4.75 stars (12 ratings)
37 Comments »
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Make your stuffing ahead of time! It’s easy, quick, and flavorful with crumbled sausage, fresh herbs, and apples! SO GOOD!!!
There’s a ton of stuffing recipes out there. I have seen a lot of them using chorizo, some using buffalo cheddar bear bread and even a pumpkin puree one.
But to me, stuffing is a classic.
So let’s just keep it simple. I used fresh herbs, a combination of my favorite breads –sourdough, multigrain, whole wheat and pumpernickel – crumbled sausage, and tart apples.
It’s a blend of savory and sweet, moist on the inside with just enough crunch and crispness on the top.
You can also stuff it in the bird, or bake it separately.
Just note that you can make this 1 day ahead of time! Also, calories don’t count during Thanksgiving. That’s why we use almost a whole stick of butter here.
Apple Walnut Sausage Stuffing
Yield: 8 servings
Prep: 15 minutes minutes
Cook: 1 hour hour 5 minutes minutes
Total: 1 hour hour 20 minutes minutes
Make your stuffing ahead of time! It's easy, quick, and flavorful with crumbled sausage, fresh herbs, and apples! SO GOOD!!!
4.8 stars (12 ratings)
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Ingredients
- 10 cups 1-inch bread cubes*
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 pound mild ground pork sausage
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 onion, diced
- 1 ½ cups sliced celery
- 2 Braeburn apples, chopped
- 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh sage leaves
- 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh thyme leaves
- 1 cup toasted walnuts
- ½ cup finely chopped fresh parsley
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 2 ½ cups chicken stock
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.Lightly oil a 9 x 13 baking dish or coat with nonstick spray.
Spread bread cubes in a single layer on a baking sheet. Place into oven and bake until crisp and golden, about 10-12 minutes; set aside.
Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add sausage and cook until browned, about 3-5 minutes, making sure to crumble the sausage as it cooks; set aside.
Melt butter in the skillet.Add garlic, onion and celery, and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, about 4-5 minutes. Stir in apples, sage and thyme until fragrant, about 1 minute.
In a large bowl, combine bread, sausage, apple mixture, walnuts and parsley; season with salt and pepper, to taste. Stir in chicken stock until absorbed and well combined.*
Spread bread mixture into the prepared baking dish. Place into oven and bake until top is browned, about 45 minutes.
Serve immediately.
Notes
*A mixture of breads such as sourdough, multigrain, whole wheat or pumpernickel can be used, if desired. Or you can simply use 1 (16-ounce) loaf of your choice.
*This can be made 1 day ahead. Let cool; cover and chill.
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posted on November 13, 2017under christmas, side dish, thanksgiving
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37 comments -
Cindy Whitworth — December 22, 2023 @ 9:30 AM Reply
The stuffing was so delicious. The only thing I have complain about is it was a gray color, what do I do to avoid this in the future also, it calls for one cup of walnuts do we chop the walnuts or do they stay whole?
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Carl Pruschowsky — November 23, 2023 @ 5:57 AM Reply
I made my pretty much the exact same as above except i just got store bought stuffing cubes. It was fantastic. I always go a little heavy handed on the sausage and nuts so mine comes up with a pretty small bread ratio but you can easily adjust portions to your liking. This is my go to recipe
-
Sharon Turner — November 13, 2023 @ 5:40 PM Reply
I love all your recipes but would really love it if you included Nutritional Information. Especially looking for sodium content for those of us with high blood pressure issues. Thank you.
-
Polly — January 3, 2023 @ 7:36 AM Reply
Mine turned out an unattractive gray color… don’t know how to avoid that, but it tasted good.
-
Penny — November 20, 2022 @ 8:00 AM Reply
Love it!
-
Laura — November 28, 2020 @ 2:13 PM Reply
I never make good stuffing. I thought I would try one last year to make it from scratch. I’m so glad I did. I’ve never made a bad recipe of yours so I thought this one had to be good. It’s going to be my go to for thanksgiving every year. Thank you so much for such a great site!
-
Larry — November 12, 2020 @ 11:16 AM Reply
This is a very good recipe. A lot of people I know don’t like sage, thyme, or poultry seasoning in their dressing. I made a similar version of this recipe but I used a spice blend called Italian Seasoning. It is more of an everyday flavor than the traditional seasonings and people prefer it over the old fashioned version.
