Sourdough Sausage Stuffing
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Tangy sourdough, sweet Italian sausage, tart Granny Smith apples, and dried cranberries make this stuffing perfect for anyone craving a flavor-packed twist on a classic. Check out my 50+ Thanksgiving Dishes for more ideas for your holiday spread!
Sourdough Sausage Stuffing with Apples and Cranberries
I always say there’s a lid for every pot. That there’s someone out there for everyone, romantically or platonically. And I’d argue the same is true of Thanksgiving stuffing.
Stuffing is my favorite part of the Thanksgiving meal, so it’s no surprise I already have two recipes for it on my site: here’s my traditional bread stuffing and my cornbread stuffing (made with homemade cornbread!). This sausage stuffing makes number three, and I’ll be honest with you: it’s not the one I’d choose for my own table.
But that is not at all to say that it is bad. I would never put a recipe on this site that I didn’t think was delicious. But I’m a tradition kind of gal, and this stuffing is a different (flavor) animal. It’s for a very specific eater, the one who loves how tangy sourdough plays against savory sausage and punchy parsley, and who gets excited about a sweet-tart bite of Granny Smith apple or a dried cranberry. It lives on an entirely different spectrum from the stuffing most of us grew up with.
My cornbread stuffing leans sweeter, so between the three, there’s now a stuffing for every kind of eater. And while this one isn’t my personal pick, I stand behind it completely. It’s absolutely delicious, and it holds its own next to all those eclectic sides that don’t quite fit a traditional spread.
So if you’re the lid to this pot, this one’s for you.
IS THIS STUFFING FOR YOU?
You’ll love this sausage stuffing recipe if you: like tangy, savory, a little sweet-tart, crusty crust, and most especially if you are a sourdough enthusiast and perhaps want an excuse to make another loaf.
Stick with a traditional stuffing recipe if you: want classic sage-and-celery comfort, or if you have a table full of kids and/or folks who don’t like to stray from the beaten path.
Go for the cornbread stuffing recipe if you: like a sweeter note and can get down with making the cornbread from scratch (though there are notes for using a mix, too).
What Makes This Sausage Stuffing Different
First off, sturdy sourdough can withstand a lot of the ingredients that get mixed into this stuffing that might otherwise turn stuffing soggy.
Don’t get me wrong, there’s something lovable about the softened bread cubes in traditional stuffing, and while that certainly will happen to the innards of sourdough bread, a quick toast of the cubes before they ever meet up with any wet ingredients gives them a leg up in the crusty department.
The open crumb structure is basically an invitation for the butter, herbs, chicken stock, and veggies to jump on into each bread cube, so you get maximum flavor soaked right into each bite.
As far as the flavor goes, the tang of the sourdough cuts through the fatty and salty notes of the sausage. While we are using a sweet sausage in this recipe, it’s still pretty savory. The overall profile is surprisingly light considering how many ingredients go into the whole shebang.
KEY INGREDIENTS YOU WILL NEED
SOURDOUGH BREAD: we’ve talked a lot about this already, but a homemade or store-bought loaf works just fine here. You’ll be slicing and toasting the bread so the crustier the better!
GRANNY SMITH APPLES: these will get cooked down a bit in a saucepan with butter, onions, celery, herbs, and spices so they’ll have some bite but won’t be super crunchy or mushy. Think “apple pie” without the sugar.
PARSLEY: this is such a nice herby addition to this stuffing, and you’ll want to choose fresh over dried, though dried is completely acceptable if it’s what you have available to you. It’s got some bite which complements that tangy sourdough and apples really nicely. Use up some leftover parsley in this Parmesan parsley bread.
ITALIAN SAUSAGE: I suggest you grab the sweet kind, though there’s totally space for a spicy version. Maybe use both! I like the pre-cooked sausage that will show up as slices in this stuffing, but ground works well, too. Your choice!
DRIED CRANBERRIES: I think this might be my favorite part! The sweetness is on the nose, no doubt about it, so biting into complex forkfuls with tang and tart and savory is *chef’s kiss* delish.
OVERVIEW: HOW TO MAKE SAUSAGE STUFFING
Though this isn’t a dump-and-bake kind of recipe, it’s still quite simple and everything winds up in the same big bowl in the end anyway.
