Sage Sausage Stuffing with Apples and Cranberries

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• Start by chopping three to five stalks of celery…
• I’m going to go ahead and chop the fresh herbs, stripping the leaves from about six sprigs of thyme – which will give me about a teaspoon of fresh thyme.
• I’m using about three tablespoons of fresh sage and mincing the leaves.
• Peel one medium-sized yellow onion and give it a rough chop.
• Now we’re going to saute one 16 ounce package of Jimmy Dean sage sausage. In a large cast iron skillet over medium-high heat, stir the sausage as it cooks, breaking it into small to medium sized crumbles.
• Once the sausage is cooked, add the onion and continue to saute until they soften.
• Now add the chopped celery and herbs, mixing to combine and cook this over medium heat for about two to three minutes.
• Sprinkle in a half teaspoon of pepper and a half teaspoon of salt, then remove the pan from heat and set it aside to cool.
• While the sausage, onions and herbs are cooling, we’re going to get the rest of the ingredients ready. Crack and whisk one egg, chop the apples. I’m using a Honeycrisp you can also use any other tart flavorful apple like a Granny Smith or a Fuji.
• Mince a handful of parsley, about a quarter of a cup.
• Measure out five to six cups of stuffing. Mix. I’m using Boudin’s sourdough stuffing mix and it’s available at Costco and Amazon. This bag will make about four casseroles.
• I’m going to start with two cups of chicken broth and add the whisked egg, and 1 teaspoon of Better Than Bouillon roasted chicken base, which will really boost the flavor.
• Give it a stir, and then begin adding it to the stuffing mix. We like our stuffing on the moist side, almost like a savory bread pudding. Add the broth, a bit at a time… and I like to mix the chicken broth in with the bread first, so I can feel if it needs a little more or a little less broth. Continue to toss, allowing the bread to absorb the broth and the egg mixture.
• Okay, now add the sausage mixture, folding the bread and the mixture together, then add the chopped apple and parsley and 1 cup of dried cranberries. I didn’t realize that I only had about a half a cup left, so luckily I found some raisins in the pantry and so I’m adding a about a half a cup of raisins to our mixture. If you want to add walnuts here, that would also be super delicious. Continue folding the mixture together until it’s thoroughly incorporated.
• Transfer the stuffing into your favorite casserole dish. This recipe will fill about a 13 by 9 inch dish. Just let the mixture fall into the casserole dish, and spread it around, but don’t compress or mash it down. We want the stuffing to be a light and fluffy.
• Then top with a little more parsley and drizzle with the melted butter.
• Cover the dish with aluminum foil. I keep the top a little loose so it doesn’t stick to the top of the stuffing while it’s cooking.
• Cook in the 350 degree oven for about 40 minutes, then remove the cover and cook for about 15 to 20 minutes until it’s browned and it starts to crisp on top.
• Your Sage Sausage Stuffing with Apples and Cranberries is ready!