This Easy Sausage Stuffing is everything you want in a holiday side dish. All the savory herbs and juicy sausage mixed with soft, golden bread cubes. You’ll love this recipe because it’s soft and buttery on the inside with crispy, golden edges on the outside. It’s simple to make, full of rich flavor, and sure to be a hit at your Thanksgiving table or any cozy family dinner.
Olivia’s Personal Note
This easy sausage stuffing is the dish I make every Thanksgiving, Christmas, and honestly any big family get-together.
It’s hearty, herby, and packed with all the good stuff like fresh herbs, garlic, onion, and lots of flavorful sausage.
Every time I make it, people go back for seconds… sometimes thirds. It’s that good! And the best part? It pairs beautifully with everything. Reverse sear prime rib, turkey breast, Potatoes au Gratin, gravy without drippings, cranberry orange sauce and mashed potatoes. You name it.
And of course, we can’t forget dessert like baked apple cider donut, pecan pie bars and my gluten-free crisp apple. It all just works together so perfectly!
Key Ingredients
Store-Bought Stuffing Cubes: I always use unseasoned stuffing cubes so I can control the flavor myself. When I was testing this recipe with seasoned cubes, I’ve found the final dish can turn out too salty or overly spiced. Unseasoned lets the sausage, herbs, and aromatics shine.
Make your own stuffing cubes: If the store is sold out, don’t panic! Just cut a loaf of white, French, or brioche bread into cubes and bake them at 200°F for about an hour. Let them cool completely. If you have a few days to spare, you can also just leave the cubes on the counter to dry out until they’re stale and crunchy.
Unsalted Butter: I prefer unsalted butter because the sausage and broth already bring in plenty of salt. I’ve made this stuffing with salted butter before, and it pushed the seasoning over the edge — unsalted gives you much better control.
Aromatics: I’ve tested this recipe with different combinations of aromatics, and using a mix of onion, celery, carrot, and fresh garlic adds a deeper, more savory base flavor. The celery adds freshness, the carrot adds a hint of sweetness, the onion brings aroma, and the garlic ties everything together. Fresh garlic always gives a stronger, more vibrant flavor than jarred.
Italian Sausage: Make sure you remove the casings. I’ve tested this recipe with mild, hot, and even chicken sausage. But in my opinion, sweet Italian pork sausage gives the best balance of flavor and richness. It browns beautifully and adds so much savory depth to the stuffing.
Chicken Broth: I always use low-sodium broth. I’ve tried regular broth, but it makes the stuffing too salty, especially with sausage and cheese involved. Low-sodium gives room to season to taste.
Egg: Just one egg helps bind everything together so the stuffing slices cleanly but still stays moist. I’ve tried skipping it, and the texture isn’t nearly as cohesive.
Fresh Herbs: I use a mix of fresh rosemary, fresh sage leaves, and parsley. After testing dried herbs versus fresh, I’ve found fresh herbs add a brighter, more aromatic flavor that really makes the stuffing feel homemade. But if you don’t have fresh herbs, dried ones will work just fine.
Note: You can also add dried fruit to your stuffing if you like. I love tossing in a big handful of tart cranberries, currants, raisins, or chopped, pitted dates before baking.
Instructions to Make Sausage Stuffing Recipe:
Prepare the Equipment
- Adjust the oven rack to the middle position, and preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Grease a 9×13-inch baking dish with butter or coconut oil. Set aside.
Prepare the Stuffing
- In a large bowl, add the stuffing cubes.
- In a large skillet or pot, add butter and melt for 1 minute. Then, add the onions and celery and cook over medium heat for about 5 to 8 minutes.
- Add the garlic and sauté for 1 to 2 minutes more.
- Place the vegetables in the stuffing cubes bowl.
Cook the Sausage
- In the same skillet, add the sausage and cook for about 10 minutes.
- Break the sausage up with a wooden spoon as you cook it over medium heat.
Combine Everything
- Then, add the browned sausage and fat from the skillet to the bowl of stuffing cubes and vegetables. Don’t toss the fat as it adds flavour to the stuffing.
- Add the chicken broth, egg, rosemary, sage, parsley, salt, and pepper to the stuffing cube mixture bowl.
- Mix to combine everything.
Bake and Enjoy
- Add the stuffing to the prepared baking or casserole dish and bake for 65-75 minutes or until it is golden and crisp on top.
- It’s not necessary to cover the baking dish.
What if i don’t have stuffing cubes?
Can’t find any stuffing cubes at the store? You can also use french bread. Cut a fresh baguette into cubes, then bake for an hour at 200°F to dry the bread out. You can do this a day beforehand, see more details below!
Prepare the sausage stuffing as directed, transfer it to your baking dish, and let it cool completely. Cover and refrigerate for up to 24–48 hours.
When you’re ready to serve, bake it until heated through and golden on top. If it looks a bit dry after chilling, just drizzle a little broth over it before baking.
Easy Sausage Stuffing
Ingredients
- 8 cups store-bought unseasoned stuffing cubes
- ½ cup unsalted butter
- 1 ½ cups diced yellow onion
- 1 cup diced celery
- 4 garlic cloves minced
- 1 pound bulk sweet Italian sausage casings removed
- 2 ¾ cups low sodium chicken broth
- 1 large egg beaten
- 1 tablespoon fresh chopped rosemary
- 1 tablespoon fresh chopped sage
- 1/4 cup fresh chopped parsley
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- Adjust the oven rack to the middle position, and preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a 9×13 in baking dish with butter or coconut oil. Set aside.
- In a large glass bowl, add the stuffing cubes.
- In a large skillet or pot, add butter and melt for 1 minute. Then, add the onions and celery and cook over medium heat for about 5 to 8 minutes. Don’t forget to stir occasionally. Add the garlic and sauté for 1 to 2 minutes more. Place the vegetables in the stuffing cubes bowl.
- In the same skillet, add the sausage and cook for about 10 minutes. Break the sausage up with a wooden spoon as you cook it over medium heat.
- Then, add the browned sausage and fat to the stuffing cubes and vegetables bowl.
- Add the chicken broth, egg, rosemary, sage, parsley, salt and pepper to the stuffing cube mixture bowl and mix to combine all the ingredients.
- Add the stuffing in the prepared baking dish and bake for 65-75 minutes or until it is golden and crisp on top. It’s not necessary to cover the baking dish. Enjoy!
Notes
- To store: Put the leftover sausage stuffing into an airtight glass container and refrigerate for up to 3 days.
- To reheat: Rewarm leftover stuffing in the microwave, though I prefer to use the oven to crisp it back up. Simply bake at 350°F until warmed through.
- To freeze: Freeze cooked stuffing in a freezer-safe airtight container for up to 2 months.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Did You Make This?
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Could I have made this in a crockpot?
Sorry I’m not sure since I’ve never made it in a crockpot.
How would I adjust the seasoning for herb seasoned cubed stuffing? The store did not have any plain stuffing cubes.
Cut all the seasoning in half.
I make something like this but I use sage sausage (about 1/2 tube) and I like to make add a can of water chestnuts chopped up.
That sounds like a delicious twist! Sage sausage and water chestnuts would add great flavor and crunch. Thanks for sharing your variation! 😊