Everyone needs a good apple sausage stuffing recipe that always turns out delicious. This dish would be the perfect side for Thanksgiving. Follow along for all my tips to make a delicious stuffing!
Have you check out our Thanksgiving recipe collection? Our homemade stuffing recipe and spiced turkey are family favorites and we love serving them with garlic mashed potatoes or cheesy scalloped potatoes and top it all with homemade turkey gravy! This sausage stuffing is another favorite that shows up at our Thanksgiving table year after year!
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Ingredients
Sausage - I used chicken sausage for this recipe, but you can also use pork sausage if preferred.
Onion and celery - This would be the base of the stuffing. Make sure to chop the vegetables finely.
Apples - Granny Smith apples work best for this recipe because of their slight sourness.
Herbs - You need parsley and thyme to make apple sausage stuffing. If fresh thyme isn't available, you can use dried thyme.
Croutons - When it comes to croutons, both homemade and store-bought would work.
Stock - You can use either vegetable or chicken stock. Check out this homemade stock recipe if you'd like to make it from scratch.
Instructions
- Start by cooking the chicken sausage over medium high heat until browned and cooked. Break the sausage into crumbles as you cook it. Transfer the browned sausage to a plate and set it aside.
- In the same pan, cook onions, celery and apples. Add in the spices, salt and pepper. Add the cooked sausage back to the pan and stir to combine.
- Add the croutons and stir well.
- Mix in the chicken stock and transfer everything to an oven safe dish and bake in the oven at 350 degrees F until crispy on top, about 30 minutes.
Serving suggestions
As stuffing is part of a the Thanksgiving meal, it's usually served alongside roasted turkey or herbed turkey breast. If you don't have enough drippings, try my turkey gravy without drippings. Of course, you can't forget the cranberry sauce, sweet potato casserole and creamy mashed potatoes. It's once a year but it's a good one!
Frequently asked questions
I always cook the stuffing separately either in a pan on stove top or in a dish in the oven. Cooking stuffing inside the turkey keeps too long and also might make the turkey a bit dry. Therefore it's always safer to cook it separately.
I usually cook the stuffing uncovered so it gets that crispy top that I love the most. You can also bake it covered for 30 minutes and uncovered for the last ten minutes.
You can make stuffing up to two days in advance. Cook the sausage, onions, celery and apples with the spices, mix with croutons and chicken stock. Transfer the mixture to an oven safe dish and cover tightly. Refrigerate until ready to cook and then cook for 30 minutes at 350F.
Yes, stuffing keeps well in the freezer for up to three months. Store stuffing in an airtight container and freeze. Thaw in the fridge overnight and reheat in the oven at 350F for 30 minutes or until heated through.
Variations
You can elevate this easy stuffing recipe quite simply:
- Sausage apple cranberry : leave the celery out and add cranberries instead. This one would have a tart flavor that would be perfect with apples.
- Apple stuffing: leave out the sausage and use sage to add more flavor.
- Vegetarian : use vegetable stock instead of chicken stock.
- Turkey sausage stuffing recipe: Leave out the chicken sausage and use turkey sausage instead.
Notes and tips
- You can use either store bought or homemade croutons. Store bought croutons are usually smaller and yield a denser stuffing whereas homemade croutons usually make a more sparse stuffing.
- Any kind of sausage would work in this recipe so go with what you love most. I personally prefer chicken or turkey sausage and award bonus points if it's spiced.
- Don't want to use the oven? Just cover the pan after adding the chicken stock and turn the heat to medium low and let the stuffing cook for 25 to 30 minutes.
- I used granny smith apples for this recipe because of the sweet and tart flavor they bring to the dish. Honeycrisp or pink lady apples would work very well, too. The apple should be crisp and not soft.
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Step-by-Step Recipe
Apple Sausage Stuffing Recipe
Ingredients
- 6 oz chicken sausage
- 2 tablespoon unsalted butter
- 2 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 onion chopped
- 2 stalks celery chopped
- 2 Granny Smith apples diced
- ½ cup parsley chopped
- 2 teaspoon fresh thyme chopped
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
- 2 tablespoon maple syrup optional
- 6 cup croutons homemade or store-bought
- 1 ½ cups chicken stock More if needed
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350° F. Coat an oven safe dish (9X9 or 9X13) with non stick spray.
- Place a large pan over medium heat. Once heated, cook the chicken sausage and break it into pieces as you cook. Transfer the cooked sausage to a plate. Set aside.
- In the same pan, melt the butter and add the olive oil. Sauté the onion and celery until translucent.
- Add in the diced apples and cook for 5 minutes.
- Add in the cooked sausage, parsley, thyme, salt, smoked paprika and maple syrup if using. Stir well so that everything is combined.
- Mix in the croutons and stir well.
- Mix in chicken stock using a wooden spoon.
- Transfer the stuffing to the oven safe dish. Make sure everything is well combined.
- Bake in the oven for 30 minutes until golden brown and crispy on top.
Notes
- You can use either store bought or homemade croutons. Store bought croutons are usually smaller and yield a denser stuffing whereas homemade croutons usually make a more sparse stuffing.
- Any kind of sausage would work in this recipe so go with what you love most. I personally prefer chicken or turkey sausage and award bonus points if it's spiced.
- Don't want to use the oven? Just cover the pan after adding the chicken stock and turn the heat to medium low and let the stuffing cook for 25 to 30 minutes.
- I used granny smith apples for this recipe because of the sweet and tart flavor they bring to the dish. Honeycrisp or pink lady apples would work very well, too. The apple should be crisp and not soft.
- You can use vegetable stock instead of chicken stock. Also, turkey broth would work great, too.
- If you like all parts of the stuffing to be soft and not crispy, cover the dish with an aluminum foil and then bake in the oven.
Ashley
I don't really love traditional stuffing so I love the addition of apple and sausage in this one. It's always a favorite!
Shadi HasanzadeNemati
Hope you enjoy it!
Karly
Oh my, this apple sausage stuffing was fantastic! I'm glad I tested it out before the holiday season because I am DEFINITELY serving this now!
Shadi HasanzadeNemati
Sausage stuffing is great for the holidays!