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 was the holiday meal stuffing I had been imagining – perfect flavor and texture. I cut the sausage by half and it was perfectly flavorful and rich without being too rich. I browned the sausage and sautéed the veggies and herbs a week beforehand and put them in the freezer. Christmas Day I just had to stir the broth and thawed veggie sausage mixture into the bread and bake! Super easy!!
Made this 3 or 4 times and it’s foolproof; my only complaint is it’s pretty butter-heavy and can be hard to eat a lot of on account of the grease. The flavour profile is astounding.
Over the years I have made so many variations of stuffing and I’ve finally found the ‘one’. It was moist, just enough seasoning and delicious. I did add carrots and didn’t have fresh sage and so I used dried sage. I also used this recipe for the stuffed turkey breast recipe from this site too. My only complaint is that I wish I made more. I have zero leftovers of stuffing which is usually the one dish I normally have an abundance of after our Christmas meal! My entire family loved this – Thank you!
Sorry realized I didn’t indicate 5 stars
Made this for the first time today. The flavor was great. As I poured in the broth I still had a half cup left and realized the stuffing cubes were getting pretty mushy so I didn’t add more. It was a good call. The top baked up nicely but under that stayed much mushier than I would have liked. So next time I will reduce the liquid even further. I suggest adding the liquid very slowly so that your stuffing doesn’t get mushy. Wouldn’t change anything as far as flavor goes though because it was excellent.
Hands down the best stuffing I’ve ever had and/or made. I made it a day ahead like Jen mentioned and it was flawless. Made thanksgiving less stressful! I cannot wait to make it again tomorrow in prep for our Christmas meal. It’s only three of us eating due to covid restrictions but I’m making the entire recipe portion! Haha
Thanks Jen, you are a legend!
Ps zero additives/alterations needed. Let’s leave perfection alone! 🙂
Hi,
Can you use boxed stovetop stuffing instead of the cubes?
Thanks,
Meghan
Hi Meghan, I sometimes use the unseasoned Pepperidge Farm stuffing cubes. I’m not sure if Stovetop stuffing cubes are seasoned or if there is some sort of seasoning packet? If they are seasoned, I would cut back on the salt and herbs.
This was THE BEST STUFFING!!!! I have already made it twice this holiday season. Perfect as is. No changes needed.
Really good! I also added 1-2 diced carrots, 1 tablespoon fresh thyme, and omitted the egg. I also premade it the day before and just refrigerated until ready to put in the oven 🙂
Hi Jenn,
Can I make this recipe without using any sausage?
Hi Heather, the sausage plays a really important role here as it adds a ton of flavor. If you want a vegetarian option, I’d suggest this stuffing instead. Hope you enjoy if you make it!
Thank you so much for your suggestion and honesty. Have a safe holiday season.
Can turkey parts, legs, thighs be put on top of stuffing and baked at same time?
Hi Lucille, I wouldn’t recommend it. I don’t think the meat will be fully cooked by the time the stuffing is done. Sorry!
I was not a fan of sausage stuffing to go with Thanksgiving dinner but this recipe changed my mind. It was delicious. I bought the bulk mild sausage meat from Whole Foods and used heir stuffing cubes as well. By breaking the sausage meat into small pieces while sautéing gave the stuffing a subtle flavor without overpowering the other flavors. Used no butter(allergies in family) and sautéed the veggies in sausage drippings. It was a hit with the family and will make it again!
Thank you Jenn! Your recipes don’t disappoint!