Ooookay, here we go. One last Thanksgiving recipe until I’m calling it quits. Throwing in the towel. Well, that is until I cook Thanksgiving dinner on Thursday. But on Thursday, no recipes will be tested and no pictures will be taken (Instagram doesn’t count). Thursday is for cooking, eating, drinking, and spending time with family. No blogging allowed.
The last Thanksgiving recipe I’m sharing this year is a gooooood one. I can’t remember ever really caring about stuffing at Thanksgiving until one year when we went to Kansas City for Thanksgiving at my Aunt Penny’s. I remember Penny and my mom were trying out some unique recipes along with some classics and my two favorites of that Thanksgiving were Molasses Butter Turkey and Sausage and Apple Stuffing. I think we all just died over that Molasses Butter Turkey and its gravy, and I could not get over how good sausage and apples were in stuffing.
Side note: I know stuffing is technically made inside the turkey and dressing is what you call it if it’s not but I grew up calling it stuffing no matter how it was cooked so I’m calling it stuffing. Don’t care.
Aaaanyways. So this year, I decided to kick it up another notch and add some toasted pecans for their flavor and their crunch. I also used chunks of fresh bread instead of a stuffing mix for a chunkier, and I think heartier, stuffing. I still used the classic stuffing herbs like sage and thyme but also added a big handful of fresh parsley too. Then of course I added the sausage, apples, and pecans for the salty-sweet combo I love. If you’re still looking for a stuffing recipe and are wanting to spice things up a bit – this recipe is just for you.
Ingredients
- 10 cups white bread cubed (you can use sandwich bread, or some sort of French bread)
- 16 oz Italian sausage
- 2 tbsp butter
- 1 yellow onion diced
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 2 Granny Smith apples peeled and diced
- 1/2 cup chopped fresh flat leaf parsley
- 2 tbsp fresh chopped sage
- 1 tsp dried marjoram
- 1 1/2 tsp dried thyme
- 1/4 tsp nutmeg
- 1 cup chopped and toasted pecans*
- 2 1/2 cups chicken broth
Instructions
- Let bread cubes sit out uncovered for a couple of hours to overnight to dry out.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Lightly grease a 9x13" casserole dish.
- In large skillet, cook sausage over medium heat, breaking up as it cooks.
- Remove from skillet, set aside. Wipe grease from skillet.
- Add butter to skillet over medium heat.
- Add onion and cook 5-7 minutes, until they start to soften.
- Add garlic, apples and herbs and cook another 5 minutes.
- Season with salt and pepper, to taste.
- Add sausage, apple mixture, and pecans to bread and stir well to combine.
- Pour broth over mixture and toss gently to combine.
- Pour into prepared baking dish.
- Bake in preheated oven for 45-50 minutes, until golden brown and cooked through.
Welcome to greens & chocolate! I'm Taylor and am so excited that you stopped by! I'm a Minnesota girl in my 20's who's loving life with my husband Marc, our son Lars, and our Golden Retriever Maddie. I love cooking healthy meals, but it's essential that I have my dessert. All after a hot yoga class or a run, though! It's all about moderation here at greens & chocolate. 
By Thanksgiving you’re going to be a pro! I’m only in charge of pies, so tonight my kitchen will be transforming in to a pie factory. Ha! This stuffing looks delicious. The addition of pecans is a great idea. Yum!
Yes, I definitely feel ready for the ‘real deal’ now! And oohhhh how I wish I could be in your kitchen tonight!
Have a wonderful Thanksgiving and yes, enjoy it without worrying about blogging 🙂
You too Natalie! Make sure you feed your little nugget growing in you lots of turkey and pie 😉
This is a nice classic sounding recipe, with just enough of a twist with the pecans. 🙂
Thanks, Aly!
I am loving your site and this recipe stood out to me – my husband would LOVE it! I’ll have to come back and try it in the fall/winter 🙂
Gorgeous food photos too – do you take them yourself? I just started a food blog at LaurendaMarie.com and taking the photos has both been exciting and frustrating. Exciting when I finally get a good one and frustrating when my set-up or lighting is off….or when my warm food gets cold by the time I eat it. Haha!!
I’ll stop back often. You have a new friend in me 🙂
Laurenda
laurendamarie.com
Thanks Laurenda! Yep i take all my own photos and I totally know what you mean about food photography… It is very frustrating at times but when you get the right shot it is so satisfying!