Apple Cranberry Sausage Stuffing Recipe with Fresh Herbs (2024)

by Melissa 22 Comments

This stuffing recipe is so easy. Sausage, apples and cranberry combined with fresh herbs and buttery toasted bread crumbs!

Stuffing Recipe Easy

This stuffing recipe only takes a few minutes to prep and couldn’t be easier to pull together. I use fresh apples, dried cranberries and browned sausage to bring store bought bread crumbs to life. For this recipe, I have aways used unseasoned bread crumbs. I just discard the dried seasoning packet. Last time I was at the store, they only had seasoned breadcrumbs and it turned out great too! So I think it’s ok to use what is available, just adjust added salt as needed.

Sauté the onions and celery in a large sauté pan. Then add sausage, breaking up as it browns. Stir in fresh herbs, apples and cranberries and get ready for your house to smell like Thanksgiving! I think it’s the fresh sage that really reminds me of the holidays!

Next, stir in breadcrumbs and stock. Top with melted butter and bake covered until stock is absorbed, then uncovered until lightly toasted.

This can easily be made ahead and baked right before serving. Just allow extra time for baking since it will be chilled from the refrigerator. I also have a slow cooker stuffing recipe if you need to free up space in the oven during a holiday meal.

Easy Thanksgiving Stuffing Tips

Prepare stuffing up until baking 1-2 days ahead of time and refrigerate to cut down on day-of prep.

Use fresh herbs for that traditional Thanksgiving flavor.

You can use any kind of apple – Granny Smith, Golden Delicious or Honey Crisp work really well!

Stuffing Recipe Easy

5 from 19 votes

Apple Cranberry Sausage Stuffing Recipe with Fresh Herbs (7)

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Stuffing Recipe Easy - Cranberry Sausage Apple Stuffing

Prep Time

10 mins

Cook Time

45 mins

Total Time

55 mins

Course:Dinner

Cuisine:American

Keyword:Thanksgiving

Servings: 11

Ingredients

  • 2tablespoonsof olive oil
  • 1medium onion diced
  • 2stalks of celery diced
  • 1poundof sausage
  • 1teaspoonof salt
  • freshly ground pepper to taste
  • 2tablespoonsof fresh sage minced
  • 2teaspoonsof fresh rosemary minced
  • 2tablespoonsof fresh flat leaf parsley chopped
  • 1large golden delicious apple cored and diced
  • 3/4cupsof dried cranberries
  • 2cupsof turkey or chicken stock
  • 6cupsof dry unseasoned bread cubes
  • 4tablespoonsof melted butter

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large sauté pan, heat onions and celery over medium heat until softened. Add sausage, breaking up as it browns. Once sausage is cooked through, season with salt, pepper and stir in fresh herbs. Then stir in diced apples, cranberries, bread crumbs and stock.

  2. Transfer stuffing mixture to a 9x13 baking pan that has been sprayed with non stick cooking spray, drizzle melted butter over stuffing mixture and cover tightly with foil. Bake for 25 minutes covered, then for another 20 uncovered until stuffing is lightly toasted. Sprinkle with additional fresh herbs before serving.

This is one of our traditional Thanksgiving family recipes and I think you are going to love it!

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Apple Cranberry Sausage Stuffing Recipe with Fresh Herbs (10)

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Apple Cranberry Sausage Stuffing Recipe with Fresh Herbs (11)Katie

    Apple Cranberry Sausage Stuffing Recipe with Fresh Herbs (12)
    This looks like the most delicious stuffing recipe! I can’t wait to try it! It’s going to be a hit!

    Reply

  2. Apple Cranberry Sausage Stuffing Recipe with Fresh Herbs (13)wilhelmina

    Apple Cranberry Sausage Stuffing Recipe with Fresh Herbs (14)
    I am glad I didn’t wait until Thanksgiving to try this stuffing, it is way too delicious to only serve once a year!

    Reply

  3. Apple Cranberry Sausage Stuffing Recipe with Fresh Herbs (15)Katie

    Apple Cranberry Sausage Stuffing Recipe with Fresh Herbs (16)
    I love the addition of the apple and cranberry to this. The whole family did too!

    Reply

  4. Apple Cranberry Sausage Stuffing Recipe with Fresh Herbs (17)Kimberly

    Apple Cranberry Sausage Stuffing Recipe with Fresh Herbs (18)
    Perfection! Absolutely nothing beats homemade stuffing!

    Reply

  5. Apple Cranberry Sausage Stuffing Recipe with Fresh Herbs (21)Lisa

    What type of sausage do you use?

    Reply

    • Apple Cranberry Sausage Stuffing Recipe with Fresh Herbs (22)Melissa

      Breakfast sausage.

      Reply

  6. Apple Cranberry Sausage Stuffing Recipe with Fresh Herbs (23)Krissy Allori

    Apple Cranberry Sausage Stuffing Recipe with Fresh Herbs (24)
    I loved this stuffing recipe. The best part is that it really is easy to make. The cranberries give that little burst of sweet that I love.

