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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Hi Jenn! I’m going to try and make your stuffing for the first time this Thanksgiving. I have a few questions though. I’ve already bought “Herb” seasoned bread cubes—-Will this be ok? And can I still use fresh parsley? Also, I would like to add raisins and walnuts– Do I have to sauté them or can I throw them in the bowl before mixing? Thank you in advance! And wish me luck!!
Hi Kim, Herbed bread cubes would be fine; just cut back on the added salt (just to add it to taste) and omit the sage. Using the fresh parsley will work. And regarding the raisins and walnuts, you can just toss them in the bowl before mixing. Hope you enjoy!
Could I use seasoned stuffing or would that be too much?
Hi Kim, You can use it, but I’d cut back on the salt in the recipe (you’ll have to add it to taste) and omit the sage.
Do you really need to use the egg? If so, what is the purpose, just a binding agent?
Also, I like stuffing really dry while my husband likes it moist. So, should I cut back on the broth for a happy medium?
Hi Sharyle, The egg moistens the stuffing and binds it together, so I would recommend including it. And regarding the texture of the stuffing and making both you and your husband happy, maybe you could reduce the broth by about 3/4 of a cup. Hope you enjoy!
Hi, I made this for Thanksgiving last year and it has been requested for this year again. This year I have more people coming and I don’t have enough baking trays, so I was wondering if I could cook this in a disposable aluminum tray? Would it affect the taste? Thank you.
Hi Kristin, I think that would be fine and don’t think it would affect the taste. Hope everyone enjoys!
Hi Jenn! Thoughts on making this in a slow cooker? I cooked my stuffing in the slow cooker last year and it turned out very nice. I am trying to open up oven space here in my NYC apartment.
I found an article on how to adapt a stuffing recipe for the slow cooker and here are the tips mentioned:
-If it does not contain eggs, add one and a half large eggs per loaf of bread used.
-Cut back on liquid by 25%.
-Cook on low heat for four to six hours.
-Make sure to butter the inside of the slow cooker to prevent sticking.
Let me know your initial thoughts. Either way, ill report my results back here for others.
Hi Renee, I must admit that I almost never use a slow cooker, so I’m not certain. That said, it sounds like the tips above are on target. Here are some additional general tips on adapting recipes for the slow cooker. I’d love to hear how it turns out!
If I make this without sausage, do I need to reduce the amount of chicken broth or alter any of the other ingredients? Thanks!
Hi Suzanne, No, you don’t need to adapt the recipe in any way if you omit the sausage. Hope you enjoy!
Just wondering – why did you choose to cook uncovered? Every other stuffing recipe I’ve read calls for it being covered to keep moisture in and uncovered the last 10 min for a crispy top. Is that why you account for a large amount of liquid? Just want to make sure I do this right!
I’ve read some reviews about the recipe being soggy – should I reduce liquid a little – or perhaps they cooked it covered?
Hi Cecilia, I bake it uncovered so it gets extra crispy. And I wouldn’t suggest reducing the liquid.
I couldn’t find stuffing cubes so I purchased a loaf of Italian bread from Whole Foods. How would you recommend making the stuffing cubes with the cut up bread? Thanks!
Hi Kerry, I’d suggest just cutting the bread into small (about 1/4 inch cubes) and lightly toasting them to make them a bit crunchy. Hope you enjoy!
Great recipe! I used my homemade smoked sausages for the meat and it turned out awesome!
I went to the store last night and I forgot to get Rosemary or dried thyme, would it be alright without either of those or is the taste going to be off?
Thanks in advance. Trying this for the first time to take to my in-laws.
Amanda
Hi Amanda, No worries, it will still have plenty of flavor. Hope everyone enjoys it 🙂
Hi, thank you so much for your response and for such a great recipe!! I made it without the Rosemary or thyme and it was a hit!! Thanks again!