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Easy Make-Ahead Stuffing Muffins

November 2, 2015 by Laura 53 Comments

This post may contain affiliate links which won’t change your price but will share some commission.

Of all the dishes that must be included in a holiday meal, stuffing is the one I always try to avoid making if possible. If I’m hosting the meal, when people ask what they can bring, I almost always ask them to bring the stuffing so I don’t have to make it. (Nice, huh?)

Why had stuffing always been such a hard one for me? I just hadn’t found a stuffing recipe I love. I look at stuffing recipes and get completely overwhelmed. After all, there are usually no fewer than 28 steps to take to go from bread to stuffing.

Until now.

stuffing2

Oh look. We made toasted bread.
It wasn’t even hard.

Homemade Stuffing Made Easy

Once I finally wrapped my brain around all the instructions in all the recipes I looked at, I realized that I didn’t need to perform 28 steps. I could simplify everything and cut it down to four:

1. Cube and toast bread.
2. Brown sausage with onion and sage.
3. Stir everything together with a few other ingredients.
4. Bake.

What? That’s it? Yes.

Some may prefer their stuffing with additional spices. Many like celery. But this turned out plenty flavorful for us with very few ingredients. Plus, not one of the six of us likes celery. So I skipped it.

This recipe can be made ahead of time. You can make this stuffing spread into a dish or as scooped into muffin tins. I may actually make this more than twice a year for holiday meals. After all, when I was was testing driving this recipe to make it as easy as possible, my family dug in and kept going back for more. Even if I did burn the first batch.

stuffing muffins4

Indeed, my pictures feature over-baked Stuffing Muffins. It’s because I was baking them while having unfortunate cat drama. It was day 2 of baby kitties and Wiggams wasn’t sure she was cut out for the mama business. (WHAT?!) I told her she didn’t have a choice, that sometimes we all have hard days, and that she needed to get over it at go try to keep her last baby alive (yes, we’re down to only one). She ignored me. So I was trying to keep the last kitten alive by holding it to warm it up and by giving it milk from a dropper. This is when my muffins burned. I am not cut out to be the mother of a kitten.

Other bloggers would have started over in an effort to take better pictures. Me? I just took pictures of my burned muffins. There just are not enough hours in the day, okay? I get overwhelmed easily. It was either burned pictures or no pictures. At least we saved the kitten.

Easy Stuffing Muffins

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5.0 from 1 reviews
Easy Make-Ahead Stuffing Muffins
 
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Author: Laura
Serves: 18 muffins
Ingredients
  • 6-8 slices of whole wheat bread
  • 1 pound ground sausage
  • 2 Tablespoons butter or oil
  • ½ cup yellow onion, chopped or 3 Tablespoons dried minced onion
  • 1 teaspoon ground sage
  • ¾ cup chicken broth
  • ½ teaspoon sea salt
  • ½ cup Parmesan cheese (optional)
  • 2 eggs
Instructions
  1. Cut bread into ½ inch cubes.
  2. Lay cubes on a cookie sheet and bake in a 300° oven for 10 minutes to toast.
  3. In the meantime, brown sausage with onion and sage.
  4. In a large bowl, stir toasted bread cubes, cooked sausage mixture, and the remaining ingredients together.
  5. Scoop mixture into 18 muffin tins or spread it into a 9x13 inch baking dish.
  6. Bake in a 400° oven for 25-40 minutes or until golden brown.
3.4.3177

Recipe links you might find helpful:

  • Homemade Turkey Sausage
  • Homemade Chicken Broth

To Freeze Stuffing Muffins

Allow muffins to cool completely. Place them in a freezer bag and seal, air tight. Freeze for up to one month.

To reheat: Thaw and warm muffins in a 250° oven in a covered dish for 10-15 minutes.

Easy Stuffing Muffins

You should know that saying Stuffing Muffins most often comes out of my mouth as Muffing Stuffers or Stuffern Muffings. It can’t be helped.

