Turkey breakfast sausage and apple dressing – full of flavor and crunch! Whether you call it dressing or stuffing, it is perfect for Thanksgiving and holiday dinners!
There has been a debate in my house the last few days. Is the magical Thanksgiving side dish full of bread and herbs and other delicious things called stuffing or dressing?
My mom summed it up pretty well yesterday when she came over to try this recipe – if it goes in the bird, it’s stuffing. If it stays on the side, it is dressing.
Mr. B. says all dressing should be stuffing. I think all stuffing should remain dressing (because it kind of all starts out that way if you use my mom’s Thanksgiving theory…)
I’m starting to wonder if stuffing should join the list of things you shouldn’t talk about, along with politics, religion and money.
I may have 1 more recipe for you that is Thanksgiving related, before Thursday. It all depends how the bird turns out today. I have been practicing on whole chickens but the only way to see if my turkey recipe works is to make a turkey.
All of these delicious recipes are waiting to join you at your family dinner table. And so is this recipe for turkey breakfast sausage and apple dressing. Just sayin’.
Turkey Breakfast Sausage and Apple Dressing
When making this recipe, it is important to get the right kind of sausage. The fresh sausage in a roll is what you are looking for. If you can’t find turkey breakfast sausage, you can use pork instead – I found the turkey sausage at Whole Foods and had to grab it.
Also, I have 3 cups of chicken broth in the written recipe but have also made it with only 2 cups before. I like my dressing more on the dry side but really, that’s just me. Mr. B says that if I put it in the turkey it wouldn’t need the 3rd cup – we’ll just have to wait and see if you turn this into stuffing or not and let me know. 🙂
Stale bread works best, so if your loaf is new stick it in the oven for a little bit to get it crunchy before starting. I like the apples to be extra crunchy – if you don’t, add them in with the celery and onions.
Ingredients
- 6 cups Italian bread cut into ½ inch cubes, stale
- 1 pound loose turkey breakfast sausage
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2 cups chopped apples
- 1 cup diced celery
- 1 cup diced white onion
- 3 cups chicken broth
- 1 tablespoon fresh rosemary removed from the stem
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare a casserole dish by spraying it with non-stick spray or rubbing it down with butter. Put the bread cubes into a large bowl and set aside.
- In a large saucepan, saute the turkey sausage until browned. Remove the turkey sausage using a slotted spoon and put into bowl with bread cubes. Immediately melt the butter in the same saucepan.
- When butter is melted, add the celery and white onion. Saute until translucent. Then add the apples, chicken broth, fresh rosemary, salt and pepper. Stir well, then pour over the bread/sausage. Scrape the bottom of the pan if anything is sticking to it.
- Pour mixture into prepared casserole dish and bake for 40 minutes, uncovered, until top of bread cubes is brown and crispy. Halfway through cooking time, stir once.
Kathy
Monday 20th of November 2023
It looks very good. I’m going to try it
Kathryn Doherty
Thursday 19th of November 2015
What a delicious holiday side dish! I love that you used turkey sausage - and breakfast sausage at that - and of course apples... this is right up my alley! I also go by your mom's theory on dressing versus stuffing. We've never put ours in the bird so I'm with you on that debate. But maybe you're right and we just shouldn't talk about it. As long as everyone's eating this up, I think we'll all get along just fine ;)Yum and thanks for sharing!