This easy Sausage and Apple Stuffing is made with toasted sourdough bread, savory turkey sausage, crisp apples, onion, celery, fennel and fresh herbs. The perfect sweet and savory Thanksgiving stuffing recipe that can easily be made ahead of time!
This Sausage and Apple Stuffing recipe has been a favorite on our Thanksgiving table for years! Toasted sourdough bread is tossed with savory turkey sausage, sweet apples, sautéed onion, celery and fennel along with fresh sage and parsley for the perfect combination of sweet and savory flavors.
Homemade stuffing is so much better than anything from a box, and this recipe can easily be assembled ahead of time to make Thanksgiving dinner even easier. Serve it alongside turkey with my healthy mashed potatoes and healthy green bean casserole for the ultimate holiday meal!
Why You’ll Love This
- Sweet and savory – savory sausage, fresh herbs and toasted sourdough pair perfectly with sweet, crisp apples.
- Perfect for Thanksgiving – a classic holiday side dish that pairs beautifully with turkey, mashed potatoes and all your favorite Thanksgiving sides.
- Easy to make ahead – assemble the stuffing the day before, refrigerate and simply bake when you’re ready to serve.
- Fresh ingredients – this homemade stuffing is packed with apples, onion, celery, fennel and fresh herbs for tons of flavor and texture.
- Crowd favorite – it makes a generous 9×13-inch casserole, perfect for serving family and friends during the holidays.
Sausage and Apple Stuffing Ingredients
- crusty bread – I really like to use a crusty bread for this stuffing so I used a whole wheat sourdough bread I purchased from my local bakery. You could also use artisan or french bread, just make sure to avoid soft sandwich bread in this stuffing.
- sausage – I used lean turkey breakfast sausage, but any type of sausage will work in this recipe or you can leave it out completely for a meatless dish. I have made this before using apple sausage and it was delicious!
- onion – you’ll need one white or yellow onion for this.
- celery – I truly don’t think you can have stuffing without celery! Pairs so well with the onion and fennel.
- fennel bulb – I really think this adds a unique flavor to this stuffing, but if you are not a fan of fennel, feel free to substitute extra chopped celery.
- apples – I suggest using crisp apples like honeycrisp, gala or granny smith apples as they tend to hold up well in this stuffing without getting mushy, but any type of apple will work or you could even use chopped pears.
- garlic – you can use fresh chopped cloves garlic or minced garlic from the jar.
- butter – we aren’t using as much butter as most stuffing recipes use, but I find it really makes a difference! You could also use olive oil or even sauté the veggies in the leftover drippings from the sausage.
- fresh herbs – I added a mixture of fresh sage and parsley to this stuffing, but you could also add in some fresh thyme and rosemary. Fresh is definitely best in this recipe!
- chicken broth – feel free to use chicken broth, vegetable broth or any stocks you have on hand.
- apple cider – we are using apple cider, NOT apple cider vinegar! This adds additional sweetness to the stuffing, but if you don’t have any on hand, feel free to substitute extra chicken broth.
- egg – helps to bind everything together.
- salt + black pepper
How to Make Apple Sausage Stuffing
- Toast the bread. Cut the sourdough bread into 1-inch cubes and spread them in an even layer on a large baking sheet. Bake at 350°F for 15 to 20 minutes, tossing halfway through, until lightly toasted and dried out.
- Cook the sausage. While the bread is toasting, heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add the turkey sausage and cook until browned and cooked through, breaking it up with a wooden spoon as it cooks. Transfer the sausage to a plate and set aside.
- Sauté the vegetables and apples. In the same skillet, melt the butter and add the onion, celery and fennel. Cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the chopped apples, fresh sage, parsley, salt and pepper and continue cooking for another 5 minutes.
- Combine everything. Add the toasted bread cubes and cooked sausage to a large bowl along with the sautéed apple and vegetable mixture. Whisk together the chicken broth, apple cider and egg, then pour over the stuffing. Gently toss until everything is evenly coated.
- Bake the stuffing. Transfer the mixture to a greased 9×13-inch baking dish and cover with foil. Bake at 350°F for 30 minutes, then remove the foil and bake for another 15 to 20 minutes, until the top is golden and slightly crisp.
- Serve. Let the stuffing rest for about 5 minutes before serving. Garnish with additional fresh sage or parsley, if desired, and enjoy!
Best Bread for Stuffing
For the best texture, use a sturdy, crusty bread that will soak up all the flavorful broth without becoming mushy. I love using whole wheat sourdough, but French bread, Italian bread or a rustic artisan loaf all work well.
The key is to toast the bread cubes before assembling the stuffing. This dries them out so they can absorb the chicken broth, apple cider and all those delicious flavors while still maintaining their texture. Avoid soft sandwich bread, which can become too soggy.
Frequently Asked Questions
I use lean turkey breakfast sausage to keep this stuffing a little lighter, but pork sausage, chicken sausage or Italian sausage will all work. You could even use apple chicken sausage for even more sweet and savory flavor.
