Description
This Awesome Sausage, Apple, and Cranberry Stuffing is a deliciously fruity and savory side dish perfect for Thanksgiving or holiday meals. Made with a blend of white and whole wheat bread, ground turkey sausage, fresh herbs, crisp apples, tart dried cranberries, and a hint of turkey stock and butter, this stuffing offers a delightful balance of flavors and textures. Toasting the bread cubes before mixing ensures a perfect base, while cooking the sausage and vegetables enhances the depth of taste. It’s a wholesome and satisfying stuffing that complements turkey beautifully.
Ingredients
Scale
Bread
- 3.75 cups cubed white bread
- 1.5 cups cubed whole wheat bread
Meat and Stock
- 1 pound ground turkey sausage
- 1 cooked turkey liver, finely chopped
- 0.75 cup turkey stock
Vegetables and Fruits
- 1 cup chopped onion
- 0.75 cup chopped celery
- 1 Golden Delicious apple, cored and chopped
- 0.75 cup dried cranberries
- 0.33333334326744 cup minced fresh parsley
Herbs and Spices
- 2.5 teaspoons dried sage
- 1.5 teaspoons dried rosemary
- 0.5 teaspoon dried thyme
Fats
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
Instructions
- Preheat and Toast Bread: Gather all ingredients and preheat your oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Spread the cubed white and whole wheat bread evenly on a large baking sheet and bake for 5 to 7 minutes until the bread cubes are evenly toasted. Remove from oven and transfer to a large bowl.
- Cook Sausage and Vegetables: Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add the ground turkey sausage and chopped onions, cooking while stirring and breaking up lumps until the sausage is evenly browned, about 6 to 8 minutes. Stir in chopped celery, dried sage, rosemary, and thyme; cook and stir continuously for about 2 minutes until the flavors meld together.
- Combine Ingredients: Pour the sausage mixture over the toasted bread cubes in the large bowl. Mix in the chopped apple, dried cranberries, minced parsley, and finely chopped cooked turkey liver evenly throughout the stuffing mixture.
- Add Liquids and Mix: Drizzle the turkey stock and melted unsalted butter over the bread and sausage mixture. Gently mix everything together to combine without breaking up the bread cubes too much.
- Cool and Use: Allow the stuffing to cool completely before loosely stuffing it inside a turkey cavity or baking it separately. This ensures the mixture is ready for cooking or reheating along with your turkey.
Notes
- This stuffing is an excellent combination of savory turkey sausage and sweet-tart fruits, making it a standout side dish for holiday meals.
- Toasting the bread cubes before mixing helps prevent sogginess and gives the stuffing a nice texture.
- You can prepare this stuffing mixture a day ahead and refrigerate it until ready to use.
- For a vegetarian version, substitute turkey sausage and liver with plant-based sausage and use vegetable stock.
- Ensure the stuffing cools completely before stuffing it into the turkey to maintain food safety.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving (approximately 1 cup)
- Calories: 236 kcal
- Sugar: 9 g
- Sodium: 548 mg
- Fat: 12 g
- Saturated Fat: 5 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 0 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 22 g
- Fiber: 2 g
- Protein: 13 g
- Cholesterol: 80 mg
