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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Hello! This recipe looks and sounds delicious and I’m going to try it for Thanksgiving dinner. I’m a little worried that it will be too dry because I’m at a high altitude, do I need to add more chicken broth or should this be enough?
Thank you.
Hi Allison, I don’t have any experience cooking at high altitudes so, unfortunately, I don’t have any wisdom to share – I’m sorry! You may find these tips helpful though.
Ok thank you.
Hello! This stuffing looks terrific!
I have an important question. There are people in my family who don’t eat pork sausage. If I Substitute it for Turkey Sausage would the change taste big time? Any suggestions would help if I need to add more particular spices to help the taste . 😅
Hi Chris, Perfectly fine to substitute turkey sausage without any other adjustments. Happy Thanksgiving!
Hi, I want to try this recipe for thanksgiving as it sounds fabulous, and I was wondering if you could give me direction on how to do this with real bread? What kind of bread do you recommend I use, and how should I “dry it out”?
Full disclosure: This will be my first time making stuffing from scratch so any advice you have I am all ears 🙂
Thank you!
Hi Jeanette, If you want to make the stuffing cubes yourself, I would use an Italian loaf (anything but sourdough). Simply cut it into small cubes and place in a single layer on a sheet pan (you may need two). Dry it out in a 250°F oven for 45 to 60 minutes. Hope that helps!
Just curious, why anything but sourdough?
Sourdough is pretty strong in flavor, and I just prefer a more neutral tasting bread for this.
Thank you!
I’m looking forward to making your recipe. Planning to double it. Would you double all ingredients? Two sticks of butter and two pounds of sausage grease seems like a lot of fat! What do you think of mixing unseasoned bread with corn bread?
On another note…. your beef stew with carrots and potatoes (made with red wine) is perefection. Thanks for sharing your talent!
Happy Thanksgiving!
Hi Greta, Yes you would double all of the ingredients. I know it seems like a lot of fat but the recipe makes a lot. I haven’t tried this recipe with cornbread but it should work if you want to mix in a bit — maybe just sub 1/4 of the bread with it.
Hello Jenn,
Thank you for sharing your recipe and I plan on making it for my family’s Thanksgiving lunch. Can you suggest an alternative to the store bought bread cubes, such as toasted Italian or French bread? If so, approximately how much should I prepare?
Maryanne
Hi Maryanne, An Italian or French loaf (anything but sourdough) will both work. Enjoy!
Jenn,
What do you think the best way to cut this recipe in half? We are having so many other sides that I do not need to have the whole recipe. I made it last year and it was wonderful but need a little less this time.
Hi Carol, You can just cut all of the ingredients in half (just use the whole egg if you don’t want to bother halving it) and bake in a 2-qt (or 8-in square) pan. Hope you enjoy!
Make the whole thing, take out half for your dinner, and then freeze the rest in sizes to fit your need for “just you’ dinners 🥰! It will be deliciously waiting for you!
Hi Jenn! If you cut the recipe in half would the cooking time change?
Thanks!
No, Sandy, it should be about the same. Enjoy!
This is the first time making this recipe I was wondering can u use green onions instead of yellow
I’d stick with yellow onions here, Walter. Sorry!
Can I make the stuffing ahead of time, up to the point of cooking it in the oven and then just refrigerate for a day, then cook it? Will it come out the same?
Yes and yes. 🙂 Hope you enjoy!
Should the raw egg be in the mix before it is cooked? I am making my stuffing a day ahead of time and was a little concerned about this.
Yes, Elle – it should be added raw. It will be fine. 🙂
I saw another recipe that suggests adding white wine to stiffing do you think it would taste good if I put it in this recipe?
Sure, I’d go with about 1/2 cup and add it after the garlic cooks, then let it reduce by half. Please lmk how it turns out!
I can’t find sweet Italian sausages but I can replace it with chicken sausage . What flavor of chicken sausage should I use ?
Yes, Janet, chicken sausage will work here. Any flavor that you enjoy will work.
Hello! Have you ever tried to make this gluten free? If so, would you just substitute gluten free stuffing cubes? Also, can you make the stuffing without onions?
Hi Alexis, I haven’t tried this with gluten-free stuffing cubes, but I think it should work. And I think the onions add a lot of flavor, but that they could be omitted. If you don’t mind the taste of onion, I’d suggest adding about 1.5 Tbsp. onion powder along with the salt and pepper. Also, feel free to add an additional cup of celery to fill the onion “void.” Hope you enjoy!