Sausage and Apple Cornbread Stuffing for Thanksgiving
Close-up of homemade sausage and apple stuffing in a white baking dish. The stuffing features golden cornbread cubes, diced celery, onions, and browned mild Italian sausage, baked until crisp on top and tender inside.
- Total Time1 hour 20 minutes
- Yield10 1x
Ingredients
- Country white bread, cubed and dried (8 cups)
- Cornbread, cubed and dried (6 cups)
- Unsalted butter (6 Tbsp)
- Apple cider (½ cup)
- Yellow onion, finely chopped (1 cup)
- Celery, finely chopped (1 cup)
- Garlic, minced (2 cloves | 6 g)
- Mild Italian pork sausage (1 lb)
- Apples, peeled and diced (1½ cups)
- Chicken broth (2 cups)
- Eggs, beaten (2 large)
- Fresh sage, chopped (1 Tbsp)
- Fresh thyme leaves (1 tsp)
- Kosher salt (1½ tsp)
- Black pepper (½ tsp)
Instructions
- Heat the oven to 300°F. Spread the country white bread (8 cups) and cornbread (6 cups) on two baking sheets and bake for 20–25 minutes, stirring once, until the cubes feel dry and crisp but not browned. Let them cool completely.
- Increase the oven temperature to 350°F.
- Melt unsalted butter (4 Tbsp) in a large skillet over medium heat. Cook, swirling often, until the butter turns golden and smells nutty, about 3–4 minutes. Slowly pour in the apple cider (½ cup) (it will bubble) and simmer for 2 minutes, scraping up the browned bits. Remove from heat and set aside.
- Add the remaining unsalted butter (2 Tbsp) to the skillet. Add the yellow onion (1 cup) and celery (1 cup) and cook over medium heat for 6–8 minutes, until softened. Stir in the garlic (2 cloves) and cook 30 seconds more.
- Add the mild Italian pork sausage (1 lb) to the skillet. Cook, breaking it apart with a spoon, until fully browned and crumbled, about 6–8 minutes. Drain excess fat if needed.
- Stir in the apples (1½ cups), fresh sage (1 Tbsp), fresh thyme (1 tsp), kosher salt (1½ tsp), and black pepper (½ tsp). Cook 2 minutes — just until the apples begin to soften. Transfer the mixture to a large mixing bowl and add the dried bread cubes.
- In a separate bowl, whisk the chicken broth (2 cups) and eggs (2 large) with the brown-butter cider mixture. Pour it evenly over the bread mixture and toss gently until everything is moistened. Let sit 10–15 minutes so the bread absorbs the liquid.
- Transfer the mixture to a greased 9×13-inch baking dish. Cover tightly with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Remove the foil and continue baking 20–25 minutes, until the top is golden and crisp.
- Let the stuffing rest 10 minutes before serving so the interior can set.
Notes
Bread Drying: Drying the bread in the oven ensures it absorbs the liquid evenly and prevents a gummy texture. The cubes should feel dry and crisp, not browned.
Brown Butter: The brown-butter cider mixture provides most of the depth and nutty flavor in the dish. Make sure the butter is fully golden before adding the cider.
Small Dice Matters: Finely dicing the onion, celery, and apples ensures they soften evenly and blend into the stuffing rather than standing out in large chunks.
Make-Ahead: Assemble fully, cover tightly, and refrigerate for up to 24 hours. Add extra covered bake time if baking straight from the fridge.
Gluten-Free: Use gluten-free cornbread and a gluten-free country-style loaf. Check sausage packaging to avoid cross contamination.
Dairy-Free: Replace the butter with a dairy-free alternative. No other changes needed.
- Prep Time: 25 minutes
- Cook Time: 55 minutes
- Category: Side Dish
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size:
- Calories: 323
- Sugar: 5.3 g
- Sodium: 891 mg
- Fat: 15.4 g
- Carbohydrates: 38 g
- Protein: 8.3 g
- Cholesterol: 65.5 mg