Easy Sausage & Herb Stuffing Recipe
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This rich and savory stuffing recipe is perfect the holidays. Hearty sausage, fragrant herbs, and store-bought stuffing cubes make it easy—and you can even make it ahead!
I used to host elaborate Thanksgiving celebrations, where I’d cook for days on end, only to be completely exhausted by the time my guests arrived on Thanksgiving day. After one glass of wine, I’d be nodding off at the table and dreaming of my pillow. I finally wised up by simplifying my side dishes and desserts. This rich sausage and herb stuffing recipe relies on store-bought stuffing cubes, which eliminates the step of slicing and drying out the bread. Believe me, when you’re using a pound of sausage and an entire stick of butter, and pairing the dish with turkey gravy and cranberry sauce, the type of bread you use does not matter. This is the easiest and best stuffing recipe, hands down!
“I made this for Thanksgiving and made the mistake of not doubling the recipe. Corrected that for Christmas as it was GONE – first empty dish on the buffet table.”
What You’ll Need To Make Sausage Stuffing
- Store-bought unseasoned stuffing cubes – I’ve made this easy stuffing recipe using dried bread cubes from both Arnold and Pepperidge Farm. I’ve also had good results with the “fresh” dried bread cubes from Whole Foods, which add a bit more texture (these are sold in plastic bags labeled “stuffing cubes”).
- Unsalted butter – Adds rich flavor and helps create a moist texture.
- Aromatics (yellow onion, celery, and garlic) – Provide savory depth and a classic stuffing flavor.
- Bulk sweet Italian sausage – If you can, look for bulk sausage (sausage without casings). If only whole sausages are available, just remove the casings: cut through the sausages with kitchen shears, then peel the casings off—it’s much easier than squeezing out the meat.
- Low-sodium chicken broth – Keeps the stuffing moist without adding too much salt.
- Large egg – Helps bind the stuffing together for a cohesive texture.
- Fresh Herbs (rosemary, sage, and parsley) – Bring freshness and a touch of earthy, holiday flavor.
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper – For seasoning and balancing flavors.
- Jump to the printable recipe for precise measurements
Step-By-Step Instructions
Begin by melting a stick of butter in a large skillet.
Add the chopped onions and celery.
Cook until soft, about 8 minutes.
Add the garlic and cook a few minutes more.
Transfer the vegetables to a large bowl. In the same pan, cook the sausage until browned.
As it cooks, use a metal spatula to break it apart into small pieces.
Add the sausage to the stuffing cubes and veggies. Then add the broth, egg, herbs, salt and pepper.
Mix well.
Transfer the contents to a buttered 9 x 13-inch baking dish or similarly sized casserole dish.
Bake for 65 to 75 minutes, until the top is golden brown and crisp.
Enjoy!
Make-Ahead & Freezing Instructions
This homemade stuffing recipe can be assembled up to a day ahead and refrigerated until ready to bake. Allow a few extra minutes in the oven if baking from the fridge. It can also can be frozen after baking, tightly covered, for up to 3 months. When you’re ready to serve it, defrost in the refrigerator for 24 hours. Reheat it, covered with foil, in a 325°F oven until hot.
Video Tutorial
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Easy Sausage & Herb Stuffing
Ingredients
- 8 cups (500 g) store-bought unseasoned stuffing cubes
- ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
- 1½ cups diced yellow onion, from 1 large onion
- 1 cup diced celery from 3 stalks celery
- 4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
- 1 lb bulk sweet Italian sausage (i.e., sausage with the casings removed); see note below
- 2¾ cups low-sodium chicken broth
- 1 large egg, beaten
- 1 tablespoon fresh chopped rosemary
- 1 tablespoon fresh chopped sage
- ¼ cup fresh chopped parsley
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease a 9 x 13-in (23 x 33-cm) baking dish with butter.
- Place the stuffing cubes in a large mixing bowl.
- In a large sauté pan, melt the butter. Add the onions and celery and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, for about 8 minutes, or until the vegetables are soft. Add the garlic and cook 2 minutes more. Add the vegetables to the stuffing cubes. (Don't wash the pan but scrape out every last bit of vegetables, otherwise they will burn in the next step.)
- In the same pan, cook the sausage over medium heat for 8 to 10 minutes, until browned and cooked through, breaking up the sausage with a metal spatula while cooking (the largest pieces should be no greater than ¼-in/6-mm). Add the browned sausage and fat to the bread cubes and vegetables.
