If you don’t want to use wheat bread, any softer bread will work, such as Italian bread or a sourdough sandwich loaf.
- My favorite sausage to use in this stuffing is Neese’s Hot Country Sausage. If you don’t care for the extra heat, use mild sausage instead of hot.
- If you don’t have fresh thyme or sage, use 1 teaspoon of dried thyme or dried sage instead.
- Feel free to add a few cloves of minced garlic along with the herbs.
Cooking
- If your bread is already stale/dry, you can skip toasting it in the oven.
- If you have extra time and patience, try letting the onions caramelize before adding the celery and continuing with the recipe as written.
- The pork sausage has a fairly high salt content, so I find that I only need to add a big pinch of salt when cooking the vegetables and whisking together the broth and egg. If you are using low-sodium broth or stock, you may need to add a bit more salt.
Make ahead
- Cube and toast the bread, cook the sausage, and sauté the vegetables up to 2 days ahead of time. Store the toasted bread cubes in an airtight container at room temperature. Store the browned sausage and the vegetable mixture in an airtight container in the refrigerator. When ready to cook the stuffing, add everything to large bowl and pick up up at step 6, finishing out the recipe as directed.
Storage
- Keep leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Nutrition
Frequently asked questions
Yes! The rest of the recipe is naturally gluten free, so feel free to use your favorite gluten-free bread if you’re cooking for anyone with allergies or dietary restrictions.
You can swap in your preferred ground country-style/breakfast sausage in place of the pork sausage. Several brands make ground turkey sausage, which would work well.
More delicious Thanksgiving recipes
Looking for more great Thanksgiving recipes to add to your menu?
I’m a big fan of an easy cheese board or gorgeous charcuterie board for appetizers. Set it out and let everyone snack while you finish cooking!
So many folks focus on the main meal that sometimes they forget about drinks! An easy apple cider cocktail is always a hit, or whip up some pumpkin old fashioned cocktails.
For dessert, I love my salted caramel apple pie or a decadent sweet potato pie. And we can’t forget about the leftovers! You really can’t beat a Thanksgiving leftovers sandwich the next day.
about chrissie
I’m Chrissie — a full-time public defender, food lover, North Carolina explorer, toddler wrangler, and lifelong cheese enthusiast. I love the beach, craft beer, Mexican food, and trashy reality TV. Catch me chasing my kids, laughing too loudly, sipping margaritas on a nearby patio, and telling my husband “just one more quick picture.” Learn more ➤
That looks amazing. I’m a big Stove Top fan, but thinking of branching out. YUMMMM.
stove top is good, but I have to say this is WAY better. And practically as easy.
So you’re all going to get to hang out and eat all this good food? Oh wow! I’m so jealous. What a great idea.
Yes! That’s our Thanksgiving “tradition” I guess! I love that everyone contributes to the cooking so no one is stuck in the kitchen all day long.
I love stuffing and it would be neat to mix things up a bit and try it with kale.