Sage and onion stuffing is a simple part of Christmas dinner that you can prepare beforehand. Make it ready to bake on the day, or cook it ahead and freeze it for reheating.
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You can get the breadcrumbs ready beforehand too. My guide to making and freezing homemade breadcrumbs shows how to keep a supply in your freezer.
Tips for good homemade stuffing
I chop the onions finely and cook them very slowly in butter until they are soft and almost melting. Keep the heat low so the butter doesn’t burn, and give them plenty of time.
Add the onions and their buttery cooking juices to fresh homemade breadcrumbs. If the mixture needs more moisture, stir through a little extra melted butter.
Fresh or dried sage gives the stuffing its familiar Christmas flavour. Add pepper and taste before adding salt, as the bread and butter may already provide enough. A little garlic or onion powder is lovely if you enjoy it, but I usually keep mine simple.
How to freeze it
Let the cooked onions cool, then mix them and their buttery juices with the breadcrumbs and seasonings.
Pack the stuffing into a freezer-safe container, seal and label with the date and “ready to bake”. Freeze promptly once FULLY cooled.
Cooking on Christmas Day
Leave the stuffing to defrost in the fridge, then spoon it into a buttered oven dish. Bake according to the recipe below, alongside your other Christmas dishes, until golden on top and steaming hot throughout.
If you don’t like your stuffing too dry or crispy, then cover while baking and uncover for the last 10 minutes.
Cook within 24 hours of fully defrosting. For more advice, see the UK Food Standards Agency’s freezing and defrosting guidance.
Saving time
Making stuffing beforehand leaves you with one less job on Christmas morning. The chopping, mixing and washing up are already done, and using your own breadcrumbs saves buying them separately which is a good money saver.
For more ideas, see Christmas Food You Can Make Ahead and Freeze.
If you prefer to bake it ahead
You can fully bake the stuffing before freezing instead. Cool promptly and refrigerate or freeze within one to two hours. Defrost in the fridge, then reheat in the oven until steaming hot throughout. A loose covering of foil helps prevent it drying out, and you can add a little melted butter if needed. Reheat only once.
Make-Ahead Sage and Onion Stuffing
Ingredients
Method
- Melt the butter in a frying pan over a low heat. Add the finely chopped onions and cook gently for about 20 minutes, or until very soft. Stir occasionally and keep the heat low so the butter does not burn.
- Allow the onions and their buttery cooking juices to cool.
- Put the breadcrumbs into a mixing bowl. Add the onions, all the butter from the pan, the sage and a little white pepper. Mix well. Taste before adding any salt. If the mixture feels dry, stir through a little extra melted butter.
- Transfer to a freezer-safe container, seal and label with the date and “ready to bake”. Freeze promptly.
- Before cooking, defrost thoroughly in the fridge. Cook within 24 hours of fully defrosting.
- Heat the oven to 180°C / 160°C fan. Grease a shallow oven dish with a little butter.
- Spoon the defrosted stuffing into the dish and spread evenly. Bake for approximately 30–35 minutes, until golden on top and steaming hot throughout. If the top browns too quickly, cover loosely with foil.
