A stuffing that is not too mushy or soggy! This stuffing is a mixture of Sage Pork Sausage, veggies, homemade bread cubes, fresh herbs, apples, and dried cranberries.
This recipe was adapted from a stuffing recipe my cousin Stephanie brought for Thanksgiving. My husband and I have never really cared for stuffing, but she insisted we try it. We did...and we both loved it!
We liked the combination of flavors and the texture (we don't like stuffing that is too wet and mushy).
If you prefer the traditional wetter mushier stuffing, simply add in more broth and egg (see tips below).
Make Ahead:
This is a great make ahead side-dish for the holidays! Just make it a day ahead, without adding the broth. Then cover and refrigerate. When ready to eat, just bring it out to rest on the counter about 30-60 minute, mix in the broth, then follow instructions for baking!
Storage & Reheating:
This sausage stuffing makes delicious leftovers!
We reheated ours in the microwave the next day, and it was sill just as delicious, and the texture was still perfect! You can also reheat in the oven.
Or, freeze leftovers, and bake at 350ºF covered until heated through.
Tips for the Best Sausage Stuffing:
A few tips on some of the ingredients used in the Sausage stuffing:
- For maximum flavor, fresh herbs are recommended! But you can use dried herbs as well. Conversions are noted in the recipe card.
- I used Jimmy Dean's Premium Sage Pork Sausage, but you can use any sausage you would like. Just make sure to increase the amount of dried sage added to the recipe to 1 ½ tsp.
- If possible, make your own dried bread cubes! You can make it up to 2 weeks in advance. I just bake it a couple days before, or while i'm prepping all of the other ingredients. Make sure they are DRY. The first time we made this, we baked them at 350ºF for 10 minutes, and it slightly toasted them, but did not do a good job at drying them. So our stuffing came out way too mushy and partially soggy!
- This stuffing is drier than your typical stuffing. For a more traditional "mushier" stuffing, increase the chicken stock by ½ cup more, and mix in two eggs if desired.
- We prefer to bake this on it's own! But, if you want to cook this stuffed inside a turkey, reduce the broth to ⅔ cups.
Need other ideas for holiday sides? Try our Creamy Mac and Cheese with Ritz Topping, or Easy Skillet Cornbread! Enjoy! 🙂
Sausage Stuffing {with Apples, Cranberries, and Herbs}
Ingredients
- 8 cups bread blend cubed into ½" pieces (see notes for more info)
- 1 lb. sage pork sausage or other pork/turkey sausage (add 1tsp more sage if not using Sage Sausage)
- 1 cup onion diced (1 small, or ½ large)
- ¾ cup celery diced (about 2-3 stalks)
- 1 cup dried cranberries (I used Craisins)
- 1 large fuji apple cored and chopped
- 1 ¼ cup chicken or turkey broth divided
- 4 tablespoon unsalted butter melted (if using salted butter do not add additional salt)
- 1 ½ tablespoon fresh rosemary minced (if using dry use 1 ½ tsp)
- 1 teaspoon fresh thyme minced (if using dry use ½ tsp)
- ⅓ cup fresh parsley
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- ½ teaspoon dried sage
Instructions
- If drying your own bread: Preheat oven to 250ºF.
- Cut the bread into about ¼-1/2” cubes, and spread out in one layer on a large sheet pan.
- Bake for 45-60 minutes until dried out, stirring about every 20 minutes.
- Add sausage to a large skillet, cook for 10 minutes on medium heat.
- Add celery, onions, salt, pepper, and dried sage. Cook 5 minutes.
- Add ¼ chicken stock, and cook 2 minutes, scraping any browned bits left on the bottom of the pan. Set aside and let cool.
- In a large mixing bowl, add the dried bread, sausage mixture, apple, cranberries, thyme, rosemary, and parsley.
- Then pour the melted butter and the remaining chicken broth, being careful to not pour it all in one spot.
- Mix all of the ingredients together, and pour the stuffing into a lightly greased 9”x13” (or 3 qt.) casserole baking dish.
- Cover the dish with foil, and Bake at 350ºF for 40 minutes.
- Remove the foil, and bake uncovered an additional 15 minutes.
- Optional: Garnish with a sprinkle of fresh cut parsley.
- Ready to serve!
Video
Notes
- I used ½ sourdough bread and ½ whole wheat bread. But you can use any combination of breads you like. It turned out to be 4 large slices of sourdough, and 4 sliced whole wheat bread.
- I also measured the bread in ounces: 8 cups of bread= 12 oz. fresh cut bread, or 8 oz. dried bread
- Make sure to take the time to DRY your fresh bread for an hour in the oven! If you skip this step, the stuffing will come out soggy or mushier. You can dry the bread up to two weeks before! It only takes 1 hour in the oven.
- If you don't have time to make your own bread cubes, you can use store bought.
Watch the VIDEO on how to make Sausage Stuffing. Make sure to subscribe to my YouTube Cooking Channel so that you never miss a recipe video! 🙂
Recipe adapted from AllRecipes.com
