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
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!
Ingredients
- 8 cups (400g) store-bought unseasoned stuffing cubes
- 1 stick (½ cup) unsalted butter
- 1½ cups diced yellow onion (from 1 large onion)
- 1 cup diced celery (from 3 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, allowing a few extra minutes in the oven. 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
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- 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.
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Hi! I made this dish last weekend for a Friendsgiving and it was a hit! I’m planning to make it again for thanksgiving. My question is my father loves more moist “dressings.” Is it possible to add a bit more liquid to this recipe to accomplish that? Thanks for a great recipe!!!
Sure, Rachel – it won’t hurt. Glad it was a hit!
good recipe
Hi Jen,
Can I use dry herb replace fresh, if I can, how many should I use ?
Hi Polly, You can use dried sage and rosemary (1 teaspoon each) but you’ll need fresh parsley.
Thanks for the recipe. I am new to this. How would I add the stuffing into the bird? Or should I keep separate? Thanks!!
Hi Megan, If you like your stuffing a little drier, I’d use a baking dish. If you don’t mind it being moist, you can bake it in the turkey. (I’d reduce the broth in the stuffing recipe by about 1/2 cup to compensate for the moisture the turkey will add.) If you do put it in the turkey, don’t overstuff it or it will be too dense. There is both a big cavity and a much smaller (neck) cavity that you can put the stuffing into. If you have extra stuffing, put that in a separate baking dish. Tie the legs together with kitchen twine to keep the stuffing in (and the turkey will cook more evenly that way). Hope that helps!
Is it ok to assemble and bake 2 days later even with the raw eggs?
Hi Tara, Yes that’s fine.
HI this recipe looks great! I want to make it the day ahead and refrigerate uncooked, but am worried about the bread getting soggy. If I bake it completely, I worry about it being dry if I reheat it on thanksgiving! What is best?
Also, my mother used both beef and sausage. Would it matter much if I added 1 lb ground beef? Just asking.
Hi Rose, Either will work, but if you have the oven space, I’d prepare it ahead and bake on Thanksgiving day. I promise it won’t get soggy! And I think it’s fine to add ground beef; just keep in mind that you’ll need to increase the seasonings. Hope you enjoy and Happy Thanksgiving!
Hi! Is the cook time the same in a metal dish?
Yep!
Sorry for the stupid question, I’m pretty new to Thanksgiving and preparing in advance. If I refrigerate it, do I bake it for the same amount of time and at the same temperature when I take it out of the fridge?
Hi Sara – not a stupid question at all! You’re right that it will take a little longer to cook cold out of the fridge. Count on an additional 5 minutes or so. Happy Thanksgiving!
Can I use a slow cooker? if yes, how long and what heat, high or low should I use? recipe looks great. cant wait to try it.
Hi Dorthea, I’ve haven’t tried this in a slow cooker so I can’t say for sure how it would turn out. That said, if you want to give it a try, here are some conversion tips that may help. If you try it this way, LMK how it turns out!
My family isn’t a big celery fan, would it be a bad decision to substitute the celery with a peeled honeycrisp apple?
Not at all, Kaylie – I love that idea. Please lmk how it turns out!
Complete success!! Every year my sister makes an out of this world dish with sweet potatoes and bacon, but I think I finally found a contender for the family’s favorite dish with this stuffing. I made it with 2 honey crisp apples in place of the celery and it was perfect. I bought “fresh” bread from Stop & Shop. It was in small rectangular pieces and only 12 oz, but I followed advice from another review not to purchase the additional bag and I think the 12 oz worked fine. Everyone loved it and named it as their favorite dish of the night! I didn’t even have leftovers, it was devoured with seconds and thirds. I was asked to make this every holiday and in between. Thank you for this one, such a hit!
So glad it was a hit — thanks for the follow-up!!
For those who don’t like celery, you can just “zap” the called for celery in a food processor so it is well “smushed”, then continue with the recipe…wonderful flavor, can’t find any celery chunks! 🤪