This is the Best Sausage Apple Stuffing, made with simple and fresh ingredients like maple sausage, apples, and herbs. It’s an easy holiday dressing recipe that turns out great every time and is a must-have for your holiday feast.
If you’re looking for a classic stuffing recipe, Grandma’s Stuffing Recipe will do the trick—it’s the perfect blend of chewy, soft, and has so much flavor! And if you love cornbread, be sure to try our Cornbread Stuffing Recipe.
Sausage and Apple Stuffing Video Tutorial
Sausage and Apple Stuffing
This apple sausage stuffing recipe has stood the test of time and has been handed down for years. Every Thanksgiving, this is one of my most requested Thanksgiving side dishes.
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The marriage of sausage and apples in this stuffing recipe creates a perfect combination of flavors. The savory and slightly spicy notes of the sausage blend so well with the subtly sweet and refreshing taste of the apples.
Whether it’s served alongside a beautifully roasted turkey or as a standalone dish, sausage and apple stuffing is sure to impress with its delightful blend of flavors. Try experimenting with different variations and make it your own!
Key Ingredients
- Bread Cubes: You can make your own bread cubes or buy them in the deli section of the supermarket.
- Chicken Broth: You can use pre-made chicken broth. Chicken or Turkey flavor works great.
- Celery: You can use the entire stalk, just cut it all into uniform pieces, about 1/2″ pieces.
- Onions: White or Yellow onions work great. Also cut them into 1/2″ pieces.
- Sausage: I like to use the Maple flavored Jimmy Dean Sausage for this recipe. The sweetness in the sausage goes great with the apples.
- Apples: You can use a crisp red apple, any flavor, or a green Granny Smith apple. Either works great.
- Herbs: fresh herbs are best for this recipe. I like to use a combo of Parsley, Thyme, and Sage.
How to Prepare Bread for Stuffing
I like to find bread in the marked down or day-old section of the bakery. You can use a mixture of sourdough, white and wheat bread. From there, drying out the bread is easy:
- Cut the bread. Cut the bread into cubes, about 1/2″ to 3/4″ cubed pieces, and lay them on a baking sheet.
- Bake. Preheat the oven to 250 degrees, then bake for about 1 hour. Toss a few times to dry out all sides of the bread.
- Cool. Transfer the bread cubes to a very large bowl. Set aside while you make the rest of the stuffing.
How to Make Sausage Apple Stuffing
- Cook the celery and onions. In a large pot over medium heat, add the butter and melt. Then add the celery and onions, cooking until translucent—about 8 minutes.
- Add the sausage. Add the sausage and using the bottom of the spoon, break the sausage up into small chunks. Cook the mixture until no longer pink. Add the diced apples and cook for an additional minute.
- Season. Add the minced Parsley, Thyme, Sage, Salt, Pepper, and 1 1/2 cups of chicken broth.
- Add the mixture to the dry bread. Pour the chicken broth and celery mixture over the cubed bread. Gently fold the ingredients together. (The stuffing should be moist but with no standing water. If it seems like it’s a little dry, add the additional 1/2 cup of chicken broth.)
- Bake. Spray a 9″ x 13″ baking dish with nonstick cooking spray, then spread the stuffing evenly over the bottom and bake at 350 degrees for 45-60 minutes, stirring gently every 15 minutes. When the stuffing is done, the top should be lightly brown.
- Serve Immediately. Stuffing is best warm and fresh but will keep airtight in the fridge for up to 5 days.
What to Serve with Sausage Apple Stuffing
- Herb Crusted Whole Turkey
- Oven Roasted Turkey Breast– One of my most popular recipes!
- Slow Cooker Turkey Breast
- Top Round Roast
- Spiral Ham
Recipe Tips and Variations
- Choose crisp and slightly tart apples, such as Granny Smith or Honeycrisp, to balance the flavors in the stuffing.
- If you prefer a softer texture, cover the baking dish with foil for the entire cooking time.
- Feel free to add extra ingredients like dried cranberries, chopped nuts, or fresh herbs to customize the stuffing according to your preference.
- Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
Best Sausage and Apple Stuffing Recipe
Ingredients
- 16 cups diced bread, cut into 1/2"-3/4" pieces
- 1 cup salted butter
- 2 cups celery, diced
- 2 cups onion, diced (white or yellow)
- 1 pound ground sausage
- 3 medium apples, cored and chopped into 1/2" pieces
- 2 teaspoons poultry seasoning
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 tablespoon parsley, fresh, minced
- 1 teaspoon thyme, fresh, minced
- 1 teaspoon sage, fresh, minced
- 1 tablespoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1½ cups chicken broth
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 250 degrees F.
