Recipe of the Week: K.M’s Sausage-Apple-Walnut Stuffing

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Reader K.M. kindly sent us a recipe for a Thanksgiving sausage-apple-walnut stuffing. This can be cooked entirely as a side dish, or stuffed in your turkey, or both.  If cooked inside the turkey, then the sausage and onions must be sautéed, first.

Note: If baked as a side dish, then this should be started just 90 to 120 minutes before the expected serving time for your turkey.

Ingredients
  • 3/4 lb. mild ground sausage.
  • 1 medium sweet onion, peeled and chopped
  • 2 medium apples, cored and chopped
  • 1 c. celery, chopped.
  • 2 large garlic cloves, minced. (More or less, to taste)
  • 1 c. toasted walnuts, chopped.
  • 2 tbsp. fresh sage
  • 1/4 c. Fresh parsley, chopped.
  • 1 tbsp. fresh thyme leaves, chopped or ground.
  • 1 tsp. salt
  • 1/2 tsp. fresh-ground pepper (more or less, to taste)
  • 12 c. of bread cubes–either fresh or crusty. (Cornbread can be substituted.)
  • 2 1/2 c. low-sodium turkey broth or chicken broth
  • 1/4 c. melted butter
  • Fresh parsley (garnish), to taste
Directions
  1. Pre-heat oven to 350 F.
  2. Sauté the sausage and onion in a large skillet over medium heat for 7 minutes or until sausage is no longer pink.
  3. Add apples, celery, and garlic. (And apricots and/or raisins, if desired.)
  4. Sauté for 5 more minutes or until the apples are tender.
  5. Stir in the walnuts, sage, parsley, thyme, salt, and pepper. (You may vary the quantities, to taste).
  6. Transfer this to a large bowl, and let it cool for 10 minutes.
  7. Fold in the bread cubes and broth, until bread cubes are moist and it is well-blended.
  8. Spoon mixture into a greased 13 x 9-inch baking pan (or any other 3-quart baking dish).
  9. Brush the top generously with butter.
  10. Bake at 350 degrees F for 45 to 50 minutes or until top is crusty and brown.
Variations
  • Cornbread can be substituted fro regular bread cubes.
  • If you want the stuffing a bit sweeter, then you can add some chopped apricots –canned or dried–and/or raisins to the apples.
SERVING
  • Keep this stuffing covered and on low heat, until serving.
  • Serve this stuffing hot.
  • Garnish with parsley and/or a few very thinly-sliced raw apples, if desired.
STORAGE

This stores well, refrigerated for up to 72 hours. It does not store well, frozen.