Sausage, apple, and leek stuffing
The original idea for this stuffing comes from the Food Network recipe, found here. Over the years, I’ve adapted and simplified the recipe to suit our tastes. The recipe can easily be doubled, tripled, or stretched by adding more bread cubes and stock. Add the stock gradually until it reaches the right consistency. The mixture should be moist, but not mushy.
Sausage, apple, and leek stuffing
- 1 pound Bulk Breakfast Sausage
- 2 Tablespoons Butter
- 2 Granny Smith Apples, peeled and diced
- 1 1/2 cup Leeks, finely sliced (about 1 large leek)*
- 6 cups Herb-Seasoned Bread Cubes
- 2 1/2 cups Chicken Stock (approximately)
- 1/3 cup Dried Cranberries
- Salt and Pepper, if desired
*To see my photo guide on leeks, click here.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. In a pan, cook the sausage until fully cooked, about 8-10 minutes. As it cooks, use a spoon to break up the sausage into small pieces. Remove the cooked sausage and place it in a large bowl. In the same pan (no need to clean it out) melt the butter over medium heat. Add the apples and leeks. Cook for 3-4 minutes until softened. Add the apples and leeks to the bowl with the sausage. Add bread cubes and dried cranberries. Stir to combine. Slowly add the chicken stock, stirring between additions to give the bread a chance to absorb the stock. Continue adding stock until the stuffing is moistened but not mushy. Most of the bread cubes should still appear as cubes. (2 1/2 cups of stock should be about right, but add a little less or a little more, as needed, to get the right consistency.) Place the stuffing in a baking dish and bake for about 30 minutes, until heated through and the top feels firm.
Serves 8-10
*The stuffing can be fully prepared ahead of time, refrigerated and then baked before serving.
Amy Deline blogs at The Gourmand Mom.
To the original post, and other ideas for Thanksgiving side dishes, click here.
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