Easy Sausage & Herb Stuffing
This post may contain affiliate links. Read my full disclosure policy.
A family favorite for the holidays, this easy sausage and herb stuffing uses store-bought stuffing cubes, eliminating the step of slicing and drying out the bread.
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 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 does not matter!
What you’ll need to make Sausage Stuffing
I’ve made this recipe using stuffing cubes from the supermarket (usually made by Arnold or Pepperidge Farm) and “fresh” dried stuffing cubes from Whole Foods — both work well, but if you can get the ones from Whole Foods, they add a bit more texture (they are sold in a plastic bag labeled “stuffing cubes”).
As for the sausage, try to find bulk Italian sausage, which is simply sausage without the casings. If you can’t find it, just buy regular Italian sausage and remove the casings; the best way is to cut straight through the sausages with kitchen shears and then peel the casings off (this is much more efficient than trying to squeeze the meat out).
Step-By-Step Instructions
Begin by melting a stick of butter in a large sauté pan. 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.
Bake for 65-75 minutes, until the top is golden brown and crisp.
Enjoy!
Video Tutorial
You may also like
- Cornbread and Sausage Stuffing
- Make-Ahead Mashed Potatoes
- Challah, Wild Mushroom & Herb Stuffing
- Best Thanksgiving Side Dishes
Easy Sausage & Herb Stuffing
A family favorite for the holidays, this easy sausage and herb stuffing uses store-bought stuffing cubes, eliminating the step of slicing and drying out the bread.
Ingredients
- 8 cups (400g) store-bought unseasoned stuffing cubes
- 1 stick (½ cup) unsalted butter
- 1½ cups diced yellow onion (from 1 large or 2 small onions)
- 1 cup diced celery (from 3 large celery stalks)
- 4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
- 1 pound 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. Grease a 9 x 13-inch 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 8-10 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-inch). 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 65-75 minutes, uncovered, until deeply golden and crisp on top.
- Note: If you can't find bulk sausage, simply buy regular sausage and remove the casings.
- Make-Ahead/Freezer-Friendly Instructions: The stuffing can be assembled up to a day ahead and refrigerated until ready to bake; follow the baking instructions in the recipe. 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.
Nutrition Information
Powered by 
- Per serving (10 servings)
- Calories: 467
- Fat: 28 grams
- Saturated fat: 10 grams
- Carbohydrates: 40 grams
- Sugar: 5 grams
- Fiber: 6 grams
- Protein: 15 grams
- Sodium: 1,063 mg
- Cholesterol: 57 mg
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.
See more recipes:
Comments
Add a Comment
This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.
Hi Jen –
Can I use Polish sausage for this recipe? Thanks!
The flavor profile will be slightly different, but it should still be delicious. Enjoy!
I will be trying this recipe this year-excited about that. Can I omit the egg as my son has an egg allergy?
Hi Aixa, You do need the egg for moisture, so I’d just used an egg substitute. Enjoy!
I use 1/4 cup applesauce and it goes great with the sausage!
Hi Jen,
Do you think I can cut the sausage amount in half without compromising flavor?
Lori, I do think it will have an impact on the flavor but should still be good. You may need to add a little bit more broth for additional moisture. Please LMK how it turns out if you try it!
Hi, I just wanted to double check on the amount of stuffing cubes. It says 8 cups and in parenthesis 14oz, so I just wanted to verify. Also, if I’m making this ahead and then travelling with it unbaked to a relatives home (in a cooler), should I leave the egg out?
Hi Sam, Yes 8 cups is correct (and I changed the weight measurement to grams to be less confusing). And it should be fine with the egg in the cooler as long as it’s not too far away. 🙂
Thank you, can’t wait to try this!
Hi Jenn,
If sausage is omitted, do other ingredients need to be adjusted? Also, will dry seasonings work well in the recipe?
Thanks. Chuck.
Hi Chuck, 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. And, yes, you could get away with using dried herbs here (you’ll need 1/3 of the amount).
