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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Hi Jenn, I love your cookbook and recipes. Thank you so much for sharing your talents with us. Would this recipe work with a box of the Williams Sonoma Focaccia Stuffing seasoned stuffing and then cutting the salt and herbs in half?
Hi Mary, I’m not familiar with that product so it’s hard to say but this recipe is very flexible and forgiving, so my guess is that it will work.
I am wondering how fr in advance I can make this. Would you cook it, refrigerate and then warm up before serving?
Hi Barbara, You can go either way, but I generally assemble and refrigerate it unbaked and then bake it before serving. You can do this up to 2 days ahead. Enjoy!
My husband could not find the cubes so got the classic mix(I had shoulder surgery recently so I do not shop). He got enough for us to feed 40 people on Thanksgiving. Will the classic mix work with your recipe? It sound sdelcious.
Sure, Mary – just start by cutting the salt and herbs in half and add more to taste if necessary. Hope that helps!
Going to make this can I also add in some cornbread cubes as well? It Sounds so delicious. Cannot wait to try it, Peggy
Sure, Peggy – but I wouldn’t use too much. I’d replace just 1/4 of the bread cubes with cornbread. You might also want to check out my cornbread & sausage stuffing recipe.
If making this for someone with a dairy allergy, what would you substitute for the butter? Vegan butter, Olive oil, refined coconut oil? Does it matter?
Hi Kathryn, I think I’d opt for vegan butter but anything will work. Enjoy!
If I double this recipe, do you recommend cooking them in 2 9×13 pans or would it all fit in one pan? If one pan, do you think it will require longer cooking time? Thanks and based on the reviews, I cannot wait to try it this Thursday.
Hi Sarah, I’d use two pans — and you’ll need to increase the cooking time just a bit. Enjoy!
Going to make this stuffing this year but want to add toasted, chopped hazelnuts and looking for thoughts and quantity ideas, maybe half cup or a little more
Hi Johnny-O, I think that would be a nice addition and 2/3 cup sounds about right. Please come back and let me know how it turns out. 🙂
Hey jenn, it’s been a bit difficult trying to find a unseasoned stuffing mix. I was wondering if the recipe will still work with seasoning herb mix stuffing and do I still add the chicken stock.
Sure, Janet – I’d cut the salt and herbs in half and add more to taste, if necessary. You’ll still need the chicken broth.
How did it come out with seasoned bread? Did you adjust the herbs? Making today!
So glad this question was asked. Idk what it is but this year no one has the unseasoned here in NY and my mom in NC couldn’t even find it!
First time making Can i substitute thyme for the rosemary
Yep, that’s fine. 🙂
Hi Jenn
Love the taste of this stuffing, however, I am such a texture person and found the bread too soggy for my liking. Couldn’t find store bought bread cubes so I made my own with regular white bread using the link you recommended and maybe I did something wrong there but they did come out golden brown and dry. Do you think I could use something like a French bread stick or a more dense bread? I also substituted the celery with one cup of cubed green apple. I have always made the Silver Palate stuffing that uses an assortment of breads, but wanted to give this one a go, they are actually quite similar.
Hi Kathy, You can definitely use a denser bread but I would also cut back on the chicken broth if it’s too soggy for you. Just add the broth gradually until you’re happy with the texture. Hope that helps!
Thank you so much for your quick response Jenn. I am definitely going to give this another go and cut back on the broth because the flavour is delicious. I am also going to add some nuts next time as someone else was asking and you recommended it. Your book is an absolute delight, I have given it as gifts on many different occasions, Christmas will another one!!
☺️