And now for some adorable cat pictures. I mean, if I’m going to show you burned muffins, I should at least show you the reasons they burned:

With assistance from our neighbor, some much needed help from a friend, and now some persistent work with Wiggams, I think we’ll be able to keep one little kitten alive. Wiggams seems to be getting the mama thing figured out, finally. If this isn’t the sweetest…

lionel2

Look at this little one’s face. See why we named it Lionel? (I mean, besides the fact that we named it after Lionel Messi. He just looks like a Lionel.) Look at his little lion cub face. We are in love.

lionel1And that is why my muffins burned. 

Holiday Make-Ahead Tip:

Getting Ahead for the Holidays

If you are in charge of stuffing for this year’s holiday festivities, I suggest you make these Stuffing Muffins at least two weeks in advance. Freeze them until the night before your meal. Thaw in the fridge. Rewarm just before serving. These are great drenched in turkey gravy (recipe coming up during this series).

Here are the quick links to all the recipes we covered in this series:

  • Make-Ahead Turkey
  • Stuffing Muffins
  • Cheesy Mashed Potatoes
  • Oh Good Gravy
  • Green Bean Casserole
  • How to Make Frozen Pies
  • Simple Whipped Sweet Potatoes
  • How to make Whipped Cream
  • Whole Wheat Stir-and-Pour Dinner Rolls

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Filed Under: Getting Ahead for the Holidays Tagged With: easy recipes, freezer meal, make ahead, real food, stuffing

Comments

  1. Su says

    November 2, 2015 at 5:42 pm

    I love this recipe idea. How do you wrap the muffins for freezing? Glad Wiggams and the kitten are doing ok. (very cute). thx

    Reply
    • Laura says

      November 2, 2015 at 5:45 pm

      I just place them in a freezer bag, being careful to remove all the air. :)

      Reply
  2. R says

    November 2, 2015 at 5:56 pm

    Thanks. The basics are great, and we can do some easy add-ins if we want, such as chopped nuts and fruit (apples or cranberries).

    Burned muffins are real, and I appreciate you! Good job!

    Reply
  3. Nikki says

    November 2, 2015 at 5:58 pm

    These sound great! I can’t wait to try them!!!!

    Reply
  4. Anna T says

    November 2, 2015 at 6:07 pm

    God Bless you for helping that kitten..I enjoy your blog very much & have for some time. Thank You for wonderful ideas & for sharing!

    Reply
  5. Heather says

    November 2, 2015 at 6:18 pm

    OK, the muffins sound good and I love that you posted a burned picture! But really I wanted to say that I’m glad you convinced Wiggins to step up to the plate. When you posted her birth story I though she sounded like a first time, scared mommy. So you should be proud you’ve gotten that one little one this far and it looks like she’s settled into motherhood! And yes, that baby is awfully sweet! Also, just wanted to put a plug in to get her fixed sooner rather than later if you are still planning too. It is crazy how soon they can get pregnant again. Enjoy those baby days :)

    Reply
  6. Vicky says

    November 2, 2015 at 8:50 pm

    I never make stuffing either – I’m not a fan. My husband will love these muffins.

    Reply
  7. alexa says

    November 2, 2015 at 9:14 pm

    I think these muffins would also make a great holiday party appetizer! :)

    Reply
  8. Deborah says

    November 2, 2015 at 9:36 pm

    Good tip, thanks!

    Reply
  9. Sarah says

    November 3, 2015 at 1:35 am

    Oh my the sweetness of that little kitten face, I wish I could come give it a snuggle! I just love kitties, my mother was a vet tech. when I was growing up and we always had litters of kittens at our house. So I am extra fond of them :)

    I have made stuffing a few times and love, how simple you have made your recipe I think I might give it a try!

    Reply
  10. Rhonda says

    November 3, 2015 at 4:34 am

    What a great idea for making dressing for Thanksgiving easier! We had an orange cat named Spark for many years. He had the sweetest disposition. His nickname was Ferdinand because he didn’t want to fight and would much rather sit among the flowers and watch the butterflies. :-)

    Reply
  11. Robin says

    November 3, 2015 at 5:20 am

    The stuffing sounds great. The kitten is adorable!