Toast the bread: this will ensure your crust is crusty and the inside of your bread cubes are ready to soak up all the stuffing goodies. Once they’re toasted, toss them into the most giant bowl you have.
Cook the vegetables and herbs/spices in butter: this is the foundation for the flavor, and things will marry so nicely. The onions will flavor everything around them, including the apples, so every bite has something from the group to deliver.
Cook the sausage: you’ll use the remnants of the vegetable situation to cook the sausage, whatever that looks like for you. Since I used pre-cooked sausage, this is mostly a formality step for me to get some browning and texture on the sausage slices. If you’re using raw sausage, cook until it is done and browned to your liking.
Bake it all together: this sausage stuffing bakes in a 9″ x 13″ dish, so it will get quite toasty on top and lead to a soft interior. The combination of textures is something we liked a lot in our taste testing!
CAN I MAKE THIS STUFFING AHEAD OF TIME?
You absolutely can make this recipe ahead! For short term make ahead, I recommend preparing the veggies up to 2 days in advance and keeping the mixture covered tightly in the refrigerator until you need it. At that point, you can toast your bread and cook your sausage, or you could have done those up to 2 days in advance as well. I don’t suggest leaving this stuffing assembled and ready to bake for more than 12 hours since it could get quite soggy by then.
For long term make ahead, I recommend freezing the stuffing in the pan, assembled and ready to bake, for up to 3 months. Thaw the dish in the refrigerator before proceeding with baking.
Round out the rest of your Thanksgiving meal! Homemade corn casserole, blueberry cranberry sauce, turkey tenderloin, pumpkin pie, savory mashed sweet potatoes, and green bean casserole without cream of mushroom soup!
Sausage Stuffing Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 and ½ pounds (680g) sourdough bread1 cut into 1" cubes
- ½ cup (113g) unsalted butter
- 1 medium yellow onion
- 3 large celery stalks diced
- 2 Granny Smith apples skin on; cored and diced
- 2 Tablespoons fresh parsley
- 1 Tablespoon salt
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 pound (454g) sweet Italian sausage2 casings removed
- 1 cup (240mL) chicken broth or stock
- 1 cup (120g) dried cranberries
Video
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF (177ºC).
- Place the bread cubes in a single layer on a large baking sheet. Bake the bread cubes for 8-10 minutes until they start to dry out just a bit. Remove from the oven and transfer to a very large bowl and set aside.
- In a large skillet over medium heat, melt the butter. Once it is melted, add the onions, celery, parsley, salt, and pepper. Increase the temperature to medium-high heat and cook the mixture until the vegetables start to soften, about 8-10 minutes. Remove from the head and add the mixture to the bread cubes.
- In the same skillet, cook the sausage over medium-high heat until it is browned and cooked through (or until your liking if you're using pre-cooked sausage). Remove from the heat and add the sausage to the bowl with the bread cubes and vegetables.
- Add the chicken stock and cranberries to the mixture, then mix everything together until it is evenly dispersed.
- Pour the stuffing into a 9" x 13" baking dish and bake for 40-45 minutes until browned on top. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 15 minutes before serving. Store leftovers covered tightly in the refrigerator up to 5 days or in the freezer up to 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator.
Notes
- Sourdough bread: I like to use sourdough for this stuffing because the tangy flavor goes well with the tart apples and sweet sausage and cranberries. It also has a sturdy crust which brings structure to the stuffing. You can use any bread you prefer.
- Italian sausage: I like to use pre-cooked sausage whenever possible to cut down on prep time, but you can use whatever you prefer. Uncooked sausage out of the casing will act more like ground beef and create smaller pieces, and pre-cooked sausage will be more like slices (see photos/video for an example).
- Make ahead (short term/no freezer): I recommend preparing the veggies up to 2 days in advance and keeping the mixture covered tightly in the refrigerator until you need it. At that point, you can toast your bread and cook your sausage, or you could have done those up to 2 days in advance as well. I don’t suggest leaving this stuffing assembled and ready to bake for more than 12 hours since it could get quite soggy by then.
- Make ahead (long term/freezer): freeze unbaked sausage stuffing covered tightly up to 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator then proceed with baking instructions.
Nutrition Disclosure
All nutritional values are approximate and provided to the reader as a courtesy. Changing ingredients and/or quantities will alter the estimated nutritional calculations.