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Savory sausage is paired with the flavors of nutty brown butter, sweet apple, and tart cranberries in this delicious sausage and cranberry stuffing.
We can all agree that the best part of any holiday meal is the side dishes, right?
In my family, we go nuts for cranberry fluff, sweet potato casserole, and homemade scalloped potatoes. And, of course, for a big helping of stuffing.
Around here, we’re all about this sausage and cranberry stuffing. It’s bursting with so many perfect fall and winter flavors; it’s an absolute must-make!
About this sausage and cranberry stuffing recipe
What’s my favorite thing about any Thanksgiving spread? Hands down, it’s the stuffing!
Even though I never cook my stuffing inside of my turkey, I still call it stuffing. I know the correct term is dressing when it is cooked outside of the bird. But we just never referred to as dressing, so I simply can’t get the hang of it.
Growing up, I don’t remember anyone having a signature stuffing recipe, we kind of just ate whatever was presented to us, but it was always called stuffing and it was always baked on the side.
As an adult, I have experimented with several different recipes and seem to always come back to this one.
It’s full of savory sausage and veggies, sweet apples, and tart cranberries. The finishing touch is nutty brown butter to really make it feel special. It’s always the first empty bowl on our Thanksgiving table.
The beauty of homemade stuffing is that it’s so adaptable. Simply add in what you love and modify the spices, textures, and flavors to suit your taste.
Plus, it’s a recipe that can easily be made ahead of time, so you can cross the prep off 1 or 2 days before your holiday meal!
How to make sausage and cranberry stuffing
Don’t let anybody fool you: Making your own stuffing feels really fancy but it’s actually totally easy. I promise you can do this!
Ingredients you’ll need
To make my sausage and cranberry stuffing, you’ll need:
- Cubed bread: Any type of bread will work. I typically use country white, but sourdough is a great option, too.
- Unsalted butter: We are going to brown some of the butter to add even more flavor to the stuffing and use the rest for sautéing the vegetables.
- Ground Italian sausage: I use mild sausage, but feel free to use medium if you want more of a kick to your stuffing.
- Aromatic vegetables: I like using a combination of onion, celery, and mushrooms in this recipe.
- Granny Smith apple: Don’t skip this! You’ll be amazed how much flavor it adds, and it pairs so well with both the sausage and the cranberries.
- Dried cranberries: A little tart, a little sweet, and absolutely perfect in this stuffing.
- Spices: We’ll use salt, pepper, garlic powder, and poultry seasoning.
- Fresh parsley: A little bit of fresh herbs brightens up the stuffing perfectly.
- Chicken broth: Feel free to substitute this with turkey stock if you have it, especially if you’re making this for Thanksgiving!
For the full recipe, including ingredient amounts, be sure to check out the recipe card below.
Making this recipe
Start by toasting the bread cubes. This helps the bread hold up and not turn to mush when we add the other ingredients later.
Spread the bread onto large, rimmed baking sheets and bake at 325°F for 12-15 minutes. Let the bread cool while you work on the rest of the recipe.
While the bread is toasting, brown the butter. We’re only going to brown 8 tablespoons of it; the rest will be used to sauté the veggies in a minute.
Melt the butter in a heavy-bottomed saucepan or skillet over medium heat, stirring frequently. As the butter cooks, it will foam and then subside. You’ll start to see brown specks at the bottom of the pan and the butter will take on a nutty aroma.
As soon as the butter is beautifully browned, pour it into a bowl and set aside.
In a large skillet or Dutch oven, brown the sausage, then remove it from the pan and set it aside.
Add the rest of the butter to the pan along with the onion, celery, mushrooms, apple, salt, pepper, garlic powder, and poultry seasoning. Cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, for about 7-10 minutes. You want the flavors to blend and the veggies to soften.
Add the sausage back into the pan and mix into the cooked veggies. Add this mixture to a large bowl with the bread cubes, along with the cranberries and parsley.
Drizzle the whole mixture with the browned butter and chicken broth. Stir to combine.
Give the stuffing a taste. Now is the time to adjust the seasonings if needed!
Spread the stuffing in a buttered 9×13-inch pan. Cover with foil and bake at 325°F for 30 minutes, then uncover and bake for another 15-20 minutes, or until golden brown.