    Reply

  7. Apple Cranberry Sausage Stuffing Recipe with Fresh Herbs (25)Matt

    Apple Cranberry Sausage Stuffing Recipe with Fresh Herbs (26)
    You had me at sausage, apples, and cranberry! Seriously awesome stuffing recipe! 🙂 Thanks so much!

    Reply

  8. Apple Cranberry Sausage Stuffing Recipe with Fresh Herbs (27)Stephanie

    Apple Cranberry Sausage Stuffing Recipe with Fresh Herbs (28)
    Such a great stuffing recipe! I really loved the apples and cranberries in it!

    Reply

  9. Apple Cranberry Sausage Stuffing Recipe with Fresh Herbs (29)Suzy

    Apple Cranberry Sausage Stuffing Recipe with Fresh Herbs (30)
    I’ve seen lots of stuffing recipes around but I really love the idea of adding apples and cranberries! Trying this for the holidays!

    Reply

  10. Apple Cranberry Sausage Stuffing Recipe with Fresh Herbs (31)Eden

    Apple Cranberry Sausage Stuffing Recipe with Fresh Herbs (32)
    This stuffing was so good!! I love the cranberries in it and it turned out super moist! LOVE!!

    Reply

  11. Apple Cranberry Sausage Stuffing Recipe with Fresh Herbs (33)Lisa

    Apple Cranberry Sausage Stuffing Recipe with Fresh Herbs (34)
    I just made this and OMG this is amazing!!! I could only find the seasoned bread cubes and I used sweet Italian sausage. This is now my go to stuffing! I have to work on Thanksgiving tomorrow (I’m a nurse) and I’m bringing in a huge tray of this for our potluck meal!

    Reply

  12. Apple Cranberry Sausage Stuffing Recipe with Fresh Herbs (35)Michelle

    Apple Cranberry Sausage Stuffing Recipe with Fresh Herbs (36)
    Made it for Thanksgiving! I used hot Italian sausage and it was delicious! Thanks for posting this one!

    Reply

  13. Apple Cranberry Sausage Stuffing Recipe with Fresh Herbs (37)Lisa

    Apple Cranberry Sausage Stuffing Recipe with Fresh Herbs (38)
    My family RAVED about this stuffing at Thanksgiving 🙂 I used more like 10 cups of bread cubes (and, thus, extra broth)…it was amazing

    Reply

  14. Apple Cranberry Sausage Stuffing Recipe with Fresh Herbs (39)Katie

    Apple Cranberry Sausage Stuffing Recipe with Fresh Herbs (40)
    I love the addition of cranberry and apple in this stuffing! It adds the perfect amount of sweetness to it. We love it!

    Reply

  15. Apple Cranberry Sausage Stuffing Recipe with Fresh Herbs (41)Natalie

    Apple Cranberry Sausage Stuffing Recipe with Fresh Herbs (42)
    The addition of apples & cranberries take this stuffing to a new level!! Adding this to our Thanksgiving menu!

    Reply

  16. Apple Cranberry Sausage Stuffing Recipe with Fresh Herbs (43)April

    Apple Cranberry Sausage Stuffing Recipe with Fresh Herbs (44)
    This stuffing is SO GOOD. The perfect addition to Thanksgiving.

    Reply

  17. Apple Cranberry Sausage Stuffing Recipe with Fresh Herbs (45)Kristen

    Apple Cranberry Sausage Stuffing Recipe with Fresh Herbs (46)
    This stuffing was so good, I could not stop eating it and neither could my family. I will definitely have to make it again.

    Reply

  18. Apple Cranberry Sausage Stuffing Recipe with Fresh Herbs (47)Lori

    Apple Cranberry Sausage Stuffing Recipe with Fresh Herbs (48)
    This is our GO TO stuffing every year. It’s a crowd pleaser!!! Last year I made this recipe and halved it completely to make one regular meat version and one meat-less version (used Impossible Brand fake pork) and it came out wonderful! My non-meating eat sisters loved it! The whole house smells like a holiday. It’s a must make every year for our Thanksgiving table. I love that I can make it in the slow cooker and free up the stovetop too.

    Reply

    • Apple Cranberry Sausage Stuffing Recipe with Fresh Herbs (49)Melissa

      Such a great idea! Thank you for taking the time to share!

      Reply

  19. Apple Cranberry Sausage Stuffing Recipe with Fresh Herbs (50)Dani

    Apple Cranberry Sausage Stuffing Recipe with Fresh Herbs (51)
    I absolutely LOVE this stuffing, and make it every year. Only a couple of us even like stuffing, but I make the whole batch each year just so I can enjoy all the leftovers myself. This recipe is what has lead me to slowly take over a lot of the cooking for Thanksgiving, and I can’t recommend it enough.

    Reply

Leave a Reply

Apple Cranberry Sausage Stuffing Recipe with Fresh Herbs (2024)

FAQs

What does adding egg to stuffing do? ›

Eggs: Two lightly beaten eggs help hold the dressing together and add moisture.

What is the best bread to use for stuffing? ›

Breads such as sour dough, French bread or Italian loaves are for the best bread for stuffing. Their soft-but-sturdy interiors are the perfect texture for stuffing. The pieces retain their shape without crumbling.

