Italian Sausage and Apple Stuffing!
You can’t get more classic than this comforting Thanksgiving combination of pork sausage, apples, ciabatta bread and fresh herbs. You can make this recipe as a “dressing” by baking it on it's own, or use it to stuff your turkey. On its own, it can be baked in a 9x13 baking dish or large (14" cast iron skillet).
Servings 10 servings
Ingredients
- 1 pound ciabatta rolls or sourdough bread
- 1 tablespoon Extra Virgin Olive oil about 3 Tablespoons
- 1 pound Italian pork sausage
- 1 ½ cups yellow onions, finely diced
- 2 cups celery ribs, ends cut off and diced
- 2 cups Granny Smith apples, cored and diced
- 4 tablespoons butter, melted
- 1 cup good quality chicken stock
- 1 ½ teaspoons sea salt and a few turns freshly ground pepper to taste
- ¼ cup flat-leaf parsley, chopped
- 12 sprigs fresh thyme, leaves removed from stems
- 1 cup dried cranberries
- ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 3 pasture-raised organic eggs, whisked
Instructions
Toast the ciabatta:
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Butter a 2-quart casserole pan or 9x13 pan. Prep all the fruit, vegetables and herbs, Set aside
- Cut the ciabatta rolls, including crust, into to 1-inch cubes and place in a bowl, set aside
- Heat the olive oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat. Brown the sausage, breaking it up with a spoon until it's completely cooked through, about 8 to 10 minutes.
- Add the cooked sausage to the bowl with the bread, leaving the fat in the pan. Toss the bread with the sausage until evenly incorporated.
- Return the pan to the heat and add the onion, celery, and apple. Cook until the onions are translucent and everything has softened, about 6 to 8 minutes.
- Add the vegetable mixture to the bowl with the bread cubes and sausage, and stir until well mixed. Stir in the butter, stock, salt, pepper, and parsley, mixing thoroughly.
- Stir in the butter, stock, salt, pepper, and parsley, thyme and cranberries mixing thoroughly. Stir in the beaten eggs. Transfer the stuffing to the prepared pan and spread it into an even layer.
- Bake the sausage stuffing for 50 to 60 minutes, until the top is crunchy and sizzling. Remove the sausage stuffing from the oven. Allow it to cool for 5 to 10 minutes before serving.