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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I just made your dressing tonight and will freeze it for 2 days then thaw on Wednesday for about 24 hours. I assume that I should thaw in the fridge and reheat at 350 degees for about 30 mins. Does that sound about right? Thank you!!
Hi Jenna, I’d actually reheat it at 325°F, covered. And I would guess it would take about 30 minutes as you mentioned. Enjoy!
Hi Jenn. Great recipe. My aunt used to make something like this but I think using hot Italian sausage. I would like to have some kick to it if possible. Would this work with both hot and sweet sausage?
Yep, definitely. 🙂
I love your recipes when I am looking for something and Once upon a chef comes up I don’t look any further. I bought good white bread to dry will that change the texture?
So glad you like the recipes, Barbara! Your white bread will work as long as you dry it out to the consistency of croutons (you could toast it in the oven, too).
Can you used herb seasoned bread stuffing cubes?
Yes — just cut the added seasoning and salt in half and then add more to taste if needed. Enjoy!
After reading such great reviews I really want to give this a try. I thought I purchased plain cubed stuffing but it is Pepperidge Farm Herb seasoned. Can I use this instead?
Yes, but you’ll need to cut the salt and herbs in half. Just add more to taste if necessary. Hope you enjoy!
Hi 🙂 I can’t wait to try this for Thanksgiving! My question is, can I substitute apple sauce for the large egg? If so, how much apple sauce would you suggest?
Yes, Ali, I think you could use applesauce in place of the egg (make sure it’s unsweetened). You’ll need about 1/4 cup. Please LMK how it turns out!
This sounds like a recipe my mother made. But she used a combination of ground beef and pork sausage. I want to try it. Do you suggest using one pound of each? Also, she did not precook the meat. Instead, she mixed it all up and baked into a casserole dish. Any suggestions?
Thanks.
Hi Rose, I think all sausage will give you the best flavor but if you wanted to try half ground beef, it will work. I would cook them both first though.
What about venison sausage bulk?
That will work 🙂
I forgot to rate this in my last comment. It is 5-star plus!!! The last stuffing/dressing recipe you’ll ever need to search for. I sometimes sub the Italian sausage for breakfast sausage, both are amazing. Thanks for sharing a wonderful recipe that now is a part of our family tradition!
I plan to make this for thanksgiving this year, but I was wondering if I could ditch the celery?
You could just omit it or replace it with something else — some nice options are peeled and diced apple or diced fennel. Hope you enjoy!
Made this recipe for our family Thanksgiving this weekend and everyone loved it. I doubled the batch as we had 8 adults and 4 kids. I also added a pound of bacon as well and everyone said it had great flavor. Next time I might used powdered garlic or already minced garlic because it stunk up my house and was kinda messy to handle. But this one will definatly go in the must use again recipes. Just make sure you have plenty of time to prep, as stuffing from scratch takes a while to prepare. Thanks for sharing.