If you’d like, garnish with a bit more freshly chopped parsley before serving alongside your holiday turkey, garlic mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce, and fresh green bean casserole.
Recipe variations and ingredient substitutions
Adjust the amount of broth for how moist you like your stuffing.
- We like a crisp topping for our stuffing, so I always bake mine uncovered at the end. If you don’t want a crispy topping, leave the foil on for the entire baking time.
- Make a vegetarian stuffing by omitting the sausage and using vegetable stock instead of chicken broth.
- Feel free to adjust the vegetables to your family’s liking. Don’t like mushrooms or celery? Feel free to leave them out!
- Try switching up the herbs. Sage, thyme, and finely chopped rosemary are all great options.
Make-ahead tips
You can assemble this sausage and cranberry stuffing up to 2 days before you plan to serve it.
Make the stuffing and spread it into the buttered casserole dish. Cover tightly with foil and refrigerate for up to 2 days.
Let the stuffing come to room temperature before baking as directed.
Sausage and Cranberry Stuffing
Ingredients
- 10 cups cubed bread any type of of bread will work – I used country white
- 12 tablespoons unsalted butter divided use
- 1 pound ground Italian sausage
- 1 medium sweet onion diced
- 3 stalks celery diced
- 8 ounces fresh white or baby bella mushrooms diced
- 1 Granny Smith apple cored and diced
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ¾ teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 ½ teaspoons poultry seasoning
- ¾ cup dried cranberries
- ¼ cup minced fresh parsley
- 1 ¾ to 2 cups chicken broth
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325°F. Spread the bread cubes onto 2 large baking sheets – be sure they are in a single layer. Bake for 12-15 minutes or until evenly toasted. Allow cubes to cool on pan before transferring them to a very large mixing bowl.10 cups cubed bread
- While the bread toasts, brown 8 tablespoons of the butter: Melt the butter in a heavy-bottomed saucepan or skillet over medium heat, stirring frequently. Continue cooking over medium heat, stirring constantly. As it cooks, the butter will begin to foam and then subside. Brown specks will begin to form at the bottom of the pan and the butter will take on a nutty aroma. As soon as the butter reaches your desired color, immediately remove it from the heat and pour it into a bowl to stop the browning process. Set aside.12 tablespoons unsalted butter
- In a large skillet or Dutch oven, cook the sausage over medium heat until evenly browned, remove from the pan and set aside. To the pan, add the remaining 4 tablespoons of butter, onion, celery, mushrooms, apple, salt, pepper, garlic powder and poultry seasoning. Cook, stirring frequently for 7-10 minutes to blend the flavors and soften the vegetables.12 tablespoons unsalted butter, 1 pound ground Italian sausage, 1 medium sweet onion, 3 stalks celery, 8 ounces fresh white or baby bella mushrooms, 1 Granny Smith apple, 3/4 teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon black pepper, ¾ teaspoon garlic powder, 1 ½ teaspoons poultry seasoning
- Add sausage back into the pan and stir to combine. Pour sausage mixture over the toasted bread cubes. Add in the dried cranberries and parsley. Drizzle with the browned butter and chicken broth and stir gently to combine. At this point, taste your stuffing and adjust the seasonings as desired.3/4 cup dried cranberries, 1/4 cup minced fresh parsley, 1 ¾ to 2 cups chicken broth
- Spread into (1) buttered 9×13-inch baking pan, cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Uncover and continue baking for an additional 15-20 minutes or until golden brown. If desired, sprinkle with additional fresh parsley before serving.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Thanks for providing this opportunity! I’ve added the button to my blog :)
It’s kind of crazy, but I hated stuffing growing up. Now it’s one of my favorites!
My family made homemade in the bird, or stove top.
I think outside the bird is such a better flavor, and just overall better texture.
Yum! Can’t wait to share my recipe :)
I absoloutly LOVE stuffing! I never did when I was a kid, but now I just can’t get enough of it! I moved to London a few years ago, and the stuffing isn’t the same here. They’re big fans of sausage, sage & onion stuffing. Not much bread in it.
Now this is my kind of stuffing! I always love sausage and cranberries in stuffing. Just perfect!
Cranberries, granny smith apples & sausage…OH MY! That sounds fabulous! I’m in!