Make-Ahead Sage and Onion Stuffing Muffins with Sausage

5 from 15 votes

Make-Ahead Sage and Onion Stuffing Muffins with Sausage

Sage and Onion Stuffing Muffins with Sausage - are the perfect Thanksgiving side dish! These savory muffins are easy to make and can be prepared ahead of time, making them a lifesaver during the busy holidays.

Prep Time15

Cook Time30

Drying bread cubes at 250°1

Total Time1 45

Course: Appetizer, Christmas, Thanksgiving

Cuisine: American

Servings: Stuffing Muffins

Calories: 308kcal

Author: Chula King

Equipment

Regular muffin pan

Ingredients

1 pound pork breakfast sausage (See Tip 1)
6 Tablespoons (3 ounces) unsalted butter
3 cups chopped onions (2 large onions)
3 Tablespoons fresh sage, minced
1 teaspoon Kosher salt
½ teaspoon black pepper
1 ½ cups chicken broth (See Tip 2)
3 large eggs
8 to 9 cups dried white bread cubes (See Tip 3)

Instructions

Preheat oven to 375°F. Spray muffin pan with nonstick spray. Set aside.
Cook and crumble sausage in a large skillet over medium heat. When the sausage is done, drain on paper towels.
Wipe the skillet used to cook sausage with paper towels. Add butter and melt over medium heat. Add onions. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions soften, about 10 minutes. Add sage, salt, and pepper. Stir to combine. Add the cooked sausage and stir the mixture together. Allow to cool slightly.
Whisk together 1 ½ cups of chicken broth and the eggs.
Add the bread cubes and onion and sausage mixture to a large bowl. Stir to combine. Pour on the chicken broth and eggs. Toss to coat the ingredients evenly. Allow the stuffing mixture to sit for ten minutes to absorb the liquid. Toss again to ensure that everything is well combined. If the stuffing is too dry, add a little more broth or water until you have the right consistency.
Using a ½ cup ice cream scoop or a measuring cup, fill the muffin pan cups heaping full with the stuffing, compressing the stuffing mixture as you fill the cups. (See Tip 4)
Bake in a preheated 375°F oven for 30 to 35 minutes or until the stuffing muffins are golden brown.
Remove from the oven and allow the stuffing muffins to cool in the muffin pan for 10 minutes before removing them from the pan.
Remove from the pan and serve.
Yield: 12 Stuffing Muffins (See Tips 5 and 6)

Video

Notes

I used Jimmy Dean Sage Sausage. I've also used Jimmy Dean Hot Sausage in this recipe. Both are delicious.
You may need a bit more chicken broth to achieve the desired consistency but start with 1 ½ cups. For me, the 1 ½ cups was spot on.
I started with a 1.5-pound loaf of Pepperidge Farm Farmhouse Hearty White sliced bread. I discarded the two end pieces and cut the remaining slices into ½-inch cubes. This produced about 12 cups of bread cubes. I placed the bread cubes in single layers on three large-rimmed baking sheets and baked them at 250°F for one hour. After an hour, the bread cubes were dried but not colored and had reduced in size to around 8 cups.
You want the stuffing muffins to hold together after they have been baked. Compressing the mixture as you fill the muffin cups is key to ensuring that the stuffing muffins hold together.
I had enough stuffing mixture left over to make eight stuffing balls that were about the size of golf balls. I baked them at 375°F for 20 minutes.
These stuffing muffins can be made ahead of time. Allow it to come to room temperature and store it in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to three days. The stuffing muffins can also be frozen for up to three months. Reheat in a 375°F oven for 10 to 15 minutes or until crispy and hot.

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