Mary Berry Sage and Onion Stuffing

Mary Berry’s sage and onion stuffing is a soft, savoury stuffing made with simmered onions, fresh sage, butter and white breadcrumbs, baked until golden and crisp on top. It serves 8 and takes about 55 minutes, mostly hands-off.

The recipe comes from Mary Berry’s Christmas Collection (2013), where she calls it “a really good recipe for sage and onion stuffing which I have been making for years.” She serves it with roast goose. She prefers to bake it in its own dish rather than inside the bird, because it turns “wonderfully golden and crisp.”

What sets her recipe apart is the onions. Instead of frying them in butter, Berry simmers 450g of chopped onions in water for 15 minutes, then drains them well. That makes them soft and mellow without browning, and the butter goes in afterwards with the breadcrumbs.

Mary Berry Sage and Onion Stuffing

Recipe by Pinch Perfect

5.0 from 1 vote

Course: Sides, DinnerCuisine: BritishDifficulty: Easy

Servings

8

servings

Prep time

10

minutes

Cooking time

40

minutes

Calories

675

kcal

Total time

55

minutes

A six-ingredient Christmas Collection (2013) stuffing that suits turkey, goose or a Sunday roast chicken. It can be made the day before, baked ahead or frozen, which takes one job off the list on the big day.

Ingredients

• 450g (1lb) onions, roughly chopped

• 300ml (½ pint) water

• 75g (3oz) butter, plus extra for greasing

• 1 tablespoon fresh sage, finely chopped

• 225g (8oz) fresh white breadcrumbs

• salt and freshly ground black pepper

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Directions

• Simmer the onions: Put the onions and water in a pan, bring to the boil and simmer for 15 minutes. Drain well.
• Mix: Stir the remaining ingredients into the pan and mix well. Allow to cool completely if you’re going to use it to stuff the neck of a goose or turkey.
• Bake: Preheat the oven to 190°C (170°C fan/Gas 5). To cook the stuffing separately, spoon the mixture into a shallow, buttered ovenproof dish and bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until golden and crisp.

Notes

• (AGA): Cook on the floor of the Roasting Oven for about 15 minutes, until golden brown and crisp. Reheat on the grid shelf near the top of the Roasting Oven for about 10 minutes.

FAQs

Should I cook it inside the bird or in a dish?

Berry prefers a separate dish, which is why the recipe card bakes it that way, and the crisp top only happens in an open dish. If you do stuff the neck of a turkey or goose, she says to let the stuffing cool completely first. Never pack it into the main cavity: her rule for turkey is to “put in only flavouring vegetables and herbs” there.

Can I make sage and onion stuffing ahead or freeze it?

Yes, in several ways. Berry says you can prepare it the day before and chill it, or bake it, cool it and reheat it the next day. Both the unbaked mixture and the baked stuffing freeze, and she thaws either overnight “at cool room temperature” before cooking or reheating.

What kind of breadcrumbs should I use?

Berry specifies fresh white breadcrumbs, not dried, and that matters, because dried crumbs soak up the butter and turn dense. I make them from a slightly stale white loaf with the crusts cut off, whizzed in a food processor. They absorb the onion juices and still crisp up on top.

What does Berry serve it with?

In her Christmas Collection she pairs it with roast goose, though it suits turkey and roast chicken just as well. For a full Sunday roast, bake it alongside her crisp roast potatoes, which share the oven nicely. A tray of her Yorkshire puddings finishes the plate if you’re serving beef instead.

What other stuffings does Mary Berry make?

Plenty. Her Christmas Collection also has a Lemon and Thyme Pork Stuffing and an Apricot and Chestnut Stuffing. The chestnut stuffing in her Complete Cookbook (2024) adds bacon, sausagemeat and herbs, which makes a richer stuffing than this one.