Turkey sausage and apple dressing
Turkey sausage and apple dressing is an easy, hearty and delicious side dish made with fresh ingredients. It can be prepped ahead and comes out so delicious – perfect for Thanksgiving!
Yield: 8 -10 servings
Ingredients
- 1 lb. turkey sausage links (mild or hot, or substitute pork sausage), casings removed
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter (or sub extra-virgin olive oil)
- 1 large apple, cored and chopped (I use an unpeeled Gala apple)
- 1 cup onion, finely chopped
- 1 cup celery, finely chopped (2-3 medium stalks)
- 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
- 1 teaspoon fresh rosemary, finely chopped
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 8 cups day-old good bread, cubed in about ½ inch pieces
- 2-3 cups low-sodium chicken broth (see notes)
- 1 cup milk of choice (I use skim)
- 2 large eggs, beaten
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350. Spray a 9x13 casserole dish with cooking spray and set aside.
- Heat a large sauté pan over medium heat. Add the turkey sausage and cook, breaking it up with a spatula as you go, until cooked through and in small crumbles. Remove the cooked turkey sausage to a bowl.
- Melt the butter in the sauté pan. Add apple, onion, celery, parsley, rosemary, salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables and apple are tender.
- In a large bowl, combine cooked sausage, apple and veggie mixture, cubed bread and stir to combine. Add 2 cups of broth, milk and eggs. Stir until everything is well coated.
- Transfer dressing to the prepared casserole dish. Add additional broth, as needed, to get the dressing moist enough for baking. (See notes.)
- Bake at 350 for 45-50 minutes, until set. Let sit for 5-10 minutes before serving.
Notes
You can use mild or hot turkey sausage for this recipe. You can also sub regular pork sausage if you prefer. (You may need to remove grease from the pan if it produces very much.)
I use a Gala apple, but any sweet red apple will work.
I use a 1 lb. loaf of French or Italian bread for this. Any good day-old bread would work here. If your bread is fresh, you can cut it into cubes, spread it all out on a baking sheet and bake in the oven at 275 for 15-20 minutes to help dry it out.
If you need this to be dairy free, you can sub additional chicken or turkey broth for the milk.
To prep this ahead, cook the sausage and sauté the veggies and store them in the refrigerator. (I also cut the bread and store it in a baggie on the counter.) Then proceed with the recipe when ready to bake.
You will likely need to add additional liquid to the casserole once it's prepped. This varies depending on the moisture level of your ingredients and also the bread you use. I just drizzle extra broth over the casserole dish until it seems wet enough (you don't want it to dry out too much while it bakes). Sometime it's ½ cup, sometimes up to a full cup.
We bake and serve this in a casserole dish on the side, but feel free to use it as a stuffing in your turkey if you prefer.
Make ahead tips:
- Cook the sausage and sauté the veggies to get both of those ready to use. Store them, covered, in the refrigerator.
- Cut the bread and store it in a baggie on the counter.
- Proceed with the recipe when ready to bake.
- OR you can also assemble the entire casserole, but only use 1 egg and 2 cup of broth. Add the remaining egg and an additional 1-2 cups of broth before you bake. That helps ensure the consistency is still good and the casserole doesn't dry out.
Nutrition
Serving: 1serving | Calories: 269kcal | Carbohydrates: 25g | Protein: 19g | Fat: 11g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 5g | Cholesterol: 87mg | Sodium: 650mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 6g
Tried this recipe?Leave a comment below or follow me on Instagram @familyfoodonthetable and tag me in your photo!