    Reply
  12. Ashley says

    November 3, 2015 at 5:53 am

    These look good, but I think I will have to stick with our traditional family recipe so there’s no mutiny. :) Good idea to make it as muffins though!

    Reply
  13. Ingrid says

    November 3, 2015 at 7:33 am

    I may just have to put stuffing on our holiday menu this year! Thanks for your “realness” and using the burned muffin photo–just one of the MANY reasons this is my favorite blog :)

    p.s. Lionel is so cute!!

    Reply
  14. Jody says

    November 3, 2015 at 9:10 am

    Thank God for you! Finally, someone else who does not like celery and does not do everything perfectly every time. Thank you, thank you, thank you for sharing all of your real lifeness (look there, a made-up word :)).

    Reply
  15. Jill says

    November 3, 2015 at 9:18 am

    The recipe aside, I just want to thank you for kicking up a memory….My mom always used to pick up whichever little cutie pie toddled her way and tell him/her that they were the “stuffin’ in the muffin” as she kissed the heck out of their chubby baby cheeks.

    Reply
  16. Mrs L says

    November 3, 2015 at 9:21 am

    I think I need to try this recipe just for something different…but I think I’ll add Celery or Celery seed. Maybe this will inspire me to tweak my own recipe.

    Reply
  17. Donna says

    November 3, 2015 at 9:25 am

    I will be making a large amount of sourdough stuffing muffins for the freezer! I see an easy side item to throw into my boys work lunches that will be easy for themto eat and filling with the added bonus of extra protein from the sausage as they have very physical jobs! Thank you for this idea!!!!

    Reply
  18. Melody says

    November 3, 2015 at 10:01 am

    I was intrigued when I saw stuffing muffins listed on your meal plan and now I can’t wait to try these! Yum! Your kitten is adorable!

    Reply
  19. Courtney says

    November 3, 2015 at 10:19 am

    That looks easy enough I might not mess it up!! Lol! Thanks!

    Reply
  20. Rhoda says

    November 3, 2015 at 11:02 am

    I love stuffing but my family isn’t big on it. My husband loves muffins. This just might take care of things. At least it will make it easier to portion out a little bit for me at a time.

    Glad things are working out for the one kitten. So sorry about the others. Thank you for sharing Wiggams story too.

    Reply
  21. 6sweetviolets says

    November 3, 2015 at 11:12 am

    Such sweet kitties. You did a great job helping Wiggams. Love the much easier stuffing recipe!

    Reply
  22. Dorthy M. says

    November 3, 2015 at 11:32 am

    Thanks for the recipe and freezing tip! This will come in handy, even if the crowd is just my three “boys” and me.(Hubby, J, and my brother) And that baby kitten is darling! May Lionel continue growing bigger and stronger.

    Reply
  23. Angela Wasson says

    November 3, 2015 at 11:50 am

    To make your stuffing even easier – cube the bread and let it set out overnight. No need to taste it ????

    Reply
    • Angela says

      November 3, 2015 at 11:59 am

      That should say no need to toast it – auto correct – ugh.

      Reply
  24. Kimberly W. says

    November 3, 2015 at 11:57 am

    I can’t wait to try this. I’m a huge fan of stuffing!!!!!!

    Reply
  25. Jane says

    November 3, 2015 at 1:44 pm

    My family will love these. Thanks!

    Reply
  26. Jennifer M says

    November 3, 2015 at 2:09 pm

    What a great idea! I love that you can freeze.

    Reply
  27. Jennifer says

    November 3, 2015 at 2:12 pm

    Love the idea of doing the stuffing as muffins! Genius!

    Reply
  28. Karen H. says

    November 3, 2015 at 3:55 pm

    Laura, I, too have often avoided making stuffing, letting someone else make it or going without, but this recipe looks both yummy and doable. Thank you!

    Reply
  29. Jennifer Cummings says

    November 3, 2015 at 5:51 pm

    Can’t wait to try the stuffing. In going to add cornbread and celery to mine.