I also make a double recipe. Then I portion out about three cup servings and freeze them so I have this dressing all year. Best to cook it in the oven in a nonstick frying pan so it browns nicely because freezing makes the dressing a little wetter.
One other tip is that I use an electric knife to cut my bread into cubes. It doesn’t crush the bread like a knife does.
-
Alicia — November 12, 2020 @ 6:33 AM Reply
I’m so happy I found your site. I love all of your recipes so much. Everything always turns out so good. I will be making this stuffing this year. Wishing you a Happy Thanksgiving from Northwest Arkansas.
-
Sonia — April 10, 2020 @ 9:30 AM Reply
Can you make this in the crock pot?
-
Heidi — November 30, 2019 @ 10:34 AM Reply
What is a good substitute for the braeburn apples?
-
Jana @ Damn Delicious — November 30, 2019 @ 3:54 PM Reply
You can really use any apple that is on the tart side. I’d say Honeycrisp is probably your best bet but as always, please use your best judgment when making substitutions and modifications.
-
Dawn — November 28, 2019 @ 4:45 AM Reply
Can this recipe be made with a StoveTop breadcrumbs?
-
Jane Marie Gramza — November 26, 2019 @ 7:44 PM Reply
This sounds so good! All I have on hand is gala apples. Will those be alright in the dressing? Thanks!
-
Susan Adachi — December 1, 2018 @ 9:58 AM Reply
Dear Chungah, thank you for a damn delicious stuffing! My sister and I shared Thanksgiving cooking duties and this smelled so good even before we baked it, it was all we could do to stop ourselves from chowing down. We followed your recipe exactly and used 8 cups sourdough and two cups of pumpernickel. It made a great flavor combination. We have tossed all of our other stuffing recipes and will never even explore another one… why mess with perfection! Thanks again for helping make our holiday special.
-
Jana @ Damn Delicious — December 3, 2018 @ 8:37 AM Reply
Aw thank you, Susan! We love hearing that!
-
Erika — November 28, 2017 @ 8:41 AM Reply
This was such a quick and yummy dish for our Thanksgiving dinner! I’m going to use a different ground meat next time as the Italian sausage was a little overpowering. I’ll use the regular recipe as a separate meal in the future!
-
Chrissie — November 23, 2017 @ 7:25 PM Reply
This was really good! We made this for our Thanksgiving, and stuffed the turkey but also had some left over that we baked in a dish. I love the flavors and the fresh herbs. We used chicken sausage and some homemade wheat bread that was starting to dry out.
-
Terri — November 21, 2017 @ 3:58 PM Reply
If I’m making a version without the sausage for my vegetarian friends, what do I adjust to make sure it stays damn delicious? Thanks! Love your recipes and spirit!!
-
Chungah — November 21, 2017 @ 8:19 PM Reply
Have you thought about using vegetarian sausage?
-
Terri — November 22, 2017 @ 7:13 AM Reply
No! What a great idea and only one batch to make. Thanks and happy thanksgiving!
-
Tony Jae — November 19, 2020 @ 10:56 PM Reply
I was also thinking how to make this more vegetarian friendly, maybe subbing the sausage with assorted mushrooms (oyster, shiitake, cremini). Thoughts??
-
Joanna — November 21, 2017 @ 2:37 PM Reply
If I make the day before, do I fully cook it and then let it stand and chill overnight? How and how long do I need to reheat it?
-
Chungah — November 21, 2017 @ 8:26 PM Reply
Yes, you can reheat in the oven at 350 degrees F, covered, for about 20 minutes, or until heated through.
-
Breanna — November 17, 2017 @ 4:19 PM Reply
Trader Joe’s sells cooked apple sausage, do you think you could use that instead of uncooked sausage?
-
Chungah — November 18, 2017 @ 3:54 PM Reply
Absolutely!
-
Bobby — December 5, 2021 @ 9:36 PM Reply
when would you stuff this in the turkey if cooking in the bird? would it be at the end instead of baking in oven
-
LucieP. — November 16, 2017 @ 11:34 PM Reply
If you make this 1 day ahead, can you heat in the microwave and serve?
-
Chungah — November 17, 2017 @ 10:45 AM Reply
Yes, absolutely.
