This Italian Sausage Stuffing takes your average boxed stuffing and knocks it out of the park! Bursting with flavor, easy to prepare, and guaranteed to be a showstopper at your next Thanksgiving spread.
My Thanksgiving meal can sometimes be a game of strategy. Planning which foods I want to eat in what portions, and in what order, is serious business, folks!
Imagine the calamity if my sweet potatoes became too chummy with my salad! If my cranberry sauce broached mashed potato territory! It’s a horror I can not allow to happen. I know some people live in a world of Thanksgiving anarchy and allow all of their foods to touch and intermingle. But I am not among these moral-less hedonists.
I like my foods to be distinct, unless they are made to fraternize with their plate-mates. For example: Stuffing.
Stuffing is one of the rare foods that is acceptable to rub shoulders with turkey, gravy, mashed potatoes, and even cranberry sauce if you’re bad.
But in news that will surprise no one, I am very picky about my stuffing. Stuffing prepared straight out of the box is not worth room on my plate. I will pass soggy stuffing right along and save room for more sweet potatoes.
But this stuffing? It’s making an appearance on plate #1 and #2.
What, you don’t have 2 plates of Thanksgiving dinner? Come on, guys. It’s just the right way. Plate one is your turkey, mashed potatoes, green beans, stuffing, roll. Plate number 2 is where the sweet potatoes, salad, more rolls, and whatever you really need another helping of comes to play.
And this particular stuffing always makes its way onto both of my plates. With just a few extra ingredients and steps, packaged stuffing is given a complete make over.
Tips for Stuffing Success
• To start out, make sure you get the right kind of stuffing mix. Stay away from Stove Top- it’s a bit too seasoned. I like to use Pepperidge Farm.
• As far as the sausage goes, use mild if you like things mild, and hot if you like things hot. I know, that’s a very complicated suggestion. But I know you can make the right choice for your family.
• You may be thinking a grated apple sounds like a strange addition to stuffing. You can certainly just chop up the apple if you prefer, but I love the subtle sweetness of the grated apple, without big chunks of soft apples. Give it a try. You can grate it in a food processor, but it’s not hard to just give it a quite grate with a hand grater.
• Pecans are optional in this recipe. Sometimes you feel like a nut; sometimes you don’t.
Whatever you do with your stuffing, please don’t cook it inside of your bird. It just aint right. Give your guests the gift of not getting food poisoning this thanksgiving, and make this stuffing instead.
Ingredients
Method
- Preheat oven to 350 F. Prepare a 9×13 dish with cooking spray.
- In a dutch oven or deep skillet, heat olive oil and add sausage. Remove casings if sausage is in links. When sausage begins to brown, add onion, garlic and celery. When onions are translucent, add mushrooms and apple and cook until mushrooms are tender.
- Pour stuffing mix over the sausage and vegetables. Add chicken broth and stir gently until all liquid is absorbed. Add pecans and cranberries.
- Spread mixture into the prepared 9×13. Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 10 minutes. Remove foil and bake for another 10 minutes.
- Prepare stuffing and put in 9×13 covered in foil. Refrigerate for 1-2 days. When ready to bake, bake at 350 with foil on for 20-25 minutes. Remove foil and bake for 10 minutes.
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