Hi, thanks you so much for sharing this wonderful recipe. I tried it today, and my friends like it. Just a question: the recipe says, use 3 big stalks of celery equal to 1 cup. I only used 1.5 stalk of celery and it was already 1 cup. Should I still use 3 celery stalks? Thank you.
Glad you liked it. What you did is correct — if you get 1 cup from 1-1/2 stalks of celery, you must just have bigger celery stalks. 🙂
Thanks so much. One of the best things about your site is that you answer questions so promptly – really appreciated
Can I double recipe and put half inside the turkey?
Yep 🙂
Question – I know Thanksgiving is just one of those occasions where we just eat more richly, but is the stick of butter necessary for anything other than intensifying the flavor? In other words, if in the interest of reducing calories where possible I wanted to cut it way back to 1 or 2 TB to cook the veg, is there any reason to believe that it would interfere with the desired result/consistency upon baking?
Hi Alison, I think you could get away with cutting the butter back but you should add more chicken broth to make up for the reduced moisture. Please LMK how it turns out if you try it!
Can you put this together a day in advance?
Yep – enjoy!
Can sage sausage be used in this recipe?
Sure – I’d just omit the sage in the recipe. Hope you enjoy!
Hi.
Could I add granny smith apples ? If so, how many? and what are your thoughts about adding dried cranberry as well?
Sure, apples and dried cranberries will work (I’d suggest one apple). Hope you enjoy!
Is there a substitute for the fresh sage, rosemary and parsly? Can I use poultry seasoning or some other dry seasoning? Can I add mushrooms to this recipe?
Hi Tammy, you can use dried versions of each of those herbs or a poultry seasoning. Mushrooms would also work here. Hope you enjoy!
Can you make with the bag of seasoned stuffing cubes?
Sure – you’ll just need to cut the added seasoning and salt in half and then add more to taste if needed. Enjoy!
Can you make the stuffing and freeze it before baking it? I would refrigerate two days before Thanksgiving and bake that day. I am on a time crunch and anything I can pre-make would be helpful.
Hi Eric, You can freeze it, but I would bake it first. See the bottom of the recipe for freezer-friendly instructions. Hope you enjoy!
I need to make 20-25 servings for a family Thanksgiving dinner and found this recipe and your Cornbread & Sausage Stuffing. Both seem to be great based on the ingredients.
What adjustments do I need to make to the ingredients to make a dressing with both cornbread and regular bread. I am inclined to simply use half the unseasoned stuffing cubes and half the cornbread. I would use the rest of the ingredients from the Easy Sausage & Herb Stuffing.
I can make the ingredient quantity adjustments to get the right serving count.
Or would you recommend not trying to use stuffing cubes and the cornbread together?
Hi Durham, Yes, I think you can get away with substituting cornbread cubes for half of the stuffing cubes here. I’d love to hear how it turns out!
I just made my very first Thanksgiving feast (Canadian), and this stuffing made me a super star. Not only did the adults love it, but all the kids did too. The fresh herbs made it so flavorful. I followed the recipe exactly except I only had dry rosemary. Thank you for the fantastic recipe. I’ve been told I have to make this every Thanksgiving for forever.
I really didn’t want to make a stuffing with sausage meat. I mean really, do we need more meat when we have turkey. My husband really wanted it, so I relented. Best stuffing I have made yet! Only change I made was not to put in as much broth as suggested. It was perfect!
I’ve been trying for decades to measure up to my mother who passed a while back with no success. I tried this recipe and it’s really good classic. I’ll try and tweek this, in efforts of coming close to my ma’s recipe…LOL
Thanks so much Richard
Great recipe, Added poultry seasoning instead of spices listed.
Excellent, I just used poultry seasoning instead of the spices listed.
I couldn’t find sweet Italian sausage so I bought mild Italian sausage……will that be ok?
Yep – hope you enjoy!
Can you make this in the morning and put in fridge till you are ready to cook it?
Yep – hope you enjoy!
Can you make it the day before?
Sure, Mel. I’d refrigerate it unbaked and then bake it before the meal. Hope you enjoy!
