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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This has become our go-to dressing! Simple and DELICIOUS. No boxed stuffing over here. Thank you!
I make this stuffing every year, and everyone loves it. I make my own bread cubes out of sour dough bread and dry it out in the oven with some olive oil and garlic. I don’t measure, but make about 10 cups so that half can go in the turkey as it cooks, and the rest bakes in the oven for a crisp topping. Then, when I take out the “mushy” dressing from the turkey (it is wonderful like that) I mix it in with the crispy oven baked, and you get the best of both worlds. I also NEV ER put an egg in my stuffing. Not sure what that would add to the flavor or texture, and makes it more problematic if it stays warm for a while. I make my stuffing the night before, and get it cold in the frig, then warm to room temp in the microwave before putting it inside the turkey in the morning.
If I make this in advance, do I store it in the fridge uncooked?
Hi Adriana, You can store it uncooked up to a day ahead, then bake before serving.
Can you bake it the day before and warm it on thanksgiving?
Sure!
Hi Jenn,
I’m making this a day ahead. It’s not cooked, just all mixed together in the baking pan. I see you say to cook it covered. Would that allow the top to get golden and crisp? Just wondering your recommendation for best reheating the next day. Thanks!
Hi Melisa, Those instructions are for reheating the cooked stuffing. If you’re preparing it ahead but baking it the next day, follow the cooking instructions in the recipe. Hope that clarifies!
If I’m cooking this stuffing along with my 18 lb Turkey will it need to cook longer than 65-75 minutes ? I would put it in 30 minutes before Turkey is done and finish cooking it while Turkey rests . (325 oven)
Hi Michelle, Yes, it may take a bit longer at 325; it’s hard to say exactly how much so I would just keep an eye it.
Can I cook this in a crockpot?
Hi Jackie, I don’t have a crockpot so I can’t say for sure how it would impact the recipe. But if you’d like to give it a try, here are some conversion tips that may help. I’d love to hear how it turns out if you try it in a crockpot!
If I plan to make a double batch and bake them in half pans (9×11) – so they will fit in a warmer rack – do you change the heating time or temp?
Hi Joe, They may take a bit longer to cook, but the temperature would be the same.
I would like to make this recipe using two bags of Pepperidge farm herb seasoned cubes. I also have turkey broth. Would you use any more seasoning? (Fresh Rosemary, sage, parsley , etc) Would you use the turkey broth or chicken broth? My friends don’t eat celery so should I add more onion instead? One last question, I plan to freeze leftovers and that is ok, right? Oh, and can I make it the day before or at least assemble it and bake it day of. Thank you, I get nervous cooking, I am a novice and just want to get it right
Hi Sue, If you’re using seasoned stuffing cubes, you’ll actually need to cut the added seasoning and salt in half and then add more to taste if needed. Either turkey or chicken broth will work nicely here. Regarding the celery, you can just omit it. Not sure I’d use more onion in its place, but if you’d like, you could replace it with either peeled and diced apple or diced fennel. Yes, you can freeze the leftovers and it’s fine to assemble it the prior and bake it the day of. Hope that helps — good luck!
I’m making this stuffing for the first time don’t have a baking pan, but do have
Handi-foil cake pans. Can I use the foil pans
Though I’ve never tried it, I think that would work. Just make sure you support the bottom of it when transporting it to/from the oven. Please LMK how it turns out if you try ti!
I saw your replies about making this (or some of it) in the turkey and you said to reduce the broth. Shouldn’t you also cook it less time like maybe half as I have a 14.5 lb. turkey that will be in the oven for 3 hrs. I would think that would make the stuffing too mushy .
Hi Diane, The bird should be stuffed before it goes in the oven, and the stuffing should cook the whole time inside the bird. There’s really no way to avoid the stuffing being a bit mushy when it’s cooked inside the turkey. Hope that clarifies!
Hi Jenn, Love your recipes! Made this before and it turned out great this year turkey sausage is all out at the grocery I bought ground turkey as a substitute for the sausage (I don’t eat pork) what spices can I add to imitate the flavour of sausage? Your suggestions would be very helpful! Thank you and merry Christmas!
Hi Sabrina, I would add salt, pepper, crushed red pepper flakes, fennel, garlic powder and sage. Hope it turns out well!
Thank you Jenn! 🎄