-
Donna Roepe — November 15, 2017 @ 11:15 AM Reply
Can this be baked in the turkey like regular stuffing? Sounds delicious, thank you. we’ve used many of your recipes.
-
Chungah — November 15, 2017 @ 1:42 PM Reply
Yes, absolutely.
-
James — November 16, 2017 @ 12:18 PM Reply
Donna, the only difference between a stuffing and a dressing is that the stuffing is cooked inside the meat (in this case, turkey) while a dressing is the same thing cooked separately. In virtually all cases they can be used interchangeably…So, since this is cooked outside the turkey, technically, it is a dressing and not a stuffing. 🙂
-
Linda — November 18, 2017 @ 9:43 AM Reply
That really didn’t need clarification.
-
rosemary — November 15, 2017 @ 6:25 AM Reply
Can I use turkey sausage. We are not a fan of pork. BTW, love, love your recipes!
-
Chungah — November 15, 2017 @ 8:51 AM Reply
Yes, absolutely!
-
Maria — November 15, 2017 @ 4:39 AM Reply
Are regular pork breakfast sausages ok to use in this recipe?
-
Chungah — November 15, 2017 @ 5:06 AM Reply
Yes, absolutely.
-
Sabrina B — November 14, 2017 @ 8:35 PM Reply
love it, walnuts too, and glad that you call for them to be finely chopped, otherwise its a texture thing, love the sausage and all of the traditional ingredients too, thank you!
Cindy Whitworth — December 22, 2023 @ 9:30 AM Reply
The stuffing was so delicious. The only thing I have complain about is it was a gray color, what do I do to avoid this in the future also, it calls for one cup of walnuts do we chop the walnuts or do they stay whole?
Carl Pruschowsky — November 23, 2023 @ 5:57 AM Reply
I made my pretty much the exact same as above except i just got store bought stuffing cubes. It was fantastic. I always go a little heavy handed on the sausage and nuts so mine comes up with a pretty small bread ratio but you can easily adjust portions to your liking. This is my go to recipe
Sharon Turner — November 13, 2023 @ 5:40 PM Reply
I love all your recipes but would really love it if you included Nutritional Information. Especially looking for sodium content for those of us with high blood pressure issues. Thank you.
Polly — January 3, 2023 @ 7:36 AM Reply
Mine turned out an unattractive gray color… don’t know how to avoid that, but it tasted good.
Penny — November 20, 2022 @ 8:00 AM Reply
Love it!
Laura — November 28, 2020 @ 2:13 PM Reply
I never make good stuffing. I thought I would try one last year to make it from scratch. I’m so glad I did. I’ve never made a bad recipe of yours so I thought this one had to be good. It’s going to be my go to for thanksgiving every year. Thank you so much for such a great site!
Larry — November 12, 2020 @ 11:16 AM Reply
This is a very good recipe. A lot of people I know don’t like sage, thyme, or poultry seasoning in their dressing. I made a similar version of this recipe but I used a spice blend called Italian Seasoning. It is more of an everyday flavor than the traditional seasonings and people prefer it over the old fashioned version.
I also make a double recipe. Then I portion out about three cup servings and freeze them so I have this dressing all year. Best to cook it in the oven in a nonstick frying pan so it browns nicely because freezing makes the dressing a little wetter.
One other tip is that I use an electric knife to cut my bread into cubes. It doesn’t crush the bread like a knife does.
Alicia — November 12, 2020 @ 6:33 AM Reply
I’m so happy I found your site. I love all of your recipes so much. Everything always turns out so good. I will be making this stuffing this year. Wishing you a Happy Thanksgiving from Northwest Arkansas.
Sonia — April 10, 2020 @ 9:30 AM Reply
Can you make this in the crock pot?
Heidi — November 30, 2019 @ 10:34 AM Reply
What is a good substitute for the braeburn apples?
-
Jana @ Damn Delicious — November 30, 2019 @ 3:54 PM Reply
You can really use any apple that is on the tart side. I’d say Honeycrisp is probably your best bet but as always, please use your best judgment when making substitutions and modifications.
Dawn — November 28, 2019 @ 4:45 AM Reply
Can this recipe be made with a StoveTop breadcrumbs?
Jane Marie Gramza — November 26, 2019 @ 7:44 PM Reply
This sounds so good! All I have on hand is gala apples. Will those be alright in the dressing? Thanks!