I like the sound of this for a roast dinner I am planning for my friend’s 92nd birthday, next Sunday. We are in the UK. Just so I understand the ingredients, are the stuffing cubes the same as ‘croutons’? I don’t think we can get stuffing cubes here. I was thinking I could cube and dry some little pieces of baguette and use that. Do you think that would work? I realise this recipe is for winter really, but I’m cooking a leg of lamb with lots of spring vegetables and new potatoes, and because my elderly friend loves stuffing, I thought I would give this a try. I’d be very grateful for your help. Thank you.
Hi Rebecca, Croutons will definitely work but if they are salted, I’d cut the salt in the recipe in half. If you want to use a baguette that you cube and dry, that would work too. Hope your friend enjoys! 🙂
Thank you very much for replying. I’m going to give this a try!
Pretty bomb recipe! I had a huge Costco bag of seasoned sour dough croutons sitting in the pantry for some odd duck reason. So glad I found your recipe. I didn’t use the herbs because of the seasoned croutons. I cooked everything down in my 10” cast iron skillet, mixed everything together, poured it back into my already hot buttered, flavored skillet and cooked it for an hour in my June oven. This was really, really good. I can totally see making this again as well as trying different meats, spice heats, bread crumbs and additions like others mentioned like raisins or other goodies. Thank you for the inspiration.
First ever attempt at stuffing and I followed this easy to read recipe and procedure. It’s in the oven as I write. Thank you, I’ll let you know how it works out.
Hi Jenn,
I’ve just made your quick stuffing, but have not baked it yet. I am making it today to serve tomorrow. I haven’t baked it yet. Do you mean that it can be left in a bowl (fully mixed in with broth and all) overnight and then bake it tomorrow? Is it better to bake today and reheat tomorrow?
thanks!
Yes, that’s correct. I would assemble it completely today, refrigerate overnight, and bake tomorrow. Enjoy!
Hi Jenn, I’m so excited to make this as every recipe I’ve made of yours turns out amazing!!! Quick question, can I make this using gluten free croutons? Thanks in advance for your help xo
Sure! 🙂
Thanks so much for your reply! I’m only able to find Herb & Garlic GF croutons (garlic, oregano and parsley). Could you please tell me what changes I would need to make to the recipe? Also if I double the recipe, do you recommend I make it in 2 different baking pans or one big one? Thanks in advance once again for your help 🙏
Hi Mounira, If you use seasoned croutons, you’ll just need to cut the added seasoning and salt in half and then add more to taste if needed. And if you double the recipe, for even cooking I’d use two 9×13-inch baking dishes. (It may take about 10 minutes longer in the oven.) Hope that helps and that you enjoy!
Thanks again so much for your reply 🙏
Hi Jenn! This year being so crazy I have decided to change things up and NOT stuff the bird! I’m planning on following your turkey recipe and this recipe. I will need to make half again as much as the recipe. Would I then use 3 eggs or would two be enough? I don’t want it to be too soupy. Any other changes I should make? Thanks and have a wonderful Thanksgiving! Tory
Hi Tory, If you’ve halving the recipe, you’ll only need half an egg. 🙂 Just beat one egg in a measuring cup, discard half of it, and use the remaining half. Hope you enjoy!
I made this for Thanksgiving and I used homemade cornbread (in cube size pieces) for half of the stuffing cubes. It came out great! Everyone loved it! I highly recommend this recipe. Thanks so much, Jenn! This is now my go to stuffing recipe.
My brother-in-law makes sausage stuffing on Thanksgiving. I’ve found it’s now a necessity for me, even if I’m not with family with Thanksgiving. Bought some stuffing and sausage and hoped for the best. Came across this recipe, it was easy, gave it a try. This stuffing was thre star of my Thanksgiving dinner. It was so delicious, in fact, I just made another batch 3 days later. Love this! Thank you for posting. Perfect and savory with a little bit of crisp. It’s fantastic!