Can I freeze cooked sausage stuffing? ›

Stuffing can be frozen either fully cooked or uncooked, which is good news if you're looking for some make-ahead recipes to save time on the big day.

Is stuffing made of potatoes? ›

Yes, the mashed potatoes, whole wheat breadcrumbs, and sauteed veggies are delicious together but dried sage takes the mixture to an entirely different level. It's super important for flavor and balance, plus it will fill your whole house with the savory smells of Thanksgiving.

What can you use as a binder instead of eggs in stuffing? ›

16 egg substitutes
  1. Mashed banana. Mashed banana can act as a binding agent when baking or making pancake batter. ...
  2. Applesauce. Applesauce can also act as a binding agent. ...
  3. Fruit puree. Fruit puree will help bind a recipe in a similar way to applesauce. ...
  4. Avocado. ...
  5. Gelatin. ...
  6. Xanthan gum. ...
  7. Vegetable oil and baking powder. ...
  8. Margarine.
Mar 30, 2021

What can I substitute for eggs in stuffing? ›

Best Egg Substitutes
  • Flaxseed Meal. Flaxseeds have an earthy, nutty flavor and are rich in omega-3 fatty acids. ...
  • Chia Seeds. ...
  • Mashed Banana. ...
  • Applesauce. ...
  • Silken Tofu. ...
  • Aquafaba. ...
  • Starches. ...
  • Vinegar + Baking Powder.

Is it better to make stuffing with fresh or dry bread? ›

Any attempts to make stuffing with soft, fresh baked bread will result in a bread soup with a soggy texture. Follow this tip: Stale, dried-out bread makes the best stuffing.

Is it better to toast or dry bread for stuffing? ›

dry!" The reason for this is that stale or dry bread will hold up better after cooking and keep its texture even after adding your broth or liquid. If you use soft, fresh bread, you'll ultimately wind up with a soggy, mushy stuffing.

What is the best way to dry out bread for stuffing? ›

Spread the cubed bread on top of two cooling racks set in two half-sheet pans. Heat your oven to the lowest setting (typically 150°–200°F) and bake for 45 minutes to an hour, or until completely dry. If your oven only goes down to, say, 250°, start by baking for 30 minutes, then check the dryness of a cube or two.

Can you prepare uncooked stuffing ahead of time and refrigerate? ›

Do not refrigerate uncooked stuffing. If stuffing is prepared ahead of time, it must be either frozen or cooked immediately. To use cooked stuffing later, cool in shallow containers and refrigerate it within 2 hours. Use it within 3 to 4 days.

Can you make stuffing the day before and reheat? ›

Can you prepare stuffing ahead of time and reheat? YES! This stuffing is baked to golden perfection the day before the big meal. You store it in the fridge overnight and then simply warm it in the oven before dinner.

How long is leftover sausage stuffing good for? ›

If stuffing is prepared ahead of time, it must be either frozen or cooked immediately. To use cooked stuffing later, cool in shallow containers and refrigerate it within 2 hours. Use it within 3 to 4 days. Reheat the cooked stuffing to 165 °F just as for all leftovers.

Does stuffing contain onions? ›

Stuffing can be made of many different things, but the ingredients most varieties of stuffing have in common are some sort of starch (breadcrumbs, rolled oats, pearl barley etc), some sort of herb (bay leaves, sage, garlic) and chopped onion or another kind of vegetable.

What is traditional stuffing made of? ›

Turkey stuffing was popularized in the early days of Thanksgiving, as it is written in many 16th-century Boston area documents. Stuffing most often uses dried bread, herbs, and vegetables that are reconstituted with liquid, stuffed into the turkey cavity, and baked until it is firm and finished cooking.

What is stuffing called when it's not in a turkey? ›

Stuffing and dressing are commonly used as different names for the same thing—a dish consisting of bits of bread (or other starchy things) and various seasonings. The dish can be made by stuffing it (hence the name) inside a turkey or other bird that will be roasted, or by baking or cooking it separately.

How do you keep stuffing moist when cooking? ›

Typically, baking the stuffing inside the bird helps keep the mixture moist. “I prefer stuffing (in the bird) to dressing (outside of the bird) because all those delicious drippings that come off the turkey gets absorbed right into the stuffing,” Bamford says.

What makes stuffing unhealthy? ›

Typically high in fat, carbs and salt, stuffing can be made fresh or purchased chilled, frozen or dehydrated. Traditionally, a stuffing would use the giblets of the bird with the addition of sausage meat, a source of starch, such as bread, with some aromatics such as onion, herbs and spices.

What is the importance of egg yolk in preparing salad dressing? ›

Egg yolks are especially recommended for their emulsifying and thickening properties in mayonnaise, salad dressings, ice cream, and baked goods, combined with their coloring properties.

Why do people add eggs to everything? ›

Bakerpedia explains that the protein found in eggs serves as the proverbial glue that holds the ingredients of a recipe together. Eggs also add a distinct element of airiness when mixed vigorously in foods like custard and waffles. But aside from their use in baking, eggs are in more foods than you realize.

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