Bake up a warm & comforting batch of this Apple and Sausage Stuffing this holiday season! Hearty bits of Italian sausage are combined with thick cubes of rustic bread, crisp apple pieces, fresh herbs and toppings then baked in a spice-filled, savory broth. Your home will smell heavenly, and everyone will flock to the kitchen when you have this in the oven!
Recipe Notes:
Favorite Fall Things – This is the ultimate fall comfort side dish. It’s packed with cubes of bread, all the fall spices, apples, cranberries and sausage!
Easy to Make – Stuffing is one of those easy, ‘throw it in a dish and bake’ type of recipes.
Thanksgiving Special – If you want to spice up your classic stuffing recipe for Thanksgiving, this is the way to do it! It’ll pair perfectly with your turkey!
Fresh Ingredients – This is a homemade stuffing, and doesn’t need a box mix to make. It’s also packed with fresh herbs, fruit and vegetables!
Stuffing may not be everyone’s favorite dish at the Thanksgiving table, but I promise after they try this recipe, their mind will be changed forever! The savory flavor and hint of spice from the Italian sausage is balanced out perfectly with the sweet, tartness of the apple. Then all those beautiful flavors are harmoniously soaked up into the chewy pieces of crusted bread. I’m drooling just thinking about it!
Ingredient Info
- Italian Sausage – Italian sausage has the perfect spiciness and flavor for this recipe in my opinion. However, a regular pork sausage or even breakfast sausage would work for this recipe as well.
- Apples – I used Granny Smith apples, but you can use a different type of apple. Honeycrisp apples, Gala apples, and Pink Lady apples are going to be the closest to Granny Smith in terms of taste and texture.
- Rustic Bread – Rustic bread is loosely defined as a fresh bread that is baked with a dark crust on the outside. Freshly baked french bread, sourdough or anything that is labeled Rustic/Artisan at the grocery store is perfect for this recipe. You can also buy the store bought stuffing cubes, just know they may absorb liquid a bit differently.
- Toasted Pecans – You can just buy a bag of pecans and toast them on a pan with a little bit of oil. You can also skip toasting them, or buy them pre-toasted. If anyone in your family has nut allergies, you can easily omit these.
- Dried Cranberries – This adds a lovely, sweet tartness to the recipe. You can use raisins instead if you prefer, or omit this ingredient.
- Broth – You can use chicken broth, or vegetable broth. You can use turkey broth as well if they have it in stock around Thanksgiving.
Step by Step Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease a casserole baking dish and set aside. Grab a separate large baking sheet. Add the cubed bread to the baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and toss together until evenly coated. Spread the pieces out so they don’t touch, then pop in the oven to bake for 10-15 minutes, until crispy. Toss bread halfway through if needed. Set aside.
- Grab a large skillet and heat over medium heat. Add the Italian sausage to the skillet and cook until browned. Transfer browned sausage to a dish and set aside. Add diced onion, diced celery and garlic to the same skillet and sauté for 5 minutes. Add the apples and stir to combine. Cook for 5 more minutes, stirring every so often. Once the apples are slightly softened, remove the skillet from heat.
- In a separate mixing bowl, add the toasted bread cubes, browned sausage, sautéed apples and veggies, dried cranberries, pecans, thyme, sage, cinnamon and nutmeg. Evenly pour the melted butter on top of everything then add the broth. Stir everything together gently until evenly moist, not soggy. Add salt and pepper then fold together. Let sit for 5 minutes.
- Pour the mixture into the prepared casserole dish. Wrap the top of the dish in foil, then bake in the 350°F preheated oven for 30 minutes. Take the dish out of the oven and remove the foil. Bake for 15 more minutes or until gold and crisp on top. Remove and let cool for 5 minutes. Serve warm and enjoy!
Tips & Advice
Storage – You can store the leftover stuffing in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. You can also portion out servings and freeze them in the fridge for up to 3 months. To reheat, microwave or pop back in the oven at 350°F until warmed through. You can add a splash of broth to the leftover stuffing if it is dry.
