A twist on a classic dish, our Apple Sausage Cornbread Stuffing combines sweet, tart apples with savory sausage nestled within moist, crumbly honey cornbread.
This stuffing recipe combines both comforting and sophisticated flavors, perfect for festive occasions or a cozy family dinner.
Apple Sausage Cornbread Stuffing
If you want to bring something new to the Thanksgiving table this year, we’ve got you!
Our Apple Sausage Cornbread Stuffing is everything you need in a holiday recipe.
It has all the moving parts that make a delicious holiday side dish well-suited for turkey, cornish hens, beef, or pork.
There’s sauteed leeks, onions, celery, and garlic. Plus, familiar traditional herbs like sage, savory, and smoked paprika.
The diced apples pair well with the sweet sausage and dried cranberries.
And, of course, there’s the crumbled golden brown cornbread and low-sodium chicken stock.
What You Will Need
North Bay Produce Apples. When it comes to apples, we love North Bay Produce apples because they’re some of the best apples we ever tasted.
Sweet Italian Sausage. When it comes to sweet Italian sausage, I used a one-pound package. But you can also use the sausage in the casing; you’ll have to remove the casing. If you like a spicier option, use a spicy Italian sausage. Chorizo also works too. However, you use a slotted spoon to remove the sausage from the pan after browning it to your liking.
Leeks, Onions, Celery & Garlic. Here’s where a lot of those savory flavors come in. My version of this edited mirepoix uses sauteed leeks, onions, celery, and garlic, adding flavor. When cooking a mirepoix, I prefer to adjust the stovetop to a lower heat; the goal is to sweeten the vegetables and not caramelize the mixture. I also use extra virgin olive oil, sea salt, and freshly cracked black peppercorns.
Poultry Seasoning, Sage & Smoked Paprika. I borrowed this trio of ingredients from my mom; when it came to preparing stuffing for the holidays, this was her mainstay trio of herbs,
Walnuts. Along with the diced apples, we added chopped walnuts. Mix in dried cranberries (from North Bay Produce, too) to add sweetness to your stuffing. The texture and nutty taste of the walnuts is so good. Feel free to substitute with other dried fruit as well. Try:
- dried apricots
- dried dark cherries
- golden raisins
Parsley. Adding chopped parsley brightens up this dish in terms of color and taste.
Eggs & Low-Sodium Chicken Stock. This is the unsung one-two combo of a good dressing or stuffing recipe because it binds the ingredients together. I incorporate the eggs into the chicken stock using a wire whisk and pour it over the stuffing. You’ll want to use a tablespoon or fork to move the ingredients around to ensure the mixture is well-combined.
Unsalted Butter. Before this dish enters the oven, I dot the top, sides, and corners with unsalted sweet cream butter cubes. (I’ve also been known to tuck slivers of garlic right next to the butter) the result is a savory stuffing with caramelized bits and corners. Not a bad thing at all!
How To Make Apple Sausage Cornbread Stuffing
Serving 10-12
Ingredients:
- 8 cups Krusteaz Honey Cornbread
- 1 pound sweet Italian sausages, casings removed
- 3 tbsps extra virgin olive oil
- 2 cups sliced leeks, white and pale green parts only
- 2 cups diced onion
- 4-6 large cloves of garlic (minced)
- 1 pound of apples, peeled, cored, chopped [ mix with Granny Smith apples for additional sweetness]
- 2 cups chopped celery with leaves
- 2 tbsp poultry seasoning
- 2 tbsp ground or rubbed sage
- 1 tbsp dried savory
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 1 cup dried cranberries [optional]
- ½ cup chopped walnuts or pecans
- 2/3 cup chopped fresh parsley
- 1 1/3 cups (about) canned low-salt chicken broth
- 2 eggs, beaten
- sea salt to taste
- freshly cracked black peppercorns to taste
- 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter
Directions:
- Prep apples, leeks, onions, celery, and garlic. Place the vegetables into individual plastic bags or air-tight containers and store them in the fridge. I also typically bake the cornbread a day or two before. I roughly crumble the bread, place it into a zip-lock storage bag, seal it, and place it into the fridge until I am ready to use it.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
- Place a skillet over medium-low heat with 3 tbsps of evoo; when the oil is hot, add the leeks and onions and saute until the onions are opaque. Add the celery and garlic and continue until the celery is softened. Be careful to maintain a low heat to avoid browning or scorching the mixture. Use a slotted spoon and transfer the mixture to a bowl, set aside.
