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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Jenn can the dressing be prepared and frozen prior to baking it? Looking forward to trying it. Thank you!
Yep definitely. Enjoy!
How many days ahead can you make this dish? I have made this and it is delicious but always made it same day. I stuffed cornish hens . 🙂
Hi Maura, The stuffing can be assembled up to a day ahead and refrigerated until ready to bake.
Hi Jenn, I’m not sure if this has been asked before, but due to needing to bring this to another house with a long wait between the making and the eating, do you think this could be prepared in a crockpot? Would it be too mushy or is there a way to prevent that? I’d appreciate your thoughts!
Hi Colleen, 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.
can you make this 2 days ahead?
Yep!
Hello! My husband’s family are coming for dinner and do not eat pork – Can I substitute another kind of sausage such as chicken for this recipe?
Yes definitely 🙂
Have you ever added nuts or leeks ?
Hi Dina, I haven’t but I think they’d be delicious.
Jenn, is it possible to make this dressing, stovetop? I am going to have a full oven, and this needs more than an hour in the oven. I guess I could make it ahead of time, freeze it, and then warm it in the oven. But a stove top method would be a solution–what do you suggest? Thanks in advance for your advice, Ruth
Hi Ruth, unfortunately, I don’t think it will work to make this on the stove top. Making it ahead of time and reheating it in the oven is a great alternative. See the bottom of the recipe for making ahead instructions for more detail.
Hi Ruth, I ran into the same oven space problem and started doing this in an electric skillet and it ended up being the best way ever in my opinion. I was able to control the heat and even fluctuate between lid to no lid to get the moisture just right since I could see what was going on at all times through the glass. It turned out to be the best texture and flavor I’ve ever produced. A stove top would likely get too hot on the bottom of the pan but the electric skillet can be better controlled and set to low settings. I highly recommend it.
Great recipe. Just made it to freeze. Added mushrooms. It tastes divine 🙂
Love your recipes! Everyone I’ve tried has been delicious! Never worried about trying one for the first time on company! My “boys” love Sister Shubert yeast rolls, but I want to make your cornbread pumpkin muffins for the Thanksgiving table this year. Do you think I could use toasted/dried Sister Shubert diced rolls in this recipe? That way we could all be happy…. what boy doesn’t love sausage & bread!
Hi Jenny, So glad you like the recipes 🙂
Yes, as long as they’re toasted/dried out, the diced rolls should work — sounds like a win-win!
Hi. Should I bring the stuffing to room temp before baking it if I make it the day before?
Hi Tina, you can put it directly in the oven. It may take a few extra minutes, but nothing significant. Enjoy!
This has been my go-to stuffing recipe ever since I first made it years ago. Everyone loves it! I always double or triple it so that I’m sure to have leftovers. It’s a lot of chopping when you do that, but completely worth it!
I’ve made this recipe in the past and received rave reviews. If I want to prepare the stuffing in advance, is there any advicce for refrigerating the UN-cooked stuffing and cooking the day of, or fully baking in advance and then reheating? I’m worried the stuffing will be either too mushy or too dry.
Hi Holly, Glad you like it! You can go either way, but if I had to choose, I’d opt for assembling it the day before and baking it the day of. Hope that helps!