Apple Walnut Sausage Stuffing
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This make-ahead apple sausage stuffing is a classic holiday side dish! Made with savory sausage, sweet apples, and fresh thyme and sage!
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Why you’ll love Apple Walnut Sausage Stuffing
- Great make-ahead recipe. Thanksgiving can be stressful with strict timing, coordination, and oven space in what seems to be a 10-hour marathon. But this stuffing can easily be prepped 1 day in advance, really letting the flavors meld, and allowing for a calmer, more memorable Thanksgiving meal.
- Balance of flavor and texture. You have the most perfect blend of sweet and savory from the tart apples to the savory, rich sausage. It’s also moist on the inside with just enough crunch and crispness on the top.
- Flexible, giving recipe. This stuffing is so easy to customize with what you have on hand. Swap for breakfast sausage or turkey sausage, substitute pecans, or even add dried cranberries. The options are endless.
How to make apple walnut sausage stuffing (dressing)
- Dry the bread. Spread the bread cubes in a single layer on a baking sheet, avoiding any overcrowding or overlap. Bake at 400°F for 10-13 minutes until crisp and golden.
- Cook the sausage. Brown the sausage in a large cast iron skillet over medium heat, breaking it up as it cooks. Remove the sausage using a slotted spoon, reserving some of the juices in the skillet.
- Sauté the aromatics. Melt the butter with the leftover pan juices. Stir in the garlic, onion, and celery until tender, then stir in the apples, sage, and thyme until fragrant.
- Combine. Stir in (or use a large bowl) the toasted bread cubes, crumbled sausage, walnuts, parsley, salt, and pepper until well combined.
- Add the stock. Pour in the chicken or turkey stock, stirring gently until the bread is evenly moistened but not soggy. Let sit for 5 minutes, allowing the bread to absorb the liquid. Pro tip: to make this ahead of time, let this cool completely, then cover and chill up to 1 day in advance.
- Bake. Transfer the mixture to a greased 9 x 13 baking dish, baking at 350°F for 45 minutes until the top is browned and crispy.
- Serve. Let it rest for 5-10 minutes and serve warm.
to stuff or not to stuff
Skip the stuffing in the turkey. When cooking the stuffing inside your turkey, you are left with 2 options:
- cook until the stuffing is cooked through or
- cook until the turkey is cooked through.
But by the time the stuffing reaches a safe temperature to eat (165°F), the turkey will unfortunately be overcooked and dry. And by the time the turkey is ready, the stuffing will be undercooked and unsafe to consume. Instead, opt to cook the stuffing separately in a 9 x 13 baking dish.
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Apple Walnut Sausage Stuffing: Frequently Asked Questions
Stuffing is generally cooked inside a turkey, soaking up all the rich turkey juices and fat, while dressing is typically cooked separately from the turkey in a casserole dish with additional liquid. This recipe is technically a dressing as it is not “stuffed” inside a turkey.
Mild or hot Italian sausage, pork breakfast sausage, and turkey or chicken sausage can all be used here.
Yes! Popular add-ins include carrots, mushrooms, sweet potatoes, and leafy greens (kale or spinach).
Honeycrisp, Pink Lady, and Gala apples are all excellent options.
Pecans would be a great swap.
Absolutely! Prep and assemble the night before, letting it come to room temperature for about 30 minutes prior to baking as directed.
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days, reheating in the oven at 350°F with a splash of stock and covered tightly in foil until heated through. Optional: for a crisped top, remove the foil during the last 5 minutes.
Yes! Portion into plastic freezer bags in individual servings, keeping in the freezer for 1-2 months.
Apple Walnut Sausage Stuffing
Ingredients
- 10 cups bread cubes, blend of sourdough, multigrain, whole wheat, and pumpernickel bread
- 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 Honeycrisp, Pink Lady or Gala 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 or turkey stock
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
- Spread bread cubes in a single layer on a baking sheet. Place into oven and bake until crisp and golden, about 10-13 minutes; set aside.
- Heat olive oil in a large cast iron skillet over medium heat. Add sausage and cook until browned, about 5-8 minutes, making sure to crumble the sausage as it cooks. Transfer sausage to a paper towel-lined plate.
- 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. Let stand 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until liquid is absorbed.
- Reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees F. Lightly oil a 9 x 13 baking dish or coat with nonstick spray.
- Spread bread mixture into the baking dish. Place into oven and bake until top is browned, about 45 minutes.
- Serve immediately.
Equipment
Notes
- Use sturdy, stale bread. Stale 1 to 2 day-old bread is ideal here to soak up all the liquid without breaking down. Avoid soft, freshly sliced bread as it will cause the stuffing to turn soggy and mushy.
- Mix multiple breads. Use a blend of sourdough, multigrain, whole wheat, and pumpernickel bread for a surprise in every bite, avoiding a monotonous flavor profile.
- Don’t skimp on the butter. Avoid using low-fat substitutions or using less butter. The fat is essential here for rich flavor and crispy edges.
- Sauté the aromatics first. Never use raw vegetables in your stuffing. Always sauté the garlic, onion, and celery in butter until soft and tender before mixing them in.
- Fresh herbs are best. Although you can certainly substitute dried herbs, fresh herbs are ideal here, delivering the best kind of flavor. This is also a great time to use up all the leftover herbs from your holiday turkey or leg of lamb.
- Make it vegetarian. This recipe can easily be adapted to be vegetarian, omitting the sausage and substituting vegetable stock for the chicken stock.
- Prep the night before. Stuffing is one of those great sides that you can prep ahead of time, assembling everything the night before and really allowing all the flavors to meld and marry overnight.
- Skip stuffing the turkey. Cook the stuffing separately to avoid mushy textures and to keep the turkey meat juicy and moist.
- Let it rest. Though not required, letting the stuffing rest for at least 5 minutes will allow it to set, making it much easier to serve and spoon onto plates.
- Reheat with a splash of stock. A splash of stock will restore some of the lost moisture, reheating in the oven at 350°F (covered in foil) until warmed through. Remove the foil during the last 5 minutes for a lightly crisped top.
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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?
Yes, you can reheat in the oven at 350 degrees F, covered, for about 20 minutes, or until heated through.
Trader Joe’s sells cooked apple sausage, do you think you could use that instead of uncooked sausage?
Absolutely!
when would you stuff this in the turkey if cooking in the bird? would it be at the end instead of baking in oven
If you make this 1 day ahead, can you heat in the microwave and serve?
Yes, absolutely.
Can this be baked in the turkey like regular stuffing? Sounds delicious, thank you. we’ve used many of your recipes.
Yes, absolutely.
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. 🙂
That really didn’t need clarification.
Can I use turkey sausage. We are not a fan of pork. BTW, love, love your recipes!
Yes, absolutely!
Are regular pork breakfast sausages ok to use in this recipe?
Yes, absolutely.
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!