Description
This Traditional Thanksgiving Stuffing with Sausage and Apples is a proven favorite with family and friends!
Ingredients
Scale
- 24 oz. breakfast link sausage, removed from casing
- 3 lbs. Empire apples, peeled and diced
- 1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
- 12 Tbsp. unsalted butter, divided
- 1 lb. loaf country white bread, chopped in 1/2-inch cubes and dried
- 2 (heaping) cups chopped sweet Vidalia or sweet yellow onion
- 1 cup finely chopped celery
- 1/2 cup minced fresh parsley
- 1 Tbsp. minced fresh sage
- 1 Tbsp. minced fresh thyme
- 1 tsp. salt
- 1/2 tsp. ground black pepper
- 1/3 – 1 cup chicken stock
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 F.
- In a large skillet over medium high heat, break up the sausage as it cooks until no longer pink, about 8 – 10 minutes.
- Using a slotted spoon, remove sausage to a paper-towel lined plate to drain.
- Pour off all but 3 Tbsp. of the fat and return skillet to the stove.
- Add and cook apples with 4 tablespoons butter and nutmeg, stirring frequently, until tender. Remove apples from heat and set aside.
- Position a rack in the center of the oven.
- Place bread on a large baking sheet and toast in the oven until golden brown.
- Remove from oven, place in a large bowl and set aside.
- In the meantime, heat 1 stick of butter (8 Tbsp.) in a large skillet over medium-high heat until the foam subsides.
- Add and cook until tender the onion and celery. Continuously stir for about 5 minutes.
- Remove skillet from stove and and stir in fresh parsley, sage, thyme, salt and pepper.
- Stir onion mixture, sausage and apples into the bread cubes and toss until well combined.
- Depending on how much butter you started with and how firm you want the stuffing, stir in 1/3 – 1 cup chicken stock until the stuffing is lightly moist but not packed together.
- Turn stuffing into a large shallow buttered baking dish.
- Bake in a 350 F oven until the top has formed a crust and stuffing is heated through, 25 to 40 minutes.