Best Sausage and Herb Stuffing
This is the Best Sausage and Herb Stuffing recipe you’ll ever have! With the perfect blend of fresh herbs, the aromatic vegetables, and the scrumptious sausage, this is so alluring you won’t be able to contain yourself! Being so simple and easy to make, you’re family and friends will fall in love with tantalizing stuffing!
Stuffing!
Who doesn’t love stuffing? It was one of my favorites growing up. It’s a perfect accompaniment for turkey, chicken, pork, and other meals. There are so many varieties that nearly every diet even has their own. I even knew a family that made tofu turkey with tofu stuffing. Definitely not for me, but, Hey! if they like, go for it.
Stuffing is mainly small pieces of bread with herbs and other seasoning that is typically “stuffed” in the cavity of poultry and cooked in it to absorb the flavors from the bird while cooking. However, it has become more common and popular to cooking it in a pan, which technically is called “dressing.” I don’t know about you, but I don’t know anyone who calls this “dressing” so I’ll stick with “stuffing.”
Best Sausage and Herb Stuffing
My stuffing is inspired from my father’s. While he often made his stuffing from a box, he also made this amazing sausage stuffing. While his memory has failed & I can no longer tap into his repository of recipes, I was his taste-tester because of my sensitive palate. So I have been able to replicate his stuffing with my own variation.
I try to buy a bag of unseasoned stuffing bread. I recently found out that my local grocery store will cube the bread for free, I just have to pay for the cost of the bread. So I go that route.
The key elements that make this stand out are the fresh herbs, the aromatic onions and celery that add a sweetness to it, and the butter which gives a, well, buttery flavor to the dish.
Make It Ahead
An awesome thing about stuffing, is you can make it a day or 2 ahead of time and it still be amazing when warmed up later.
- Cook the sausage, onions, celery, and garlic according to the recipe instructions.
- Mix the ingredients according to instructions and put in the casserole/baking pan.
- Cover it with plastic and put it in the fridge.
- Take it out an hour before you plan on putting it in the oven. according to the recipe instructions.
What Ingredients Are in Best Sausage and Herb Stuffing?
- Bag of Unseasoned Cubed Stuffing Bread
- Bulk Italian Sausage
- Chicken Stock
- Onions, diced
- Celery, diced
- Garlic, minced
- Butter
- Egg
- Parsley, fresh
- Sage, fresh
- Thyme, fresh
- Rosemary, fresh
- Dried Marjoram Leaves
- Salt and Pepper, to taste
Ingredient Notes & Substitutions
Bag Cubed Stuffing Bread – most brands are seasoned. So you have to look for unseasoned. The bakery at my local grocery store will cube bread for stuffing for free. So you may want to check with yours. You can also buy a couple loves of bread and cube and toast it yourself. There are instructions for that in the recipe.
Important! Prepackaged cubed bread is more dense than fresh cut. So a 12 ounce bag will look like there’s less volume, but it expands when liquid is added. Just remember, 12 ounces is 12 ounces.
Bulk Italian Sausage – if you can’t find bulk, you can use link sausage and remove the meat from the casing.
Egg – this helps bind everything together. Otherwise the various components will all be loose.
Dried Marjoram Leaves – marjoram is similar to oregano, but with a milder flavor. You can use 1/2 the amount of oregano if you can’t find marjoram.
How Is Best Sausage and Herb Stuffing Made?
- Heat the oven to 350° F. Spray a casserole dish with cooking spray. An 8×8″ dish works great.
- In a medium skillet over medium heat, brown the sausage until there is no more pink, about 5-7 minutes. Once the sausage is fully cooked, set it on a plate lined with paper towels to drain the excess grease.
- While the sausage is cooking, combine the bread, parsley, sage, thyme, rosemary, and marjoram, and mix well. Set aside.
- Using a small bowl or a measuring cup, combine the egg and chicken stock. Beat the egg into the chicken stock. Set this aside as well.
- Once the sausage is fully cooked, leave whatever grease is in the pan and add the butter to the same skillet. Next, add the onions and celery. Season with salt and pepper and saute until soft, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for another 1-2 minutes.
- Add the cooked sausage and cooked vegetables to the mixing bowl. Slowly pour in the chicken stock with egg mix into the bowl and stir gently. You can add a little, stir, add a little more, stir again, and so on. You want all the bread to get wet through with the chicken stock – don’t want any of it to be soggy or dry. I use a kitchen towel under the bowl to hold it still while I’m stirring.
- Once everything is mixed, pour the stuffing into the casserole dish and cover with foil. Place it in the oven for 45-50 minutes.
- If you would like the top a little more brown and crispy, bake for 30 minutes covered, then 20-30 minutes uncovered.
What Can I Do with the Leftovers?
The leftovers keep about 3-5 days in the fridge. You can reheat this on the stove, in the oven or microwave.
Can I Freeze the Stuffing?
Yes! You need to use an airtight container or freezer bag and it’ll stay tasty for up to 3 months. Thaw it on the counter or overnight in the fridge. Slightly warm it just before serving.
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Other Amazing Recipes That You’ll Love!
Juicy Herb-Roasted Turkey Breast
Haricot Verts (French Green Beans) with Garlic and Mushrooms
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Best Sausage and Herb Stuffing
Ingredients
- 12 ounce bag Cubed Stuffing Bread (see note for other options)
- 1 pound Bulk Italian Sausage
- 2 cups Chicken Stock
- 1 cup Onions, diced
- 1 cup Celery, diced
- 3 cloves Garlic, minced
- 2 Tablespoons Butter
- 1 Egg
- 1/4 cup Fresh Parsley, chopped
- 1 Tablespoon Fresh Sage, chopped fine
- 1 1/2 teaspoons Fresh Thyme, chopped fine
- 1 1/2 teaspoons Fresh Rosemary, chopped fine
- 1 teaspoon Dried Marjoram Leaves
- Salt and Pepper, to taste
Instructions
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Heat the oven to 350° F. Spray a casserole dish with cooking spray. An 8x8" dish works great.
-
In a medium skillet over medium heat, brown the sausage until there is no more pink, about 5-7 minutes. Once the sausage is fully cooked, set it on a plate lined with paper towels to drain the excess grease.
-
While the sausage is cooking, combine the bread, parsley, sage, thyme, rosemary, and marjoram, and mix well. Set aside.
-
Using a small bowl or a measuring cup, combine the egg and chicken stock. Beat the egg into the chicken stock. Set this aside as well.
-
Once the sausage is fully cooked, leave whatever grease is in the pan and add the butter to the same skillet. Next, add the onions and celery. Season with salt and pepper and saute until soft, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for another 1-2 minutes.
-
Add the cooked sausage and cooked vegetables to the mixing bowl. Slowly pour in the chicken stock with egg mix into the bowl and stir gently. You can add a little, stir, add a little more, stir again, and so on. You want all the bread to get wet through with the chicken stock. You don't want any of it to be soggy or dry. I use a kitchen towel under the bowl to hold it still while I'm stirring.
-
Once everything is mixed, pour the stuffing into the casserole dish and cover with foil. Place it in the oven for 45-50 minutes.
-
If you would like the top a little more brown and crispy, bake for 30 minutes covered, then 20-30 minutes uncovered.
Recipe Notes
Homemade Cubed Bread
- Use a bread like French, Italian, or similar, and cut it into small cubes.
- Set the oven to 250º. Spread out the cubes of bread on cooking sheets. Place the sheets in the oven and toast for 45-60 minutes. Every 15 minutes, stir the cubes around to get all side toasted. You want the bread to be completely dry.
- Remove from the oven and allow to cool before mix the stuffing.