- Cut the bread into 1/2" to 3/4" pieces and lay them in a single layer on baking sheets.
- Bake in the preheated oven for about 1 hour, tossing a few times to make sure all sides are dry. Once dried, remove from the oven and transfer to a large bowl. Set aside while you make the rest of the stuffing.
- Increase oven temperature to 350 degrees F.
- Put butter to a large pot over medium heat and melt. Add the celery and onions and cook, stirring frequently, until tender and translucent—about 8 minutes.
- Add the sausage and use the bottom of the spoon to break the sausage up into small chunks. Cook the mixture until the sausage is no longer pink, then add the diced apples and cook for an additional minute. Finally, add the poultry seasoning, minced parsley, thyme, sage, salt, pepper, and chicken broth.
- Stir, then pour over the dry bread. Gently fold together—it should be moist but with no standing liquid. If it seems a little dry, add an additional 1/2 cup of chicken broth.
- Spray a 9" x 13" baking dish with nonstick cooking spray, then spread the bread mixture evenly over the bottom.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 45-60 minutes, stirring gently every 15 minutes, or until the top is lightly brown.
- Remove from the oven and serve warm. Enjoy!
Video
Notes
- Storing leftovers: Stuffing is best warm and fresh but will keep airtight in the fridge for up to 5 days.
- To reheat: either microwave a small portion or reheat in a 350 degrees until warmed through.
- To make ahead: prepare the stuffing, then cover with plastic wrap and store in the fridge overnight. The next day, remove the baking dish from the fridge while you preheat the oven and then bake as directed.
- Maple-flavored Jimmy Dean Sausage works great
Nutrition
Did you make this?
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More of the Best Side Dishes
- Dinner Rolls
- Green Beans
- Best Mashed Potatoes
- Slow Cooker Stuffing
- Pumpkin Cheesecake
- Sweet Potatoes Casserole
- Sweet Potatoes with Marshmallows
- More Best Sides
- More Holiday Recipes
- Best Thanksgiving Recipes
This sausage and apple stuffing recipe is easy and goes great with just about anything for your family dinner or holiday menu. It’s a homemade sausage stuffing recipe made with simple and fresh ingredients, maple sausage, fresh apples, and a perfect balance of fresh herbs and spices.
Added raisins
Planning to stuff a 75lb. roasted pig by doubling the amount and using Hillshire skinless Kielbasi.. It should taste great..
If this is baked ahead of time and then reheated in a baking dish, should it be cooked at the same temperature and time when reheating?
Yup, that will work great. Another way to do it is to make the stuffing a day ahead, store it in a gallon bag in the fridge and then just bake before your dinner. Either way will work great.
I added a little apple wine to the dressing. And the rest to the Turkey.
Sounds amazing!!
I’m not usually a big stuffing fan but a few in the family insist on it with our Thanksgiving Dinner. My Dad used to make the stuffing but died a few years ago. This year, I didn’t want to resort to the boxed dressing so I found this recipe and cut it in half. Very tasty and easy. The apples and maple sausage (I used regular Jimmy Dean sausage and added maple syrup since I couldn’t find maple sausage in the store.) really added a special flavor! Shared the recipe with a couple friends as well. I’m now a stuffing fan! Thank you!
Can we bake this inside the Turkey??
yes! This recipe is great as stuffing and dressing!
Made this for thanksgiving. Everyone loved it. Simple to make.
Can I fix ahead and warm it in crockpot?
You bet!
Can I use for stuffing in the Turkey?
Can this be cooked in crock pot
How many does this recipe feed?
It’ll make about 15 servings!
Where do you use the poultry seasoning? It doesn’t say.
Add it to the liquid. I updated the recipe. Thanks for the feedback!
Would it be ok to make this a day ahead of time and reheat?
Cara, I’ve made a version of this recipe for years. If you don’t bake it right away, the apples will turn brown. I have partially baked ahead and completed the next day. Or mix all but the apples ahead then chop & add apples just prior to baking
You bet! Reheat in a baking dish covered in aluminum foil.
I hope you see this and able to get back to me.
I only wanna make this for 2 people with this pandemic we aren’t going anywhere.
Do you have a way to scale back? I wouldn’t want it to go to waste it.
Thanks so much ????
Hi Linda,
The best way to scale this down would be to cut the recipe in half and bake in a 8″ square baking dish. The temperature will stay the same but it will probably take slightly less time to bake.
Hope this helps!