Turkey breakfast sausage and apple dressing – full of flavor and crunch! Whether you call it dressing or stuffing, it’s ideal for Thanksgiving and holiday dinners.
There’s been a friendly debate in my house lately: is that beloved Thanksgiving side made of bread, herbs and savory additions called stuffing or dressing?
My mom offered a simple rule: if it goes inside the bird, call it stuffing; if it stays on the side, it’s dressing.
Mr. B. insists all dressing should be called stuffing. I argue that stuffing should remain dressing—at least according to my mom’s practical Thanksgiving theory.
Honestly, the debate might be one of those topics best left off the dinner-table conversation, right up there with politics, religion and money.
I might have one more Thanksgiving recipe to share before the big day, depending on how my turkey experiment turns out. I’ve been practicing on whole chickens, but to be sure the turkey recipe works I need to cook a turkey. Fingers crossed.
In the meantime, these recipes (including this turkey breakfast sausage and apple dressing) are ready to join your holiday meal. It’s flavorful, crunchy and easy to prepare.
Turkey Breakfast Sausage and Apple Dressing
When preparing this dish, choose fresh loose breakfast sausage (the roll-style fresh sausage). If turkey breakfast sausage isn’t available, pork sausage is an acceptable substitute. I found the turkey sausage at Whole Foods and thought it worked beautifully here.
The recipe lists 3 cups of chicken broth, but I’ve made it with 2 cups when I prefer a drier dressing. If you stuff this into a bird it may need less broth. Adjust the liquid to your texture preference.
Stale bread gives the best texture—if your loaf is fresh, dry the cut cubes in the oven for a short while until they’re slightly crisp. I like the apples to stay crunchy, so I add them later; if you prefer softer apples, cook them with the celery and onion.
Apple Breakfast Sausage Stuffing
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15 minutes
40 minutes
55 minutes
Ingredients
- 6 cups Italian bread, cut into ½ inch cubes, stale
- 1 pound loose turkey breakfast sausage
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2 cups chopped apples
- 1 cup diced celery
- 1 cup diced white onion
- 3 cups chicken broth
- 1 tablespoon fresh rosemary, removed from the stem
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Prepare a casserole dish by spraying it with non-stick spray or rubbing it with butter. Put the bread cubes into a large bowl and set aside.
- In a large saucepan, sauté the turkey sausage until browned. Remove the sausage with a slotted spoon and add it to the bowl with the bread cubes. Immediately melt the butter in the same pan.
- When the butter is melted, add the celery and white onion and sauté until translucent. Add the apples, chicken broth, fresh rosemary, salt and pepper. Stir well, scraping the bottom of the pan, then pour the mixture over the bread and sausage.
- Transfer the mixture to the prepared casserole dish and bake uncovered for 40 minutes, until the top is browned and crispy. Stir once halfway through cooking.
Nutrition
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