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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Morning Michele, I was wondering if I could use sage sausage? Dot
Sure, Dorothy – just omit the sage in the recipe. Enjoy!
Hello – this recipe sounds great and similar to what I typically make, but I have not yet tried it. I was just wondering if it would be ok to use croutons (I have Chatham Village sea salt and butter) instead of the stuffing cubes? I don’t see why not, but do appreciate your opinion!!
Hi Kathy, Croutons will definitely work but if they are salted, I’d cut the salt in the recipe in half. Hope that helps!
Can you use dried herbs?
Hi Wendy, You can use 1 teaspoon each dried sage and rosemary. I wouldn’t use dried parsley though; you can just leave that out if you don’t have it. Hope that helps!
i am planning on using this recipe ..and then i read way down on the comments! it said.. NOT sourdough bread!.. yikes..i just bought 2 big bags of them from Costco .. one for house and one for church donation! why not recommended? anything i can do to correct a flavor if not good to use?
thanks Nora
Hi Nora, I wouldn’t worry – the sourdough will still be good without any changes. I saw the comment you’re referring to and I was just trying to suggest something that would be closest in flavor to the unseasoned plain stuffing cubes. Hope that helps!
Hello,
I am planning on making this. Is the egg absolutely necessary?
Hi Rebecca, The egg moistens the stuffing and binds it together, but it will still work without it. Hope you enjoy!
One of our family members always made sausage dressing for holidays, it was always the talk of the dinner But after finding this recipe I believe I now hold the top honors for the best dressing on the holidays. 🤓
can this recipe be used to stuff the turkey?
Yes, but I’d reduce the broth by about 1/2 cup so it isn’t too soggy (the turkey’s cavity will add moisture to the stuffing). Hope you enjoy!
Would this recipe be good with adding sun-dried tomatos? If so would you do anything special and how much would you add?
Thank you!
Sun-dried tomatoes sound like an unconventional addition to this, but I suppose it would work. If they are dried, you’d want to rehydrate them first. If they’re packed in oil, I’d drain off any oil. Either way, I would dice them before incorporating. 🙂
I hope this isn’t too late for my question.
Could I use Italian turkey sausage rather than pork sausage without making a huge different in the flavor?
By the way, thank you for the many wonderful, never-fail recipes. Many of them have become staples for my family.
Happy Thanksgiving
So glad you like the recipes, Mary! It’s perfectly fine to substitute turkey sausage without any other adjustments. Happy Thanksgiving!
Hello! Could I use seasoned stuffing instead of plain stuffing?
Yes, Briana — I would cut the salt and herbs in half, then add more to taste before baking if necessary.
How about breakfast sausage in this recipe?
That would work – hope you enjoy!
I really wanna make this for Thanksgiving but want to use dried herbs instead. How much dried herbs of each should I use instead of fresh?
Hi Mandi, I’d recommend about 1 teaspoon each of the rosemary and sage, but I’d recommend sticking with the fresh parsley. Happy Thanksgiving!