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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If I assemble this a day before Thanksgiving and then bake it on Thanksgiving will it taste just as good if I were to do it Thanksgiving day?
Another question if i do this in the crockpot how can I crisp it?
Love your receipes and love how you respond back. Thank you Happy Thanksgiving
Hi Mary, Glad you like the recipes! Yes this will be just as good if you assemble it the day before. If you make this in a crockpot, before serving, you could remove it from the crockpot, put it in a baking dish, and put it in the oven for a few minutes or under the broiler for two or three minutes. Just keep a close eye on it if you put it under the broiler!
Since I won’t be using celery, can I cook the onions with the pork and then add the stick of butter?
Hi Suzanne, I would still cook the onions and garlic separately.
Can I add apples to this? If so, what kind and how much? I’m assuming I would saute with the celery and onion? Thank you!
Sure, Allison. I’d go with one tart-sweet apple, like Honeycrisp, and yes I would sauté with the veggies. I’d love to know how it turns out!
I forgot to reply! I made this last Thanksgiving and it was soooo good! Plan on making it again with the apple. Love your recipes!!
I love all of the accolades. I will make this recipe for this year’s dinner. A couple of issues, I am making it for 36 people so I will at least double it. Someone else will provide a vegetarian stuffing, so there will be two. I am not sure if I should alter the ingredients if I double it – same quantity of herbs / spices? Also, I have to transport it and I am not sure if I will have access to an oven and I don’t want it to be served cold. Any suggestions? Should I take it in a crockpot and plug it in when I get there?
Thank you. I’m really looking forward to this recipe!
Hi Susan, if you double the recipe, I’d double all of the ingredients including the herbs and spices. I’d also suggest baking it in two 9 x 13“ baking dishes for the most even cooking. Regarding warming it up, you could use a crock pot but that will eliminate any of the nice crunch top on the stuffing. Hope everyone enjoys!
HI Jenn, I have made this recipe for the last couple years and it has been the hit of Thanksgiving. Since I do all the cooking I make it the night before then bake it that day. I also use the Arnold Herb seasoned stuffing which eliminates one step. Cant wait to make it this year. Thank You
Can I assemble the stuffing 2 days ahead?
Sure, Cathy – that’s fine.
Thank you!
What is the oven temp?
Can white loaf bread that has been set out overnight be used rather than purchased bread cubes?
Yep 👍
Hi Jenn, I wanted to try this recipe for Thanksgiving. My Mother has is a very serious cardiac health patient and needs to eat low salt foods. Is there a way to make it heart healthier? Thank you!
Hi Kara, the only place I could see you being able to reduce the sodium in the recipe is by cutting back or eliminating the added salt. The sausage adds a lot of salt to the recipe which unfortunately you can’t control. Please LMK if I can help in any other way!
You could make your own sausage with reduced, or no, salt. Lots of recipes on the internet. Just leave out the salt, which acts as a binder, and shouldn’t matter in this recipe. The more fennel seeds, the better. Buy ground pork, or grind a god fatty pork shoulder/butt – the fattier, the better.
Hi Jenn. I made your, “Crusty Artisan Bread,” and I cut it into bread cubes for your stuffing recipe. I’ve aired dried them out. My husband thinks I should toast them. Is that recommended for this recipe?
You can leave them out overnight (or until they are crisp) or toast them, but you don’t need to do both. Hope that helps!
What brand of already seasoned bread cubes do you use?
Hi Sue, I actually recommend unseasoned stuffing for this recipe.
Similar to what I grew up on and made for years myself. I use breakfast sausage instead of Italian (I’m Italian too!) and Peperidge Farms Herb Seasoned Stuffing. No celery. Add sautéed mushrooms (sliced), all else about the same and stuff the turkey with it. Mmmmm, so good.
Can I use my own cut up bread cubes? I would use a sourdough bread, dry it out and possibly crisp it up in the oven.
Can’t find unseasoned stuffing cubes.
The Italian sausage is mild. Think that should work.
Not rating the recipe yet since I haven’t made it.
Sure, Kim – and the sausage is fine.
Try the bakery in your supermarket for the bread cubes..my supermarket makes them (publix)..we have a celery allergy so we cant use seasoned bread
I’m planning to use bread cubes I made from french bread and ciabatta bread. I dried them on the counter under a clean kitchen towel for 2 ½ days. Did I dry them out too long? Should I add more broth? I’m worried now they’ll be stale and ruin the stuffing.
Hi Katie, Actually the drier the better, so no worries and no need to add more broth. Enjoy!