    Reply
  30. Karen says

    November 3, 2015 at 5:53 pm

    With a recipe like this, I think we will be having stuffing year round and not just on Thanksgiving! Thank you!

    Reply
  31. Katy says

    November 3, 2015 at 8:36 pm

    Thanks so much for this recipe! My husband and I host a weekly college Bible study at our house, and I always cook a big Thanksgiving feast for them all. I love this make-ahead series!! It will make prepping so much easier!

    Reply
  32. Meredith says

    November 3, 2015 at 9:58 pm

    I’m glad you are a real person that burns muffins while saving lives! That’s why I read this blog!

    Reply
  33. kim says

    November 3, 2015 at 10:42 pm

    I love the idea of go-ahead stuffing! One less thing to distract me from watching the parade????

    Reply
  34. Rachel Anna says

    November 3, 2015 at 11:06 pm

    I love this idea! I’m thinking I could try it with the copious amounts of leftover stuffing that we always seem to have after thanksgiving! I think it would be great to have small portions ready in the freezer. Thanks for the idea!

    Reply
  35. Sarah says

    November 3, 2015 at 11:08 pm

    Great idea! Our family doesn’t like celery either. I will have to try your recipe.

    Reply
  36. Deb says

    November 3, 2015 at 11:50 pm

    I only recently started liking stuffing (one of those tastes that changed for me via pregnancy). I like the muffin idea, but I might do a test run to make sure they get crunchy on top enough for my crowd. :)

    Reply
  37. Shonda says

    November 4, 2015 at 9:34 am

    Looks like I can use this recipe not only at holidays, but other times of the year too!

    Reply
  38. Kim says

    November 4, 2015 at 9:45 am

    The only stuffing I have made is Stove Top. Probably should try to make it a little more real :)

    Reply
  39. Angela Wezowicz says

    November 4, 2015 at 11:05 am

    stuffing muffins…interesting.

    Reply
  40. Kristin says

    November 4, 2015 at 12:33 pm

    Your recipe came at the perfect time! As we recently found out one of our boys is deathly allergic to celery! I am excited to try these for Thanksgiving!
    How might you modify the cooking time or recipe if you used a 9×13 pan or crock pot?
    Blessings!

    Reply
  41. Leah says

    November 4, 2015 at 1:57 pm

    Sounds yummy – can’t wait to try!

    Reply
  42. Sheila says

    November 4, 2015 at 5:58 pm

    The kitten is so cute!

    Reply
    • Sheila says

      November 4, 2015 at 5:59 pm

      OH, and I personally love the fact that you just took the pictures and posted them. :)

      Reply
  43. Bethany B. says

    November 5, 2015 at 2:34 pm

    OOOh, I can’t wait to try these! Thank you once again for all the ways you share to save time in cooking!!!!

    Reply
  44. Brighid says

    November 5, 2015 at 6:31 pm

    Burnt muffins in pursuit of keeping a kitten alive seems like a good trade-off to me!

    Reply
  45. Cheryl says

    November 7, 2015 at 5:43 pm

    I would suggest stuffin muffin as a title name. ;)

    Reply
  46. Marie B. says

    November 9, 2015 at 10:20 am

    Cant’ wait to try these. I adore stuffing!!!! Since I don’t make it often, stuffing is my favorite part of the Thanksgiving meal.

    Reply
  47. marie says

    November 10, 2015 at 6:35 am

    Thank you for sharing. This recipe doesn’t seem to daunting.

    Reply
  48. Stephanie says

    November 13, 2015 at 3:15 pm

    Great ideas! Thanks!

    Reply
  49. Marie Benware says

    November 15, 2018 at 1:32 pm

    I have a question… I just put the stuffing in ziploc bag in the freezer and will put it in a 9×13 pan to save space in my freezer and take out to thaw and bake on Thanksgiving Day. Then i noticed that you baked them before freezing. Do you think this will work?

    Thanks…

    Reply
    • Laura says

      November 19, 2018 at 4:46 pm

      Yes, I think your plan will work just fine!

      Reply

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