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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Would this receipe be enough to stuff two 16 lb turkeys? Or should I double it?
Hi Sandy, Unfortunately, I really don’t know how much stuffing you’d need to stuff two 16 pound turkeys; but keep in mind that a 9 x 13 pan (like the one called for in this recipe) holds 14 cups. If you’re uncertain that will be enough, you could always double the recipe and just bake whatever doesn’t fit in the turkey in a separate baking dish. BTW, I’d just reduce the broth for the stuffing by about 1/2 cup so the stuffing isn’t too soggy (the turkey’s cavity will add moisture to the stuffing).
Thank you! I guess after reading my question what I really needed to know was how much this makes. Thank you for clarifying this.
I love dried cranberries in my stuffing. How much would you recommend for this recipe ?
Thank you I’m going to make this today.
Best regards and happy holidays
Feliciana
HI Feliciana, I’d suggest 1/4 – 1/2 cup of dried cranberries. Hope you enjoy and happy Thanksgiving!
I couldn’t find unseasoned cubed stuffing. Bought Pepperidge farm country style with “select seasonings”. Should I still use the same amount of fresh herbs in your recipe?
Hi Kerry, the seasoned stuffing will work; just omit the salt and sage and season to taste. Hope you enjoy!
Can I bake it covered with foil and uncover last 20 to 30 min to crisp top. I’m thinking it would be real dry if I bake uncovered the whole time?
Hi Debbie, You could but I promise it isn’t dry when cooked according to the recipe. 🙂
Can I add sage, cranberries, and apples to this?
Yes, yes, and yes 🙂
Hi I want to make this but would like to add chopped spinach and plus I have half Italian mild and half Italian hot. Also would
Like to add ground beef. I accidentally bought the herb seasoned bread cubes. Do you think this combo will be good?
Hi Carolyn, I think the chopped spinach would be fine, using the half mild and half spicy sausage would work, and adding ground beef would work as well. Typically, if you’re adding something like ground beef, I’d say you should add more seasonings as ground beef doesn’t have much flavor on it’s own. But… because you’ve got the seasoned bread cubes, that should balance everything out. Hope you enjoy!
I need to double this stuffing recipe, would you recommend using a bigger pan or just using two seperate pans?
Hi Julie, I’d use two separate pans. Hope you enjoy it!
We can’t buy stuffing bread cubes where I live. Are croutons considered the same thing? Or should I dry my own bread?
Hi Lisa, Since croutons are often cooked in some sort of fat, they aren’t quite the same as stuffing cubes. You can definitely just dry your own bread — I recommend this method.
Hello,
I am going to try to make your sausage stuffing recipe for the first time. My question is can I prepare the stuffing ahead of time and then bake it later at moms.
Thank you
Sure, Walter – you can prepare it up to two days ahead. Happy Thanksgiving!
Do you add use the grease from the sausage?
Hi Scott, yes and thanks for catching that – I will update the recipe.
It was a huge hit! Thanks for the recipe👍🏻