- Add the chicken broth, egg, rosemary, sage, parsley, salt, and pepper to the bread cube mixture and mix until the bread is soft and moistened. Transfer the stuffing to the prepared baking dish and bake for 65 to 75 minutes, uncovered, until deeply golden and crisp on top.
Notes
- If you can't find bulk sausage, buy regular sausage and remove the casings.
- Make-Ahead/Freezing Instructions: The stuffing can be assembled up to a day ahead and refrigerated until ready to bake; follow the baking instructions in the recipe, allowing a few extra minutes in the oven. It can also be frozen after baking, tightly covered, for up to 3 months. When you’re ready to serve it, defrost in the refrigerator for 24 hours. Reheat it, covered with foil, in a 325°F (165°C) oven until hot.
Nutrition Information
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
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Making your stuffing recipe. Big mistake. I bought herb seasoned stuffing. (not cubes) will this work or do i need to get cubes?
Hi Phyllis, No worries – just omit the salt and sage and season to taste.
Hi there. I can’t find unseasoned stuffing cubes.Should I change any of the ingredients if I am using seasoned stuffing cubes. And I don’t plan on using sausage. Thank you very much for all your great recipes!
Hi Rose, Just cut back on the added salt (add it to taste) and omit the sage. Enjoy!
Thanks for previous reply. Just curious, why omit the sage? Thanks!
Hi Rose, Most seasoned stuffing cubes are already flavored with sage. 🙂
I always make everything but the Turkey and the mashed potatoes in advance, and freeze the dishes, including the dressing, which turns out fine. I am thinking of trying your recipe this year, but do not want to refrigerate (space issues). I’m assuming freezing will still be okay?
Thanks so much.
Yep 🙂
I’m stuffing and cooking a turkey for the first time this Thanksgiving. Can I use this same recipe as a turkey stuffing instead of serving in a baking dish? If so, what do I do differently in terms of cooking it and keeping it moist in the turkey?
Hi Dana, Yes, you can stuff a turkey with this; While it depends upon how moist you like your stuffing, I’d suggest reducing the broth by about 1/2 cup since the juices from the turkey will add quite a bit of moisture. Enjoy!
I made this last year and my family loved it. This year I would like to try using this to stuff my turkey, however I never stuffed a turkey before.
Do I need to make any adjustments to this recipe of using to stuff a turkey with?
Hi Jessica, I’d probably reduce the broth by about 1/2 cup since the juices from the bird will add quite a bit of moisture. Hope that helps and please lmk how it turns out!
Hi Jenn,
Would this be good with dried cherries and diced apples? If so, how much would recommend?
Thanks!
Hi Katy, I think it’d be delicious – I’d start with one large apple and a cup of dried cherries. Please come back and lmk how it turns out if you try it that way. 🙂
I can’t wait to try this for Thanksgiving in a few weeks. Do you think it’s possible to make two days in advance (fully assembled but not baked?) or better to make the day of (one day in advace isn’t an option). Thanks!!
Hi Rachel, you can get away with assembling it two days in advance and baking it on Thanksgiving. Enjoy!
I have a son who is highly allergic to eggs. Can i make this without the egg? Thank you in advance.
Hi Sarah, The egg moistens the stuffing and holds it together, but it will still be good without it. No adjustments necessary. Enjoy!
You might try a flax meal egg substitute in this case – mix 1T ground flax meal mixed with 3T water, and let sit for a few minutes before adding to your recipe. It has a binding effect similar to egg and adds moisture. I haven’t tried it in this recipe but I’ve used it plenty and it seems like it would work well here!
Looks delish! I want to add chestnuts (jarred). Will I need to adjust the measurements in the broth or seasoning? Also, what do you think of using Al Fresco apple, maple chicken sausage?
You could add chestnuts here without any additional adjustments. And I’d recommend sticking with the bulk Italian sausage here; the fat from the sausage adds flavor and moisture to the dish. Hope you enjoy!
Could this be cooked in a slow cooker?
Hi Michelle, I’ve haven’t tried this in a slow cooker (I never use a slow cooker) so I can’t say for sure how it would turn out. That said, if you want to give it a try, here are some conversion tips that may help. If you try it this way, I’d love to hear how it turns out!