Sausage and Apple Stuffing (Cranberry Turkey Sausage)

sausageapplecranberrystuffing Sausage Apple Cranberry Stuffing is a traditional Thanksgiving stuffing recipe full of fresh ingredients to maximize flavour. This Thanksgiving stuffing is super easy to make and can be made ahead too.

6 cups bread, cubed, such as French baguette
1 lb ground turkey sausage
1 cup onion, diced
¾ cup celery, diced
2½ tsp. dried sage
½ Tbsp. fresh thyme leaves
1 Golden Delicious apple, cored and diced
¾ cup cranberries, fresh, thawed if frozen
1 Tbsp. parsley, freshly minced
3-4 cups turkey stock
4 Tbsp. (½ stick) butter, melted
sea salt
black pepper, freshly ground

Preheat an oven to 350°F (180°C/160°C fan, Gas Mark 4). Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.

Spread 6 cups cubed bread in a single layer on the prepare baking sheet. Bake in a preheated oven until evenly toasted - about 5-7 minutes. Toss the toasted bread cubes into an oven safe bowl.

In a large skillet over medium-high heat, sear 1 lb sausage for about 3-4 minutes until the one side is nicely seared. Turn over and add 1 cup diced onions, ¾ cup diced celery, 2½ tsp. dried sage and a ½ Tbsp. fresh thyme. Stir to break up sausage and combine with vegetables and seasonings and continue to cook until sausage is cooked all the way through and no longer pink. About 5-10 more minutes.

While the sausage is cooking, into bowl with the bread cubes add ¾ cup dried cranberries, diced apple pieces and 1 Tbsp. freshly minced parsley.

When the sausage is cooked through, add the sausage mixture to the bowl with the bread cubes and stir to combine all the ingredients. Pour in 2 cups turkey stock and 4 Tbsp. melted butter. Stir to combine. Add more turkey stock if you like. I recommend adding ½ cup at a time until you reach the consistency you like. Stir each time after adding stock. Give it a taste and adjust the seasonings to your liking.

Refrigerate until ready to heat and serve.

To Reheat: Cover with foil and cook in 350°F (180°C/160°C fan, Gas Mark 4) preheated oven for about 20-30 minutes until heated through to your liking. Serve hot.

Cook's Notes:

Make-Ahead: I usually make it early in the day on Thanksgiving, but you can make it a day or two ahead. It reheats nicely in the oven while the turkey is resting.
Instead of cubed bread you can use a 14 oz bag of bread stuffing and skip the cubing and toasting of the bread to save time.
When adding the broth, I typically use 3-4 cups, but I recommend starting with 2 cups and adding in ½ cup at a time until it is the consistency you like. Add more broth as needed when you go to heat it up for serving.