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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I’ve made this stuffing and it is delicious! I was going to make it for Christmas. I had wanted to make 1.5 times the recipe. Do you think that it would be OK for me to use 1 pan, or 2? If I could use 2, should I increase the baking time? Thx!
Hi Michele, glad you like this stuffing. You can get away with making 1.5 times the recipe and baking it in the same dish. It’s likely to take a bit longer (I’d guesstimate about 10 minutes, but keep an eye on it). Hope everyone enjoys!
This stuffing is awesome! A staple here in New England is Bell’s seasoning, it makes all the difference in the world! I hope you can find it where you live.
Hi there- just wanted to send a quick note letting you know that I made this and it was fantastic! My boyfriend wanted a savory stuffing for his birthday meal and this was both simple and delicious. He enjoyed every one of his three servings 🙂 It was my first time making this and it won’t be my last. Thank you.
I wanted to come back to let you know this dressing was a hit!! I took it to a family gathering of over 40 people(I made 4 batches) and there wasn’t any left. Everyone who ate it loved it! I am making again today for our home only turkey dinner. The only thing that was changed was I used the classic crumb style bread because they were out of cubes. Really a great recipe!
I made this dish only one day ago. My husband was in love and so was I! I still sliced and cubed my own bread but only because I felt like it. Thank you for bringing a new staple to our holiday!
We are having an ‘after Thanksgiving, Thanksgiving dinner’. None of the grocery stores in town carry unseasoned stuffing cubes – only seasoned. What would be the best way to alter the recipe using the seasoned cubes?
Hi Linda, I would cut the salt and herbs in half, then add more to taste before baking if necessary.
I made this recipe for Thanksgiving and it was a huge hit! I added a little more broth to make it more moist. The top came out with a wonderful crunch that was softened on the inside. The flavor with the fresh herbs was amazing. I will make this next year!
This recipe is perfect, the low sodium works perfect (still plenty of salt); however, I did add an extra pound of sausage (since I made 2 trays).
I enjoy fresh veggies and cutting them up them up but next time I’m getting one of those choppers.
Thanks so much Jenn and Happy Thanksgiving !
I’ve been building the stuffing for this day, for the last ten years, always trying a new recipe. I made it 50% larger, and there was only one serving left, family of eight. Huge success! I did, however, add a yellow and orange bell pepper. Thankyou for sharing.
One more question- I have regular bulk italian sausage, will that work or do I need the sweet?
Thank you
That will work fine! Hope you enjoy. 🙂
This was by far the best stuffing I’ve ever made or eaten. The only thing I did different was used 1 teaspoon sage rub in place of fresh sage. Also, I used half cubed breadcrumbs and half crushed. Amazing flavor and consistency. Will only use this recipe from here on out. Thank you so much for sharing!!