This sausage stuffing recipe is made with spiced Italian sausage, aromatics, plenty of herbs, and crisp bread. Combined and cooked all in one Instant Pot, it’s a fuss-free side dish that always turns out perfectly!
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If you’re already a fan of classic sausage stuffing, you’re going to love this even easier recipe! In fact, you may never go back to the oven-baked version again.
- Flavorful – With sausage, fresh veggies, and lots of herbs and spices, this Instant Pot dressing offers layers upon layers of irresistible flavor.
- One-Pot – All the ingredients combine and cook in a single Instant Pot, leaving your oven and stovetop free to prepare the rest of your Thanksgiving or Christmas feast.
- Large Batch – We’re using stackable steamer pans, which means we have enough room to make a large batch of stuffing, feeding up to 11 people!
With protein included, you can easily enjoy this stuffing as a meal on its own. However, it’s a staple on my holiday table alongside my Thanksgiving turkey, orange cranberry sauce, and mashed potatoes!
Key Ingredient Notes
- Italian sausage – I use mild Italian sausage to add a little extra kick to the flavor, but sweet sausage will also work. Just be sure to remove the casing before you begin!
- Unsalted butter – Butter gives the stuffing its rich flavor and is perfect for cooking the sausage and veggies. You can substitute olive oil if preferred, but the flavor won’t be quite as rich.
- Veggies – Onion and celery enhance the savoriness of the stuffing and add a bit of extra crunch. Chop them into equal-sized pieces to ensure even cooking.
- Seasonings – Salt, dried sage, dried thyme, black pepper, and flat-leaf parsley leaves infuse the stuffing with incredible savory, herbaceous flavor!
- Stuffing bread – I used a bag of store-bought plain stuffing bread for this recipe. I also tested preparing the bread cubes myself in the oven (10 minutes at 300°F), but the stuffing was a bit on the mushy side.
- Stock – I prefer to use chicken stock or turkey stock for the richest flavor, but you can substitute vegetable stock if needed.
- Eggs – These help enhance the richness of the stuffing and act as a binder, providing structure and holding the ingredients together. The mixture would crumble and fall apart without them!
How to make sausage stuffing in Instant Pot
1. Cook the sausage mixture
- Set the Instant Pot to sauté. Then, add the sausage, and cook, breaking it up until it’s fully cooked. Transfer the cooked sausage to a plate.
- Add the butter to the Instant Pot, and let it melt.
- Add the onion and celery, and cook for about 5 minutes to soften, stirring occasionally.
- Stir in the seasonings and parsley, and continue to cook for an additional minute or until fragrant.
- Add the sausage back in and stir to combine.
Add water
If your sausage is sticking to the bottom of the pot too much, add ¼ cup of water.
2. Prepare the stuffing mixture
- Transfer the mixture to a bowl filled with the bread pieces. If possible, cover the bowl to lock in moisture and soften the bread!
- Meanwhile, whisk the eggs and chicken stock in a medium bowl.
- Pour the mixture over the bread and sausage mixture, tossing to combine and coat the ingredients evenly.
3. Cook the stuffing
- Place the stainless steel insert back into the Instant Pot. Place a trivet into the insert, and add at least 1 cup of water.
- Divide the stuffing mixture into two stackable insert pans, and place them in the Instant Pot.
- Close the lid, setting valve to the sealing position.
- Set the pot to Manual, high pressure mode, and cook for 20 minutes.
- Quick release the pressure, and carefully remove the inserted pans.
- Allow your Instant Pot stuffing to cool slightly, and enjoy!
Tips for Success
- Make sure to use dry bread, or your stuffing will turn out soggy.
- Avoid overmixing, using a gentle hand when you combine the bread with the other ingredients. You want it to be coated completely, but mixing too much or too hard will cause it to become mushy!
- Make a special handle for the insert pans. If your pans don’t have a handle, use aluminum foil to make a sling, which will allow you to lift it from the pot without burning your hands.
- Don’t skip cooling the stuffing! This allows the mixture to set and solidify slightly, preventing it from crumbling all over the place when served.
Storing Tips
Stuffing always goes quickly in my house! However, if you do happen to have leftovers, they store and reheat well, meaning you can enjoy them for several days.
- Let the stuffing cool to room temperature. Then, transfer it to an airtight container, and store it in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.
- Reheat individual portions in 30-second intervals in the microwave. Or, transfer a large batch to a baking dish, cover it with foil, and warm it in the oven at 350°F for 15-20 minutes or until your desired temperature is reached. If your dressing seems a bit dry, add a splash of chicken or turkey stock to freshen it back up.
- Freeze cooked stuffing for up to 3 months, and thaw it in the fridge overnight when you’re ready to serve!
Repurpose leftovers
My family gets tired of eating the same foods for more than a day or two. So, I love to repurpose leftovers into new dishes like my leftover stuffing breakfast casserole!
FAQs
Can you reheat stuffing in an Instant Pot?
I find it a bit tedious, but you can reheat leftover stuffing in an Instant Pot. To do so, add 1 cup of water to the bottom of the inner pot. Next, make a foil tent over a bow, of leftover stuffing, and place it onto a trivet. Cook at high pressure for 5 minutes. Then, quick release the pressure, and carefully remove the lid.
What else can I add to my stuffing?
Feel free to include any mix-ins you like best in your stuffing! Some common additions include dried cranberries or raisins, chopped nuts, chopped apples, and sautéed mushrooms.
Do I have to include the sausage?
No, if you want to keep this recipe meat-free, you can omit the sausage, and follow the directions as usual.
More Holiday Side Dish Recipes
Instant Pot Sausage Stuffing
Crazy easy Instant Pot sausage stuffing in less than 1 hour. No more fighting for oven space to make a flavorful stuffing for your Thanksgiving feast!
