Description
This Easy Sausage & Herb Stuffing recipe combines savory bulk sweet Italian sausage with aromatic fresh herbs, tender vegetables, and buttery bread cubes for a classic, flavorful holiday side dish. It is baked until golden and crisp on top, perfect to complement your festive meals.
Ingredients
Scale
Stuffing Base
- 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
Sausage
- 1 pound bulk sweet Italian sausage (sausage with casings removed)
Other Ingredients
- 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 and Prepare Baking Dish: Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C) and grease a 9 x 13-inch baking dish with butter to prevent sticking and promote even browning.
- Mix Stuffing Cubes: Place the unseasoned stuffing cubes into a large mixing bowl, setting the base for your stuffing.
- Sauté Vegetables: In a large sauté pan, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the diced onions and celery, cooking for about 8 minutes until softened and fragrant. Add the chopped garlic and cook an additional 2 minutes. Transfer the cooked vegetables to the bowl with the stuffing cubes, scraping every bit from the pan.
- Cook Sausage: Using the same pan, cook the bulk sweet Italian sausage over medium heat, breaking it apart with a spatula until it is browned and cooked through, about 8-10 minutes. Ensure the sausage pieces are no larger than ¼ inch. Add the cooked sausage and its rendered fat to the stuffing bowl with vegetables and bread cubes.
- Combine Ingredients: Pour in the chicken broth, beaten egg, fresh rosemary, sage, parsley, salt, and pepper into the bread cube mixture. Mix gently but thoroughly until the bread is moistened and soft from the liquid.
- Bake the Stuffing: Transfer the combined stuffing mixture to the prepared baking dish. Bake uncovered for 65-75 minutes until the top develops a deeply golden, crisp crust.
Notes
- If bulk sausage is not available, use regular sausage and remove the casings before cooking.
- The stuffing can be assembled a day ahead and refrigerated; add a few extra minutes when baking straight from the fridge.
- To freeze, bake the stuffing first, then cool and tightly cover it. Freeze for up to 3 months. Defrost in the refrigerator for 24 hours before reheating covered at 325°F until warm.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1/8 of recipe
- Calories: 350 kcal
- Sugar: 2 g
- Sodium: 500 mg
- Fat: 20 g
- Saturated Fat: 8 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 10 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 25 g
- Fiber: 3 g
- Protein: 15 g
- Cholesterol: 75 mg
