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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Comments
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Hi! We have a yeast allergy in the house but sourdough is ok. Can I use my homemade sourdough foccacia or sourdough bread? Thank you!
Hi Shannon, you can go with sourdough bread if that’s what works for the yeast allergy in your family. Just be aware that sourdough adds a distinct flavor to the stuffing (whereas the stuffing cubes are neutral in flavor).
Hi jen,
Firstly thankyou so much for your recipes I make so many of them.
I want to make this stuffing but a) I live in dubai and b) I’m British so it’s a double whammy of an ingredient not being available or me not having the foggiest what it is. So forgive my ignorance but is a stuffing cube similar to a crouton and would that be a suitable substitute?
Lol, that is a double whammy! Yes, stuffing cubes are similar to croutons, so that should be fine. Just make sure to use unseasoned ones.
Sorry I read a bunch of comments but no one that I can see so far asked (hard to read 1000+ comments :)– can the italian sausage be substituted for turkey sausage or other? –no pork eaters here.
Hi Sandy, turkey sausage is perfectly fine here. Enjoy!
Hi 8 cups of bread? My pepperage farm bags are 16 oz. So I would need four 16-oz bags? That seems like a lot.
Hi Sal, it sounds like you may be confusing weight and volume. The recipe calls for 500 g (or 18 ounces) by weight, which comes out to about 8 cups. (So, if your bag of stuffing is 16 ounces, you’ll need just shy of one bag.) Hope that clarifies!
Looks wonderful but I have a couple vegetarians coming to Thanksgiving dinner. Omit the sausage or find another recipe? Thanks!
Hi Pamela, I wouldn’t omit the sausage in this recipe as it adds a ton of flavor. You may want to try this stuffing recipe instead. Hope you enjoy if you make it!
Hi! How can you modify this recipe to make egg-free?
Hi Kim, the egg provides necessary moisture, so I’d use an egg-free substitute.
I’m worried that the stuffing will be dry after freezing and re-heating. Any suggestions?
Hi Esta, as long as you keep it covered when reheating, it should not dry out. 😊
I made this stuffing but I’d like to freeze it UNCOOKED and then later defrost and bake it on Thanksgiving day. Would that be okay to do?
I so appreciate all your recipes and your suggestions!
Sue
Sure, Sue, that should be fine. Enjoy!
Hi Jen,
This stuffing is fab !! Everyone loves it.
But, my husband ( a Texan) loves cornbread dressing. I think I can sub cornbread here. My question is: if I make jiffy cornbread mix, would that be 1 box or 2 boxes and should I dry the made cornbread out on the counter overnight? Do I need to make any other adjustments ?
Glad you like it! If you’d prefer to do a cornbread stuffing, I’d recommend this one.
How could I add mushrooms? Thanks.
I’d cook the mushrooms along with the onions and celery. Hope you enjoy!
Can stale Italian bread be substituted for store bought bread cubes.
Sure, just let it dry it out to the consistency of croutons (you could toast it in the oven, too).