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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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Comments

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  • Hi Jen –
    Can I use Polish sausage for this recipe? Thanks!

    • The flavor profile will be slightly different, but it should still be delicious. Enjoy!

  • I will be trying this recipe this year-excited about that. Can I omit the egg as my son has an egg allergy?

    • Hi Aixa, You do need the egg for moisture, so I’d just used an egg substitute. Enjoy!

    • I use 1/4 cup applesauce and it goes great with the sausage!

  • Hi Jen,
    Do you think I can cut the sausage amount in half without compromising flavor?

    • Lori, I do think it will have an impact on the flavor but should still be good. You may need to add a little bit more broth for additional moisture. Please LMK how it turns out if you try it!

  • Hi, I just wanted to double check on the amount of stuffing cubes. It says 8 cups and in parenthesis 14oz, so I just wanted to verify. Also, if I’m making this ahead and then travelling with it unbaked to a relatives home (in a cooler), should I leave the egg out?

    • Hi Sam, Yes 8 cups is correct (and I changed the weight measurement to grams to be less confusing). And it should be fine with the egg in the cooler as long as it’s not too far away. 🙂

      • Thank you, can’t wait to try this!

        • — Samantha Dominik
        • Reply

  • Hi Jenn,
    If sausage is omitted, do other ingredients need to be adjusted? Also, will dry seasonings work well in the recipe?
    Thanks. Chuck.

    • Hi Chuck, I wouldn’t omit the sausage in this recipe as it adds a ton of flavor. You may want to try this stuffing recipe instead. And, yes, you could get away with using dried herbs here (you’ll need 1/3 of the amount).

      • Hi, thanks you so much for sharing this wonderful recipe. I tried it today, and my friends like it. Just a question: the recipe says, use 3 big stalks of celery equal to 1 cup. I only used 1.5 stalk of celery and it was already 1 cup. Should I still use 3 celery stalks? Thank you.

        • Glad you liked it. What you did is correct — if you get 1 cup from 1-1/2 stalks of celery, you must just have bigger celery stalks. 🙂

    • Thanks so much. One of the best things about your site is that you answer questions so promptly – really appreciated

      • Can I double recipe and put half inside the turkey?

  • Question – I know Thanksgiving is just one of those occasions where we just eat more richly, but is the stick of butter necessary for anything other than intensifying the flavor? In other words, if in the interest of reducing calories where possible I wanted to cut it way back to 1 or 2 TB to cook the veg, is there any reason to believe that it would interfere with the desired result/consistency upon baking?

    • Hi Alison, I think you could get away with cutting the butter back but you should add more chicken broth to make up for the reduced moisture. Please LMK how it turns out if you try it!

  • Can you put this together a day in advance?

    • Yep – enjoy!

  • Can sage sausage be used in this recipe?

    • Sure – I’d just omit the sage in the recipe. Hope you enjoy!

  • Hi.
    Could I add granny smith apples ? If so, how many? and what are your thoughts about adding dried cranberry as well?

    • Sure, apples and dried cranberries will work (I’d suggest one apple). Hope you enjoy!

  • Is there a substitute for the fresh sage, rosemary and parsly? Can I use poultry seasoning or some other dry seasoning? Can I add mushrooms to this recipe?

    • Hi Tammy, you can use dried versions of each of those herbs or a poultry seasoning. Mushrooms would also work here. Hope you enjoy!

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