Whether you call it stuffing or dressing, this apple Sausage Stuffing recipe needs a permanent spot on your holiday menu! It’s rich, savory, and made completely from scratch (while still being super easy to prepare). The top is crispy, the center is soft and moist, and the sausage adds a meaty flavor to every bite. And because I don’t use eggs, this recipe is also egg-free and can easily be made veggie/vegan. Pile it high on your Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner plate, and I guarantee you won’t have any leftovers.
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“This stuffing is 🔥. Everyone loved it—made exactly as directed. We did let it firm up a bit before eating, SO DELICIOUS!! Thank you for a great recipe!”
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Easy Sausage Stuffing
Every holiday table needs stuffing, and this recipe has always been my go-to. Simple to prepare and versatile, it lends itself well to those who are egg-free, or if I’m entertaining those who are meat-free, I can easily adjust accordingly, though I do have a vegetarian stuffing recipe I like to make as well.
And, because I’m conscious of the cost of food, I always have a stash of leftover bread in the freezer. No slice ever goes to waste around here, as I throw it in the freezer to be used in stuffing or to make homemade breadcrumbs.
You won’t believe how easy it is to make this stuffing. You’ll never go back to using a store-bought mix again!
Recipe Success Tips & Variations
- Let it soak it in. As you stir in the homemade bread cubes, they’ll begin to soak up the moisture and oils from the vegetables and sausage in the pan, which will make it easier to handle. The bread eventually soaks up all of the yummy liquid; this is almost like a savory bread pudding when finished.
- Feel free to add any mix-ins you like. I think dried cranberries, chopped nuts, or extra veggies like mushrooms would all work well in this recipe. You can also play around with the seasonings and add your favorite herbs or spices.
- Make it vegetarian or vegan. Swap the sausage for vegan sausage or ground beef substitute, use a non-dairy butter, and a vegetable bouillon, and you’ve got vegan sausage. Don’t forget to check your bread for any animal-based ingredients as well.
- Any bread will work. I like using a mixture of bread for different flavors and textures, but whatever you have on hand will work great.
- Choose your favorite apple. I’ve always added an apple to my homemade sausage stuffing, and my family loves it. I like using a tart, green apple like Granny Smith. Different varieties will bring different levels of sweetness, so choose your favorite.
Sausage Stuffing Recipe
Cost $11.16 recipe / $1.40 serving
Ingredients
Bread Cubes
- 12 slices bread (cut into 1-inch cubes, 9½ cups total $1.42*)
- cooking spray ($0.01)
Stuffing Ingredients
- 1 lb. mild ground Italian sausage ($4.37)
- 1 stick salted butter ($0.99)
- 1 medium yellow onion (diced, about 1½ cups, $0.70)
- 4-5 celery stalks (diced, about 1½ cups, $0.49)
- 4 cloves garlic (minced, $0.32)
- 2 Tbsp poultry seasoning (dried, $1.32)
- ½ tsp salt ($0.01)
- 1 tsp black pepper (freshly cracked, $0.04)
- 1 apple (cored and diced, skin on, $1.00)
- 3 cups chicken broth ($0.39**)
- 2 Tbsp fresh parsley (minced, $0.10)
Instructions
Bread Cubes Directions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Cut bread into 1-inch cubes and spread out on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Spray the bread cubes lightly with cooking spray. Bake for 15 minutes until dehydrated and lightly toasted. You should have around 9 ½ cups of bread cubes. Set aside.
Stuffing Directions
- In a large sauté pan, cook ground sausage, breaking it apart as it cooks, until browned. Strain excess fat and set cooked sausage off to the side in a bowl.
- Wipe out the sauté pan and melt the stick of butter. Add diced onion, diced celery, minced garlic, poultry seasoning, salt and pepper.
- Cook over medium heat until the onions and celery are glossy and have softened, about 5-8 minutes.
- Add cooked sausage and a handful of toasted bread cubes to the sauté pan and mix to combine.
- Add more bread cubes until all have been used up. Then, add diced green apple.
- Pour chicken broth (made from combining bouillon and hot water) over the top of the stuffing mixture.
- Bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes in a 350°F oven. If the top is starting to get too dark for your liking, add a tinfoil tent, but you want the top to crisp up a bit.
- You can serve it hot straight out of the oven or let it cool a bit for a firmer texture. Sprinkle with parsley just before serving.
See how we calculate recipe costs here.
Equipment
- 3 Quart Casserole Dish
- Deep Stainless Steel Skillet
Notes
Nutrition
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Toast the bread: Preheat the oven to 350°F. Slice 12 slices of bread into 1-inch cubes and spread them out on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Spray the bread cubes lightly with cooking spray. Bake for 15 minutes or until lightly toasted. You should have around 9 ½ cups of bread cubes. Set aside.
Cook the sausage: Cook 1 lb. of ground sausage in a large skillet, breaking it apart as it cooks, until completely browned. Strain the excess fat and set it off to the side, in a bowl.
Cook the aromatics: Wipe out the sauté pan and melt 1 stick salted butter. Add 1 medium diced onion, 4-5 diced celery stalks, 4 cloves minced garlic, 2 Tbsp poultry seasoning, ½ tsp salt, and 1 tsp pepper.
Cook over medium heat until the onions and celery are glossy and have softened. This usually takes me about 5-8 minutes.
Add sausage and bread: Add the cooked sausage and a handful of toasted bread cubes to the sauté pan and mix to combine.
Stir in the apple: Add the bread cubes until all of them have been used up. Then, add 1 diced green apple.
Add the broth: Pour 3 cups chicken broth over the top of the stuffing mixture.
Bake: Bake the stuffing for 1 hour and 15 minutes in a 350°F oven. If the top is starting to get too dark for your liking, tent it with tinfoil. However, you do want the top to crisp up a bit.
Remove from the oven: You can serve it hot straight out of the oven or let it cool a bit for a firmer texture.
Garnish and serve: Sprinkle the top with 2 Tbsp fresh parsley just before serving and enjoy.
Serving Suggestions
I find this stuffing goes well with any holiday meal. I like to serve it with a roasted turkey breast as our main dish. For sides, I like to prepare creamy Instant Pot mashed potatoes or sweet potato casserole. And, of course, cranberry sauce to dollop over everything.
storage and reheating
I love an easy make-ahead dish, especially over the holidays when my kitchen is already overflowing with food! You can prep this Italian sausage stuffing recipe up to two days in advance. I’d toast the bread cubes and then follow the recipe as written up to step 5, stopping just before the chicken broth is added. Let everything cool, cover it with a lid or some foil, and refrigerate until you’re ready to bake it. When you’re ready, pour the chicken broth over the top and bake as directed.
Leftover stuffing will keep in the fridge for 3-4 days, in an airtight container. Or, freeze leftovers in freezer-safe containers for up to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge overnight. Reheat the stuffing in the oven so the bread crisps up again.
Sausage stuffing is a holiday classic and this is the perfect recipe for it! We’ll be using it every year now.
Great recipe! I made this for Thanksgiving with a few alterations. I used pre-toasted bread specifically for stuffing sold by the grocery store and added some fresh sage, rosemary, and thyme leftover from the turkey. I also substituted fresh turkey stock for the bullion and water. Everybody really enjoyed this sausage stuffing!
Fresh turkey stock– genius. Thanks for your review!
This stuffing is 🔥. Everyone loved it—made exactly as directed. We did let it firm up a bit before eating, SO DELICIOUS!! Thank you for a great recipe!