Sausage Apple Pecan Stuffing is a hearty classic Thanksgiving stuffing recipe with sausage, apples, pecans, and fresh herbs.
The last Thanksgiving recipe I’m sharing this year is Sausage Apple Pecan Stuffing and let me tell you – it 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.
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 In Sausage Apple Pecan Stuffing
French Bread
Italian Stuffing
Butter
Yellow Onion
Apples
Garlic
Fresh Parsley
Fresh Sage
Dried Marjoram
Dried Thyme
Nutmeg
Pecans
Chicken Broth
How to Make Sausage Apple Pecan Stuffing
To start this stuffing recipe, you’ll cook the sausage, onions, apples, and garlic. Next, you’ll add the fresh and dried herbs, along with some salt and pepper.
After this, you toss the mixture with the cubed bread cubes and place it in a 9×13″ baking dish. All that is left to do is add the chicken broth evenly to the stuffing mixture, and bake!
Frequently Asked Questions
Can this recipe be halved?
Definitely! Simply cut each ingredient in half and then bake in an 8×8″ baking dish. Adjust the cooking time to 30-35 minutes.
Can I omit the sausage?
Yes. The sausage does add a lot of flavor, but it will still get flavor from the onions, apples, garlic, and fresh herbs.
Can this be made ahead of time?
This can definitely be prepped ahead of time. You can follow the recipe all the way up to baking, and then cover and refrigerate until you are ready to bake it, as it is best when fresh out of the oven. I would add 10-15 minutes to the baking time if baking it straight from the refrigerator.
Can I use a different kind of nut?
Sure! Walnuts would work really well, too.
Sausage Apple Pecan Stuffing
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.
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!