Wow! Amazing flavors! Delicious! This recipe is what I ended up using to Make my 1st attempt Ever at homemade stuffing. I was nervous about how it would turn out but the easy-to-follow instructions made it a breeze to make. It was such a hit that my family requested I make a second batch 2days after Thanksgiving! Also- it was so good that my teenage daughter literally got mad that I ate the very last of the leftovers. It was a fight over who got to eat the last serving. (I won!) Lol! Thankyou for this awesome recipe, our family will certainly be using it for years to come.
😂
Hi Jenn, I can’t get stuffing cubes and will need to trim baguettes. About how many ounces do you think? Still 14. I love this recipe and all of the those in Once Upon a Chef cookbook! All are no fail and our guests love every one.
Hi Denise, yes, you’ll still need 14 ounces of cubed baguette. So glad you’ve had success with the recipes-hope you joy enjoy this one as well!
Do you think this recipe can be done in a crock pot?
Hi Justine, 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!
I made this recipe for the first time and it was AMAZING! Great flavors, perfectly moist, just never enough stuffing! Also made your sweet potato casserole, and cooked the turkey like you said at 450 til it was 160 degrees. I was skeptical but it was gorgeous and so delicious. I recently saw on a cooking show to turn the bird upside down after it comes out of the oven to get more juice into the breasts. Will always do this from now on!! Thanks Jenn for contributing to all the yummy mmms and lip smacking at my table!
I hate stuffing and always just make it for others so don’t put any effort into it. This year I decided to try something different so we didn’t have to throw away all of it. I am not a stuffing eater at all but I had to try it and I actually ended up going back for seconds. Everyone loved it! They didn’t have sweet italian sausage at Earthfare so I used Japaleno cheddar sausage and it really had a great taste. This will become a standard staple at my Thanksgiving table every year.
Can you use the non cubed pepperidge farms stuffing?
Sure Sharon, that will work. But if it’s seasoned, you’ll need to cut the added seasoning and salt in half and then add more to taste if needed. Enjoy!
absolutely delicious. I Usually put my stuffing in the bird. This is the first time that I’ve ever cooked it this way, The only thing I added was just a little bit of poultry seasoning. And I did use the sage and onion flavored Pepperidge farm bread cubes.
However I did put half of it into my bird, with A tribute to my mother which is to put butter and garlic powder mixed together inside the bird and then stuff it.
Both ways came out fantastic!
This was really an excellent recipe
This stuffing recipe is the best! My husband and I are typically not huge stuffing fans, but we really enjoyed this and will be making it part of our Thanksgiving tradition. I made it vegetarian using Beyond Meat Italian Sausage and Better Than Bullion No Chicken Broth. Thanks for a great recipe!
When our Thanksgiving host got sick and we divided up dinner the night before, I got stuffing and was a bit nervous. I never made stuffing before. This was so easy and so delicious. The house smelled fantastic. Made this along with your cornbread stuffing and our additions were a hit!
So, so, so delicious! I toasted it the day before and baked day-of. It was the best stuffing we’ve ever had at Thanksgiving and it was my first time making it. That only shows it’s a perfect recipe!
Loved this RECIPE when I made it last year, I cooked it in muffin tins to speed up the cooking time. My tip to share though: the next morning I wanted it crispy again, I broke out my waffle maker! I added a raw egg and made stuffing waffles and they were FANTASTIC! We had dinner for breakfast and threw leftover turkey and gravy on top. The left over waffles (later that day and next) just popped them in the toaster. We were so bummed when the stuffing was gone as it was our favorite part of our Thanksgiving meal. This recipe is SUPERB and I don’t even bother trying another one. THANKS FOR A GREAT STUFFING RECIPE!
I purchased soft cubed stuffing. Should I let them dry out overnight before using
yep 🙂
I just made this today. It is awesome!
Added some red pepper flakes. Used 12 cups of stuffing bread from the bakery.
Wonderful flavor! Yum!
What is a good sub for the unseasoned stuffing cubes, can’t find them!
Hi Pieri, You can make your own; here’s a recipe.
Thank you! If I use 1 loaf of french bread are the measurements for the rest of the ingredients the same?