- Adjust the heat to medium-high and place the skillet back on the stovetop; add the sausage to the skillet and cook until browned. Use the slotted spoon and transfer the sausage to a bowl or plate lined with a paper towel to absorb the excess grease.
- Add the cornbread to a large buttered baking dish; I used a 15-inch x 10-inch x 2-inch casserole dish. Mix in the apples, leeks, onions, garlic, and sausage. Add the poultry seasoning, sage, smoked paprika, and chopped parsley.
- Add sea salt and freshly cracked black peppercorns to taste.
- In a small bowl, add the chicken broth and eggs and whisk.
- Next, drizzle the chicken broth and egg mixture over the stuffing and thoroughly mix to combine.
- Dot the stuffing mixture’s top, sides, and corners with unsalted sweet cream butter cubes.
- Cover the pan with foil, place on the oven’s center rack, and cook for 40-45 minutes. Remove the foil and continue to bake until the top is golden brown, in about 12-15 minutes.
- Use an instant-read thermometer; the internal temperature of the stuffing should be 165 degrees.
- Serve warm.
Recipe adapted from Food Network | The Neelys
How many days can I make this dressing/stuffing in advance?
One to two days is ideal. Make sure the dressing/stuffing is completely cool, then top the dish with plastic wrap to form a tight seal.
Store it in the fridge until you’re ready to bake.
Can I make this vegetarian?
Absolutely. You can omit the sausage and use a vegan plant-based Italian Sausage.
You can also use plant-based butter and vegetable stock instead of chicken or turkey.
You could use chicken apple sausage if you prefer to make it without pork.
How many days will dressing/stuffing keep in the fridge?
Allow any leftover stuffing to completely cool, then store it in an air-tight container.
When properly stored, it will last four to five days.
Our easy Apple Sausage Cornbread Stuffing recipe is perfect for holiday entertaining.
And if you have any questions or want to say hello, drop us a comment below.
More Thanksgiving Recipes:
Apple Sausage Cranberry Cornbread Stuffing
Ingredients
- 8 cups Krusteaz Honey Cornbread
- 1 pound sweet Italian sausage casings removed
- 3 tbsps extra virgin olive oil
- 2 cups sliced leeks white and pale green parts only
- 2 cups diced onion
- 4-6 large cloves of garlic minced
- 1 pound of apples peeled, cored, chopped [ mix with Granny Smith apples for additional sweetness]
- 2 cups chopped celery with leaves
- 2 tbsp poultry seasoning
- 2 tbsp ground or rubbed sage
- 1 tbsp dried savory
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 1 cup dried cranberries [optional]
- ½ cup chopped walnuts or pecans
- 2/3 cup chopped fresh parsley
- 1 1/3 cups of canned low-salt chicken broth
- 2 eggs beaten
- sea salt to taste
- freshly cracked black peppercorns to taste
- 1/4 cup 1/2 stick butter
Instructions
- Prep apples, leeks, onions, celery, and garlic. Place the vegetables into individual plastic bags or air-tight containers and store them in the fridge. I also typically bake the cornbread a day or two before. I roughly crumble the bread, place it into a zip-lock storage bag, seal it, and place it into the fridge until I am ready to use it.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
- Place a skillet over medium-low heat with 3 tbsps of evoo; when the oil is hot, add the leeks and onions and saute until the onions are opaque. Add the celery and garlic and continue until the celery is softened. Be careful to maintain a low heat to avoid browning or scorching the mixture. Use a slotted spoon and transfer the mixture to a bowl, set aside.
- Adjust the heat to medium-high and place the skillet back on the stovetop; add the sausage to the skillet and cook until browned. Use the slotted spoon and transfer the sausage to a bowl or plate lined with a paper towel to absorb the excess grease.
- Add the cornbread to a large buttered baking dish; I used a 15-inch x 10-inch x 2-inch casserole dish. Mix in the apples, leeks, onions, garlic, and sausage. Add the poultry seasoning, sage, smoked paprika, and chopped parsley.
- Add sea salt and freshly cracked black peppercorns to taste.
- In a small bowl, add the chicken broth and eggs and whisk.
- Next, drizzle the chicken broth and egg mixture over the stuffing and thoroughly mix to combine.
- Dot the stuffing mixture's top, sides, and corners with unsalted sweet cream butter cubes.
- Cover the pan with foil, place on the oven's center rack, and cook for 40-45 minutes. Remove the foil and continue to bake until the top is golden brown, in about 12-15 minutes.
- Use an instant-read thermometer; the internal temperature of the stuffing should be 165 degrees.
- Serve warm.
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