Susan Adachi — December 1, 2018 @ 9:58 AM Reply
Dear Chungah, thank you for a damn delicious stuffing! My sister and I shared Thanksgiving cooking duties and this smelled so good even before we baked it, it was all we could do to stop ourselves from chowing down. We followed your recipe exactly and used 8 cups sourdough and two cups of pumpernickel. It made a great flavor combination. We have tossed all of our other stuffing recipes and will never even explore another one… why mess with perfection! Thanks again for helping make our holiday special.
-
Jana @ Damn Delicious — December 3, 2018 @ 8:37 AM Reply
Aw thank you, Susan! We love hearing that!
Erika — November 28, 2017 @ 8:41 AM Reply
This was such a quick and yummy dish for our Thanksgiving dinner! I’m going to use a different ground meat next time as the Italian sausage was a little overpowering. I’ll use the regular recipe as a separate meal in the future!
Chrissie — November 23, 2017 @ 7:25 PM Reply
This was really good! We made this for our Thanksgiving, and stuffed the turkey but also had some left over that we baked in a dish. I love the flavors and the fresh herbs. We used chicken sausage and some homemade wheat bread that was starting to dry out.
Terri — November 21, 2017 @ 3:58 PM Reply
If I’m making a version without the sausage for my vegetarian friends, what do I adjust to make sure it stays damn delicious? Thanks! Love your recipes and spirit!!
-
Chungah — November 21, 2017 @ 8:19 PM Reply
Have you thought about using vegetarian sausage?
-
Terri — November 22, 2017 @ 7:13 AM Reply
No! What a great idea and only one batch to make. Thanks and happy thanksgiving!
-
Tony Jae — November 19, 2020 @ 10:56 PM Reply
I was also thinking how to make this more vegetarian friendly, maybe subbing the sausage with assorted mushrooms (oyster, shiitake, cremini). Thoughts??
-
-
Joanna — November 21, 2017 @ 2:37 PM Reply
If I make the day before, do I fully cook it and then let it stand and chill overnight? How and how long do I need to reheat it?
-
Chungah — November 21, 2017 @ 8:26 PM Reply
Yes, you can reheat in the oven at 350 degrees F, covered, for about 20 minutes, or until heated through.
Breanna — November 17, 2017 @ 4:19 PM Reply
Trader Joe’s sells cooked apple sausage, do you think you could use that instead of uncooked sausage?
-
Chungah — November 18, 2017 @ 3:54 PM Reply
Absolutely!
-
Bobby — December 5, 2021 @ 9:36 PM Reply
when would you stuff this in the turkey if cooking in the bird? would it be at the end instead of baking in oven
LucieP. — November 16, 2017 @ 11:34 PM Reply
If you make this 1 day ahead, can you heat in the microwave and serve?
-
Chungah — November 17, 2017 @ 10:45 AM Reply
Yes, absolutely.
Donna Roepe — November 15, 2017 @ 11:15 AM Reply
Can this be baked in the turkey like regular stuffing? Sounds delicious, thank you. we’ve used many of your recipes.
-
Chungah — November 15, 2017 @ 1:42 PM Reply
Yes, absolutely.
-
James — November 16, 2017 @ 12:18 PM Reply
Donna, the only difference between a stuffing and a dressing is that the stuffing is cooked inside the meat (in this case, turkey) while a dressing is the same thing cooked separately. In virtually all cases they can be used interchangeably…So, since this is cooked outside the turkey, technically, it is a dressing and not a stuffing. 🙂
-
Linda — November 18, 2017 @ 9:43 AM Reply
That really didn’t need clarification.
-
rosemary — November 15, 2017 @ 6:25 AM Reply
Can I use turkey sausage. We are not a fan of pork. BTW, love, love your recipes!
-
Chungah — November 15, 2017 @ 8:51 AM Reply
Yes, absolutely!
Maria — November 15, 2017 @ 4:39 AM Reply
Are regular pork breakfast sausages ok to use in this recipe?
-
Chungah — November 15, 2017 @ 5:06 AM Reply
Yes, absolutely.
Sabrina B — November 14, 2017 @ 8:35 PM Reply
love it, walnuts too, and glad that you call for them to be finely chopped, otherwise its a texture thing, love the sausage and all of the traditional ingredients too, thank you!