Make Ahead – You can also prepare the stuffing a day ahead of time. Just combine everything, add it to the baking dish, cover and refrigerate the day before. Pop it in the oven when you’re ready to bake it the next day.
Food Allergies – If anyone in your family has nut allergies, you can easily leave the pecans out. If you are making or bringing this dish to a meal where you aren’t sure if there are any allergies, you might want to give people a heads up that the dish involves nuts, just to be safe.
Soft vs. Crispy Stuffing
Here are a few things you can do if you like a softer stuffing. Pre-toasting the bread cubes makes it crispy. If you want it less crispy, toast the bread for less time before adding it to the stuffing.
The more liquid in the stuffing, the softer it will be. Add more liquid if you like your stuffing extra soft.
For a crispier stuffing, add less liquid to the mixture. You can also broil it for 2-3 minutes after baking to get a nice, crispy crust if it is not already to your liking.
Equipment
For this fabulous fall stuffing recipe, you’ll need a few or all of the following materials:
FAQs
It is made up of a mixture of bread cubes, sausage, apples, dried cranberries, pecans, veggies, spices, herbs, and a broth.
You do not need to add an egg to this recipe! Eggs typically act as the glue for a stuffing, to hold all the ingredients together. However, it is simply not needed for this recipe.
Serves Well With
We all know the real stars of the show at any holiday dinner are the side dishes! Along with this fantastic Sausage Apple Stuffing, you may find another delicious dish to pair with it below. Check them out!
- Candied Yams
- Yukon Gold Mashed Potatoes
- Mashed Butternut Squash
- Homemade Dinner Rolls
- Green Bean Casserole
- Air Fryer Brussel Sprouts
- Broccoli Cornbread
- Butternut Squash Mac and Cheese
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Sausage Apple Stuffing
Ingredients
- 1 lb Italian sausage
- 3 Granny Smith apples (peeled and diced)
- 1 loaf rustic bread (about 8 cups)
- 1 cup onion (diced)
- 2 stalks celery (chopped)
- 2 cloves garlic (minced)
- 1/2 cup dried cranberries
- 1/4 cup toasted pecans (chopped)
- 2 teaspoons fresh thyme (chopped)
- 1 teaspoon fresh sage (chopped)
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1 1/2 cups chicken broth
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter (melted)
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease a casserole baking dish and set aside. Grab a separate large baking sheet. Add the cubed bread to the baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and toss together until evenly coated. Spread the pieces out so they don’t touch and pop in the oven to bake for 10-15 minutes, until crispy. Toss bread halfway through if needed. Set aside.
- Grab a large skillet and heat over medium heat. Add the Italian sausage to the skillet and cook until browned. Transfer browned sausage to a dish and set aside. Add diced onion, diced celery and garlic to the same skillet and saute for 5 minutes. Add the apples and stir to combine. Cook for 5 more minutes, stirring every so often. Once the apples are slightly softened, remove the skillet from heat.
- In a separate mixing bowl, add the toasted bread cubes, browned sausage, sauteed apples and veggies, dried cranberries, pecans, thyme, sage, cinnamon and nutmeg. Evenly pour the melted butter on top of everything then add the broth. Stir everything together gently until evenly moist, not soggy. Add salt and pepper then fold together. Let sit for 5 minutes.
- Pour the mixture into the prepared casserole dish. Wrap the top of the dish in foil, then bake in the 350°F preheated oven for 30 minutes. Take the dish out of the oven and remove the foil. Bake for 15 more minutes or until gold and crisp on top. Remove and let cool for 5 minutes. Serve warm and enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
The nutrition facts provided are calculated using a third-party tool and are estimates only. Actual nutritional content may vary based on the ingredients and brands you use, as well as portion sizes. For accurate results, please consult a registered dietitian or nutritionist.
Meet Christi, Love From The Oven
I’m Christi I love sharing easy & delicious recipes that your family & friends will love. I’m a mom, baker, cookbook author and lover of sprinkles.