Hi Pieri, It depends on how many cups of cubed bread that comes out to (the recipe calls for 8 cups). If the bread generates about 8 cups, then you won’t need to make any changes.
Can you use this to stuff your turkey?
Yep, just reduce the broth by 1/2 cup. Enjoy!
Thank you Jenn for your quick response. Two more questions. I’m baking spiral ham at 275 degrees. Can I simultaneously bake the stuffing at this lower temperature? If so how much longer does the stuffing need to bake? Also the bag of store broth bread cubes is only 340g. How much broth should I use? Happy Thanksgiving and thank you for taking the time for answering all our questions. I can’t wait to taste this recipe. I also made your Creamy Make-Ahead Mash Potatoes last night.
If you have to cook them in the same oven, I think it’s doable, but not sure how much longer the stuffig will take at that temperature. I’d give it at least 10 extra minutes and check it then. And I’d guesstimate that you’d need just under 2-1/2 cups of broth for that amount of stuffing. Hope that helps!
I usually cook stuffing inside the turkey, but this time I just needed to make stuffing to take to a party. This recipe came out as good as that cooked inside the turkey. Loved the taste of it!!
My store only carried the herb seasoned cubed stuffing. Do I need to change the recipe when using these.
Yes, Sb, just cut the added seasoning and salt in half and then add more to taste if needed. Enjoy!
Quick question, I made this up last night… I did not cook it-just threw it in the freezer. Planned to unfreeze & cook it on Thanksgiving… will that be okay?? Thanks!
Typically, I’d suggest freezing it after baking, but it should still turn out nicely.
I am making this recipe now.
Can I refrigerate the stuffing instead of freezing it for consumption tomorrow?
Yep — hope you enjoy!
This is my husband’s favorite dish for Thanksgiving…your recipe no one else’s. I make it as is and love it! He actually requests it throughout winter as a stand alone dish. Which is probably hilarious but as long as he is eating my cooking I’m happy. Thank you! Making this tonight for tomorrow.
What are the herbs to add?
Hi Gina, you’ll need rosemary, sage, parsley, salt, and pepper. See the last several ingredients in the recipe to see the amounts. Enjoy!
Hi Jenn,
I’m getting my own fresh bread cubed at the bakery for this. Do 8 cups equal one loaf of bread?
Hi Colleen, It really depends upon the loaf of bread, so it’s hard to say for sure – sorry I can’t be more helpful!
I made this recipe last year and we absolutely loved it. I am so glad I bookmarked this recipe to use again. I don’t recall what I used for stuffing cubes however this year I bought potato bread cubes so we will see how it turns out.
Do you alter any of the ingredients if you do not use sausage? How do you prepare day old bread to use instead?
Hi Karen, If you don’t want to use the sausage, I’d suggest this recipe instead. (The sausage plays a really important role here as it adds a ton of flavor.)
Hi Jen,
Two questions: 1. Do I use a 2qt baking dish for this and 2. Can I put this together the night before and refrigerate it before cooking it or so I cook it and then Refrigerate and reheat the next day? I am worried about the cubes getting soggy.
Hi Sara, You actually need a 3-qt baking dish for this recipe. And, yes, it’s perfectly fine to prep ahead, refrigerate, and then cook the next day; it will crisp up in the oven.
hello. can I make my own stuffing cubes out of day old bread?
Sure, Jean; I’d let them dry out in a low oven. Enjoy!
Great recipe! I made a vegetarian (not vegan) version. I used 1 pound of Morningstar sausage patties cut into small crumble pieces, and simmered the crumbled sausage in vegetable broth made with Better than Bouillon premium vegetable stock. Better than Bouillon Vegetable Stock is a godsend for making great tasting vegetarian dishes, as long as it is premium version, not the watery low sodium version. Thank you for a wonderful recipe!
My wife and I are debating on preparing all the ingredients tomorrow night and serve on Thursday. I know some have asked this question I just need your answer to ease our stress. Thanks this sounds so good first time making it though
Hi Will, You should absolutely prepare it ahead of time; that’s what I’m going to do!