Sausage and Apple Stuffing

Sausage and apple stuffing is a scrumptious Thanksgiving dressing recipe with sausage, apples, onions, croutons, walnut, and sage topping. It's savory, sweet, and easy to make! Sausage and apple stuffing is a holiday dinner must.

Every holiday table needs a stuffing to go with turkey, gravy, and cranberry sauce. It's a classic, holiday stuffing that can be served right from the skillet. Sausage apple stuffing has the perfect balance of produce, sausage, and bread (croutons). It's so easy and delicious, no holiday table should be without it.

Apple sausage stuffing ingredients

• croutons or cubed bread
• pork sausage
• unsalted butter - or olive oil
• red apples - can be non-tart or semi-tart (such as honey crisp or pink lady)
• onion
• celery
• chicken broth
• eggs
• sage leaves (optional)
• walnuts
• parsley

How to make sausage stuffing

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. Preheat a 12” oven-safe skillet on the stove over medium-high heat.
3. Add SAUSAGE, break into small pieces, and cook until no longer pink, stirring as needed.
4. Transfer to a mixing bowl, drain grease (if needed) and set aside.
5. In the same skillet on med-high heat, melt BUTTER.
6. Add ONION, APPLES, and CELERY. Sauté until tender, stirring as needed.
7. Fold CROUTONS and cooked SAUSAGE into the vegetables.
8. In a separate mixing bowl, whisk CHICKEN BROTH and EGGS together until well-combined.
9. Pour over vegetables and gently stir to lightly coat the croutons.
10. Top with SAGE LEAVES and WALNUTS. Bake (uncovered) 35-45 minutes until the top is golden brown. Allow to rest 10 minutes.

What’s the difference between stuffing and dressing?

Thanksgiving dressing and stuffing can have similar ingredients, but the cooking method sets them apart.

• Stuffing is a filling of one or more food ingredients that are placed and cooked inside of something else.
• Dressing describes similar ingredients to stuffing, but rather than stuffing it in a turkey, the ingredients are baked in a casserole dish.

Geography plays a roll too. In the south, it's often called sausage dressing for Thanksgiving while Northerners call it sausage stuffing, even when it’s not stuffed inside of anything.

Sausage Stuffing Recipe Notes

The best sausage for sausage stuffing

I prefer pork sausage for this recipe, but feel free to use turkey sausage or chicken sausage in equal amounts.

Best apples for apple sausage stuffing

You can use any apples you like for sausage apple stuffing. I prefer a tart Ambrosia apple, but any red or golden apple will provide the perfect balance to the savory flavors in this Thanksgiving dressing.

What's the best bread for stuffing?

You can use packaged croutons or homemade croutons for this sausage stuffing recipe. You can also dry out a loaf of French bread, cube it, and use it instead of croutons.

The best broth for sausage stuffing

The best broth for sausage stuffing is turkey broth, but if you don't have it on hand, you can use chicken broth or vegetable broth. Any of these will work here because the other ingredients promise a flavorful dish regardless of what broth you use.

How to make bread stale for stuffing

You have two options to make stale bread.

1. Allow the bread to turn stale by leaving it in a poorly sealed container at room temperature for a few days.
2. Cube the bread and toast in a 300°F oven for a minutes at a time until it's golden and dried out.

How to keep stuffing moist

Nobody likes dry stuffing. You can keep stuffing moist by adding broth or stock, or even water. However, too much liquid can make the stuffing loose and watery. The added eggs in this recipe will help keep it from drying out as it bakes in the oven.

Why do you put an egg in stuffing?

The eggs in this sausage stuffing recipe are used as a binder and for moisture. They make the ingredients cohesive, although not to be mistaken for a casserole.

Walnuts in stuffing?

Yep! Walnuts are totally optional, but highly recommended! They add unexpected, delicious flavor and texture to any Thanksgiving stuffing. Who doesn't love apples and walnuts together?

Can I make sausage stuffing ahead of time?

You can prepare components of this sausage stuffing recipe up to two days in advance. For instance, you can make the croutons, saute the produce, and cook the sausage, but don't combine these. Instead, store each component separately in airtight containers. On serving day, continue the recipe instructions where everything gets combined and baked.

Recommended tools

• bread knife or chef's knife
• cutting board
• mixing bowl
• baking sheet (only if oven-drying bread cubes)
• 3.5 qt casserole pan
• stirring utensil

Other holiday recipes

• Herb Roasted Turkey Breast
• Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes
• Baked Smashed Potatoes
• Shaved Brussels Sprout Salad
• Baked Butternut Squash Mac and Cheese
• Pomegranate Cranberry Relish