Sausage and Apple Stuffing (Cranberries and Fresh Herbs)

sausageapplestuffingcranberryfreshherbs This Sausage Apple Cranberry Stuffing is guaranteed to be a crowd pleaser at your next holiday dinner. This easy recipe is made with major flavour bombs - sourdough bread, Italian sausage, sweet apple and cranberries. It's the ultimate classic side dish.

3-5 slices sourdough bread, stale, cut into ½" cubes (~ 5 heaping cups)
2½ Tbsp. butter melted, divided
1 lb sweet Italian sausage, casings removed
½ onion, diced (~ ¾ cup)
1 small apple, cored and diced (~ 1 cup)
2-3 stalks celery, thinly sliced (~ ¾ cup)
3-4 cloves garlic, minced
5-6 leaves fresh sage, chopped (~ 2 Tbsp.)
2-3 sprigs fresh thyme, chopped (~ 1 tsp.)
2-3 sprigs fresh rosemary, chopped (~ 1 Tbsp.)
1 cup fresh and/or dried cranberries
2 Tbsp. fresh parsley, chopped
1 cup turkey broth
1 egg
sea salt
black pepper, freshly ground

Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C/160°C fan, Gas Mark 4). Grease a large casserole dish (9x13" or 10.5x7.5" recommended) with butter or oil. Place the sourdough cubes into the dish.

Melt ½ Tbsp. butter in a large pan over medium-high heat and add the sausage. Crumble into small pieces and cook until no longer pink, about 5-7 minutes. Then use a slotted spoon to transfer the sausage on top of the bread in the prepared casserole dish, leaving it unstirred.

Drain all but 1-2 Tbsp. of fat from the pan. Heat over medium heat and add onion, apple, celery, ¼ tsp. salt, and a pinch of pepper. Cook for 3-4 minutes or until the onion starts to get translucent. Season to taste.

Next, add garlic, sage, thyme and rosemary to the pan. Stir and cook for 1 minute, then add to casserole dish on top of sausage without stirring.

In a measuring cup or bowl, whisk together broth, egg, remaining 2 Tbsp. melted butter and ½ tsp. salt. Pour into casserole dish and tilt to evenly distribute liquid. Let soak for 2-4 minutes without stirring. Bread should be moist but not soggy. If there is too much liquid after 4 minutes, stir in more bread cubes or drain the excess. If the bread still looks dry, add more broth or melted butter.

Add the cranberries and parsley to the stuffing. Use a spoon to gently mix it all together.

Cover with foil and bake for 30-35 minutes.

Increase oven temperature to 400°F (200°C/180°C fan, Gas Mark 6) and take out the casserole dish. Remove foil and gently stir the stuffing. Place immediately back into oven and bake uncovered for 15-25 more minutes until the top is golden brown, keeping an eye on it.

Let cool slightly before serving.

Makes 8 servings.

Cook's Notes:

Sourdough bread: It's best to use bread that's 1-2 days old and lightly stale. Cube the bread, place into a bowl, and place on your countertop to dry for 2 days. If you don't have time, lightly toast the cubed bread in a 350°F oven for 5-8 minutes or until lightly golden brown and dried.
Apple: Use a firm apple that will hold its shape after cooking. I love using Honeycrisp, Pink Lady, or Fuji for sweetness. You can also use Granny Smith if you'd like a tart flavour.
Make-Ahead: Follow the recipe as directed, but don't bake it yet. Instead, cover the dish with plastic wrap and refrigerate. When you're ready to serve the stuffing. Bake as directed in the recipe but add extra cooking time while it's covered.
To stuff the turkey, first make sure both the turkey and stuffing are at room temperature before cooking. Right before you roast the turkey, line the cavity of the turkey with cheesecloth and add the uncooked stuffing. Roast at 325ºF (163ºC) until the internal temperature of both the stuffing and turkey reaches 165ºF (74ºC) in the thickest part of the thigh.

Substitutions:

Use any type of bread you have leftover or prefer.
Use any type of sausage or ground meat according to your preference.
If using dried herbs in place of fresh, halve the amount or replace with a poultry seasoning mix.
You can use chicken or vegetable broth in place of the turkey broth.