Sausage and Apple Stuffing
I’m going to be honest. I could not possibly care less about the turkey on Thanksgiving. But what I do care about is an abundance of ONLY the good sides. My plate is generally 40% mashed potatoes, 20% green beans, 30% stuffing, and the remaining 10% a slice of ham and tiny sampling of the other offerings. The stuffing and potatoes are my clear victors (hello carbs, I love you). As I mentioned in one of my last Thanksgiving posts, my family is massive and we get together each year to celebrate. My mom always brings the stuffing. For years I’ve sat at her kitchen island and watched her chop apples and bread and celery to make a delicious stuffing to feed 40 or 50 people. This is not her recipe, but my riff on years and years of memories of eating it. I love the sweet crunch of the apples and how the sausage bulks up the dish. The onions and celery are homey and comforting, and the smell is so delicious… Even now, if I close my eyes I’m transported to my parents house on the lake, stuffing ingredients sautéing on the stove, and the Macy’s parade on in the background. My happy place.
This recipe can easily be made and assembled the day ahead and cooked in time for dinner. I would just remove it from the fridge 30-45 minutes ahead of time so it doesn’t take too long to bake.
I like to make my own bread crumbs because it’s easy and I prefer the texture. You can do this one of two ways. Option one is to cut the loaf and a half of bread into 1” cubes the night before and lay them all out on a baking sheet to dry them out overnight. Option two is to cut up your bread and toss it into the oven for 12-15 minutes while the oven is preheating, turning them into croutons. This is the method I usually go with. I like to use sourdough or French bread, or often a combination of the two. You’ll need to get your hands a bit messy with this recipe, but it’s important to make sure every single morsel is soaked through with all o! This stuffing is so freaking good, I hope you’ll try it. I guarantee it’ll become your new standby for years to come.
SAUSAGE AND APPLE STUFFING
Yields 8-12 servings Prep time: 25 minutes, cook time 45 minutes
INGREDIENTS:
20 oz bread cubes roughly a loaf and a half
5 T butter
2 white onions, diced
4 garlic cloves, minced
5 celery stalks, diced
1½ T chopped fresh sage
2 t fresh or dried rosemary
1 t parsley
1 t thyme
1½ t salt
1 t pepper
1 lb ground sausage
1 honeycrisp apple, diced
2 cups chicken broth
2 eggs
DIRECTIONS:
1.) Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and grease a 9x13 casserole dish. Toast your bread cubes if they aren’t yet prepped.
2.) Add the the butter to a saucepan over medium heat. Add in the diced onions and celery, along with the garlic and all of the seasonings. Cook the vegetables for 7-9 minutes until the onions have softened. Pour in the chicken stock, and use a wooden spoon to scrape up all the bits from the base of the pan. Pour the contents of the pan over the breadcrumbs in the prepared casserole dish.
3.) Back in the same pan, cook the sausage. Use a wooden spoon to break it into small crumbles. Add the cooked sausage to the casserole dish. Begin to toss the mixture with your hands once it is cool enough to handle. Everything should be evenly coated, and quite wet.
4.) Dice the apple into small half-inch pieces and fold into the stuffing mixture, along with two beaten eggs.
5.) Bake the stuffing at 350 for 45 minutes. If the tops of the breadcrumbs are browning too quickly, tent the dish with foil. If the stuffing feels too wet at the 45 minute mark, add an additional 5 minutes. Garnish with fresh sage and rosemary.
