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Easy Sausage & Herb Stuffing

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By Jenn Segal
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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.

Spoon in a baking dish of sausage and herb stuffing .

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

sausage stuffing ingredients

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

Butter melting in a skillet.

Begin by melting a stick of butter in a large sauté pan. Add the chopped onions and celery.

Chopped vegetables cooking in a skillet of melted butter.

Cook until soft, about 8 minutes.

Wooden spoon stirring a skillet of vegetables.

Add the garlic and cook a few minutes more.

Pile of garlic in a skillet of chopped vegetables.

Transfer the vegetables to a large bowl. In the same pan, cook the sausage until browned.

Sausage in a skillet.

As it cooks, use a  metal spatula to break it apart into small pieces.

Wooden spoon stirring sausage in a skillet.

Add the sausage to the stuffing cubes and veggies. Then add the broth, egg, herbs, salt and pepper.

stuffing components in bowl

Mix well.

stuffing mixture in bowl

Transfer the contents to a buttered 9 x 13-inch baking dish.

stuffing in baking dish

Bake for 65-75 minutes, until the top is golden brown and crisp.

Baked stuffing in a baking dish.Enjoy!

Spoon in a baking dish of sausage and herb stuffing.

Video Tutorial

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Easy Sausage & Herb Stuffing

By Jenn Segal

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.

Servings: 8-10
Prep Time: 10 Minutes
Cook Time: 1 Hour 30 Minutes

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

  1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease a 9 x 13-inch baking dish with butter.
  2. Place the stuffing cubes in a large mixing bowl.
  3. 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.)
  4. 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.
  5. 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.
  6. Note: If you can't find bulk sausage, simply buy regular sausage and remove the casings.
  7. 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 Edamam

  • 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
Nutritional Data Disclaimer

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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  • This was absolutely delicious and everyone raved about it!
    I didn’t have any fresh herbs so I used 1/2 tsp of dried thyme and 1.5 tsp of dried sage. It was amazing. The only problem is that if you don’t have two ovens it makes the timing difficult. I recommend cooking it for only an hour in advance. Then microwave it to warm it right before you take out your turkey. Then when you take out your turkey broil it to get it browned and crispy on top.

  • Turned out amazing and I am definitely not a cook. This will forever be my staple stuffing!

    • I’m planning to make stuffing with and without sausage. Does the recipe work as is without the sausage? Will I need to modify? Thank you

      • Hi Blanca, the sausage plays a really important role here as it adds a ton of flavor. If you want a vegetarian option, I’d suggest this recipe instead.

      • Question- if I’m making day before, do i cook the sausage before putting in fridge? Or is everything uncooked? Thanks

        • — Sarah Kralicek
        • Reply

        • Yes, you would complete all the steps in the recipe with the exception of putting it in the oven. Hope you enjoy!

  • Hello
    I live in Montreal and I can’t find the Pepperidge farms cubed stuffing. What other kind of bread could I use?

    • — Louise Perreault
    • Reply

    • Hi Louise, Arnold also makes a version if you can find those. If not, you can substitute your own bread cubes – I would suggest an Italian loaf (anything but sourdough). Hope that helps!

      • Hi again,
        I was able to find some unseasoned cubes (croutons as we call them here) one package is 150 grams. How many packages should I use? Can’t seem to understand the conversion into cups!

        • Hi Louise, You’ll need 3 packages. 🙂

  • Hi! I’ve made this for the holidays the past few years and it’s been a big hit! This year I have someone coming who is allergic to celery. Is there anything you think would be a suitable substitute for it in this recipe?

    • Hi Mallory, several readers have commented that they’ve used a peeled, diced apple in place of the celery. Diced fennel would also work nicely. Hope that helps!

    • Can this be made in a crockpot?

      • Hi Heidi, I don’t have a crockpot — I’ve haven’t tried this in one 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. I’d love to hear how it turns out if you make it in a crockpot!

  • Hi Jenn….I love your recipes! I need all the space I can in the oven on Thanksgiving. Can this recipe be adapted to a slow cooker? And if so, do you have any suggestions as to timing etc.?

    • Hi Janis, I’ve never made this in a slow cooker so I can’t say for sure how it would turn out – sorry! If you do want 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 this way!

      • Tried..too salty using bagged seasoned cubes. Plain bread is better, unfortunately.. I hate the step- the bread takes so long but tried one package of Pepperidge farm and people loved it but said it was way too salty ..I’ll go back to using my plain white bread dried out… Always have poured like 3/4 of a cup of a bag seasoning cubed mix in but never just used it completely.

  • I plan to have Janksgiving with leftover turkey from Thanksgiving. And since my Thanksgiving attempt at stuffing was awful, I’m going to try your recipe instead. Quick question though, in reading the reviews it appears thyme is one of the ingredients. Yet in reading the recipe, I don’t see it in the list of ingredients. And I love thyme, so I was planning to add it anyway. 1 TBSP? like the rosemary and sage? or is it more like the parsley? 1/4 cup?
    Thanks.
    Leslie

    • Hi Leslie, Thyme would definitely be a nice addition here (and like the rosemary and sage, I’d add 1 Tbsp.). Hope you enjoy! 🙂

  • This was an easy recipe and tasted great. Keeping this in file for another time!

  • I made dressing/stuffing for the first time using this recipe and got rave reviews! A winner.

  • I want to make this but all I have is maple sausage. Would that work?

    • Yes definitely!

  • Another question…are stuffing cubes the same as stuffing croutons?

    Thanks!

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