Crisp, firm apples such as Honeycrisp, Granny Smith, Gala or Pink Lady work best because they hold their shape while baking and don’t become mushy. Honeycrisp is my personal favorite because it adds the perfect amount of sweetness.
Yes! Assemble the stuffing as directed without baking, cover the baking dish tightly with foil and refrigerate overnight. When you’re ready to bake, let the dish sit at room temperature while the oven preheats, then bake as directed, adding about 10 extra minutes as needed.
Toasting dries out the bread so it can absorb the broth, apple cider and flavors from the sausage and vegetables without becoming overly soggy. This gives the stuffing a tender center with a delicious golden, slightly crisp top.
Absolutely. Simply leave out the sausage and use vegetable broth instead of chicken broth for a meatless version. You may want to add a little extra butter or olive oil when sautéing the vegetables for additional flavor.
Make Ahead Instructions
One of the best things about this sausage and apple stuffing is that you can easily prep it ahead of time, which is especially helpful for Thanksgiving! Assemble the stuffing completely as directed, but do not bake it. Cover the baking dish tightly with foil and refrigerate for up to 24 hours.
When ready to bake, remove the stuffing from the refrigerator while the oven preheats to 350°F. Bake covered as directed, adding about 5 to 10 extra minutes to the cooking time if needed since the stuffing will be cold. Remove the foil for the last 15 to 20 minutes so the top gets golden and slightly crisp.
More Thanksgiving Side Dishes
- Bourbon Maple Pecan Sweet Potatoes
- Maple Glazed Squash and Brussels Sprouts
- Green Bean Casserole
- Easy Mashed Cauliflower
- Pomegranate Glazed Brussels Sprouts
- Holiday Glazed Acorn Squash
Hope you all enjoy this Sausage and Apple Stuffing and if you love this as much as we do, please leave me ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ below and don’t forget to tag me on Instagram using the hashtag #eatyourselfskinny! I love seeing all your delicious recreations!
Sausage and Apple Stuffing
Ingredients
- 8 cups whole wheat sourdough bread, 1/2-inch cubes
- 1 lb turkey breakfast sausage, or sausage you like best
- 4 Tbsp butter
- 1 1/2 cups onion, chopped
- 1 1/4 cups fennel bulb, chopped
- 1 cup celery, chopped
- 3 cups chopped, peeled Honeycrisp apple (about 2 apples)
- 6 garlic cloves, minced
- 3 Tbsp fresh sage, chopped
- 1/3 cup fresh parsley, chopped
- 1 1/2 cups chicken broth
- 1/4 cup apple cider, not apple cider vinegar
- 1 large egg, lightly beaten
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
Instructions
- Toast the bread. Cut the sourdough bread into 1-inch cubes and spread them in an even layer on a large baking sheet. Bake at 350°F for 15 to 20 minutes, tossing halfway through, until lightly toasted and dried out.
- Cook the sausage. While the bread is toasting, heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add the turkey sausage and cook until browned and cooked through, breaking it up with a wooden spoon as it cooks. Transfer the sausage to a plate and set aside.
- Sauté the vegetables and apples. In the same skillet, melt the butter and add the onion, celery and fennel. Cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the chopped apples, fresh sage, parsley, salt and pepper and continue cooking for another 5 minutes.
- Combine everything. Add the toasted bread cubes and cooked sausage to a large bowl along with the sautéed apple and vegetable mixture. Whisk together the chicken broth, apple cider and egg, then pour over the stuffing. Gently toss until everything is evenly coated.
- Bake the stuffing. Transfer the mixture to a greased 9×13-inch baking dish and cover with foil. Bake at 350°F for 30 minutes, then remove the foil and bake for another 15 to 20 minutes, until the top is golden and slightly crisp.
- Serve. Let the stuffing rest for about 5 minutes before serving. Garnish with additional fresh sage or parsley, if desired, and enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Wow, this stuffing looks ridiculously amazing! I’ll have to test it out on some friends this holiday season!
Kelly, it finally turned cold in sunny California and this was the first thing I prepared! My entire family loved it. Many thanks!
Warmly,
Elizabeth
Uh, oh. Now I’m starting to crave stuffing! 🙂
Love love love me some sausage stuffing. This looks beautiful and perfect for the upcoming holidays!
This looks so good! I am disappointed I already went grocery shopping for the week. Next week’s list is now ready!
I make a very similar stuffing every Thanksgiving and it’s by far my favorite part of the meal! Yours looks perfect… Thanksgiving can’t get here soon enough!
This looks super tasty, especially with the fennel. I’m totally right there with you when it comes to making memories in the kitchen as well. That’s definitely a reason why I love cooking so much and is also why it is and will always be such a huge part of my life.
This looks so great Kelly!! Can’t wait to make it.=)
Such a yummy stuffing, I love trying new ones every year. This one of course has all the beautiful Fall flavors!
OH MY GAWWWW kelly!! you are kiling me smalls!! I love this!