Ingredients
- 1 lb Italian sausage removed from casings (I used mild Italian sausage)
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 large onion chopped (about 1 ½ cups)
- 4 medium celery ribs chopped (about 1 ½ cups)
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon dried sage
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ½ cup fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves finely chopped
- 10 cups 10oz/300gr plain stuffing bread (Note 1)
- 1 cup 240ml chicken or turkey stock, divided
- 3 large eggs
Instructions
- Place the stuffing bread in a large bowl. Set aside.
- Set the Instant Pot* to sauté.
- Add the sausage and cook it, breaking it up, until cooked, about 10 minutes. (If sausage is sticking too much, add ¼ cup of water.)
- Transfer the sausage onto a plate.
- Add butter into the Instant Pot.
- Once butter is melted, add onion and celery and cook for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Stir in the seasonings and parsley and cook for an additional minute.
- Stir in the sausage. Then transfer the mixture into the bowl with stuffing bread. If possible, cover it, so that bread gets warmed up and softens.
- Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, whisk together eggs and chicken stock.
- Pour it over the bread and sausage mixture and toss to combine.
- Replace the stainless steel insert back into the Instant Pot. Place a trivet and pour at least 1 cup of water.
- Divide the stuffing into 2 stackable insert pans and place it on the trivet in the Instant Pot. (If you’re using these stackable insert pans, then you don’t need a special handle, as it comes with one. But if you’re using different pan, make a handmade sling using a foil.)
- Close the lid, make sure it’s in sealing position. Set the Instant Pot to Manual, high pressure, 20 minutes.
- Do a quick release, and carefully remove the inserted pans.
⭐️ Did you make this recipe?
Please leave a review and let us know how you liked it!
Tips & Notes
Note 1: I used a bag of store-bought plain stuffing bread for this recipe. I also tested preparing the bread cubes myself in the oven (10 minutes at 300°F), but the stuffing was a bit on mushy side.
Storing Tips:
– Let the stuffing cool to room temperature. Then, transfer it to an airtight container, and store it in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.
– Reheat individual portions in 30-second intervals in the microwave. Or, transfer a large batch to a baking dish, cover it with foil, and warm it in the oven at 350°F for 15-20 minutes or until your desired temperature is reached. If your dressing seems a bit dry, add a splash of chicken or turkey stock to freshen it back up.
– Freeze cooked stuffing for up to 3 months, and thaw it in the fridge overnight when you’re ready to serve!
– Let the stuffing cool to room temperature. Then, transfer it to an airtight container, and store it in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.
– Reheat individual portions in 30-second intervals in the microwave. Or, transfer a large batch to a baking dish, cover it with foil, and warm it in the oven at 350°F for 15-20 minutes or until your desired temperature is reached. If your dressing seems a bit dry, add a splash of chicken or turkey stock to freshen it back up.
– Freeze cooked stuffing for up to 3 months, and thaw it in the fridge overnight when you’re ready to serve!
Nutrition
Servings: 1 cup
Calories: 246kcal
Carbohydrates: 6.8g
Protein: 8.8g
Fat: 20.4g
Sugar: 2.8g
Sodium: 659.3mg
Did you make this?Leave a rating and your feedback. Thank you!
This recipe was originally published on November 8th, 2017.
do you put the second cover on top of the pan or do you leave it as in the picture ?
Made yesterday. Delicious! With a few caveats. :-). The BROTH ingredient says “divided”, but there was nothing about that in the instructions. My assumption was the whole mix being divided into two pans.
Step 12. I do happen to have that set of pans. However, no matter what trivet I tried, the stack was too tall. I relied on the stack’s own micro-trivet (feet).
I thought I was going to have too much as I had over 10oz of bread and added mushrooms. But it all fit without forcing and wasn’t mushy. Turns out, I like my stuffing a little mushy and more cohesive. LOL! The end result was TASTY but a little dry. Not sure if I should have upped the broth-egg mixture or added some of the turkey juices. Notes for next time. 😉
Stuffing = Inside the bird. Dressing = outside the bird. Hybrid? = Dressing in the casserole or sheet pan, with the bird cut in half and layered over it to bake.
Mine also said “Burn” So I emptied the pot, cleaned the bottom, and put the stuffing back in. Within 2 minutes, the stuffing had burned again. I added more liquid and tried again, and it still burned. So I had to cook it in the stove.
Thanks for that recipe – it helped with my “all Instant Pot Christmas” (except for the turkey). However, my stuffing was just one big pile of mush. I used my own bread that was completely dried out for days on the counter which I then also heated for 1 hour at 200 for good measure, and I see that your ‘homemade’ bread pieces also turned to mush. I’ll try it again sometime but with croutons instead, as I can’t imagine “plain stuffing bread” being any drier to start off with than my own.
What a genius way to make stuffing!
Yes, it’s so convenient!!! Thanks, Shawn!
I attempted to make this twice, and both times I got a “burn” before it came to pressure! I even added a cup of extra broth! Any suggestions?
Oh no, Haley. What do you mean you got a “burn”? Did it start burning on the bottom before it start counting down? Are you using Instant Pot, or different brand of electric pressure cooker? And what size is your pressure cooker?
It was coming to pressure and then the word “burn” appeared on the screen. I have a six quart IP . When I opened it there was some stuffing burnt to the bottom of the pot. So I just put what I could save into a pan and baked it. The flavors were great though!
That’s so weird, Haley. I also have 6qt Instant Pot, but I’ve never seen word “burn” come up. And I’ve burnt food in it! Do you have high and low settings? If you do, maybe try cooking on low? My IP doesn’t have high/low settings though.