Easy Sausage & Herb Stuffing
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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.
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
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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
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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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Can this be cooked and frozen? Thawed and reheated day of?
Yep — see freezer-friendly instructions at the bottom of the recipe. Hope you enjoy!
It looks like Pepperidge Farm stuffing cubes come in 12oz bags now (6.75 cups). Would omitting 2oz of cubes make a big difference?
Hi BK, it should be fine with 12 ounces of bread cubes; just cut the broth back to 2 cups. Hope you enjoy!
I have a large group for Thanksgiving and not all are turkey lovers. I am making both a small turkey and a pork crown roast. I only want to make one stuffing. Would this recipe work for both meats or is there a better choice? Substitute ground pork for Italian sausage?
Hi Joan, I think this stuffing would work for both meats (and I wouldn’t swap out the sausage for ground pork). Hope everyone enjoys!
Oops…I meant pork sausage. But probably stick to the Italian right? Pork sausage may be too much like breakfast. 🙂
Actually, Italian sausage is usually made with pork, so I’d just stick with the recipe. 🙂
I love your recipes. This Thanksgiving I’m going to have my butcher butterfly and debone three turkey breasts and stuff them with an Italian sausage dressing and this one sounds wonderful and just what I need. Do you think this will work? How long and what temperature would you use? Virginia Carter
Hi Virgina, I have a very similar recipe, so I’d follow the baking time and temperature from that one. Hope you enjoy and have a great holiday!
Hello, love your recipes, would it be ok to add brocolli?
I wouldn’t recommend broccoli here – sorry!
I used broccoli stems instead of celery and it turned out amazing. But I didn’t cook them before adding them so they wouldn’t get too mushy 😄
Hi Jen. Thank you so much for the wonderful recipes. If I decided to halve this recipe,what size pan should I bake it in and for how much time? Thanks for your help
Glad you like the recipes! A half recipe of this should fit in an 8 x 8 dish. The baking time should be about the same, but keep an eye on it. Hope you enjoy! 🙂
How would I adjust the herbs if I wanted to use Bell’s poultry seasoning?
Hi Sharon, I’m not familiar with Bell’s poultry seasoning, so hard to say for sure, but if it contains salt, I would definitely reduce the salt in the recipe.
Hi Jenn! I’m in a panic. I made your Easy Sausage & Herb Stuffing and didn’t notice that since I used seasoned stuffing cubes (and didn’t adjust the salt or herbs) I’m afraid it’s going to be too salty and too strong on the herbs. I baked it and put it in the freezer…what can I do when I reheat it on thanksgiving to be less salty and milder herb flavor? Or should I just start over again? Thank you!
Hi Melinda, whether or not you start over depends on how much of a perfectionist you are. 🙂 You can serve this as is – – it won’t be inedible — people just may find it a bit salty.
Do you bake this first and then refrigerate to reheat on Thanksgiving? Or do you just assemble, refrigerate, and then bake on Thanksgiving.
Hi Liz, you can go either way on this one, so just do whichever is most convenient. Hope you enjoy! 🙂
I need to double this recipe. Do I need to alter anything? What size pan would you suggest?
Hi Nancy, You don’t need to alter any of the ingredients, but 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!
Hi Jen. I would like to prep this ahead of time for Thanksgiving so that the only step left would be to bake it, however, I am concerned that by combining all of the ingredients it may turn out soggy. What do you suggest? Maybe I should just bake it and refrigerate then reheat it?
Thanks!!!
Hi Mike, you can go either way, but I think the better way to go is to assemble it in advance and bake it right before dinner. (It won’t get too soggy.) Hope you enjoy!
I’m planning to make this for thanksgiving but need to make it a day ahead. Should i bake it halfway or not at all? Any suggestions? Thanks!!
Hi Lisa, I’d refrigerate it unbaked and then fully bake it before the meal. Hope you enjoy!