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
- 2 tablespoons of olive oil
- 1 medium onion diced
- 2 stalks of celery diced
- 1 pound of sausage
- 1 teaspoon of salt
- freshly ground pepper to taste
- 2 tablespoons of fresh sage minced
- 2 teaspoons of fresh rosemary minced
- 2 tablespoons of fresh flat leaf parsley chopped
- 1 large golden delicious apple cored and diced
- 3/4 cups of dried cranberries
- 2 cups of turkey or chicken stock
- 6 cups of dry unseasoned bread cubes
- 4 tablespoons of melted butter
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.
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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This looks like the most delicious stuffing recipe! I can’t wait to try it! It’s going to be a hit!
I am glad I didn’t wait until Thanksgiving to try this stuffing, it is way too delicious to only serve once a year!
I love the addition of the apple and cranberry to this. The whole family did too!
Perfection! Absolutely nothing beats homemade stuffing!
Stuffing is a must to have on the table for the holidays but I never thought to add apples and cranberries to it! Looks delicious!
What type of sausage do you use?
Breakfast sausage.
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.
Such a great stuffing recipe! I really loved the apples and cranberries in it!
I’ve seen lots of stuffing recipes around but I really love the idea of adding apples and cranberries! Trying this for the holidays!
This stuffing was so good!! I love the cranberries in it and it turned out super moist! LOVE!!
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!
Made it for Thanksgiving! I used hot Italian sausage and it was delicious! Thanks for posting this one!
My family RAVED about this stuffing at Thanksgiving 🙂 I used more like 10 cups of bread cubes (and, thus, extra broth)…it was amazing