Ingredients
Scale
- 12 oz cornbread stuffing mix ¹
- 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted (plus more for the pan)
- 1 lb sweet Italian-style sausage
- 1 medium yellow or sweet onion, minced
- 1/2 cup diced celery
- 1 medium apple, peeled, cored, and diced ²
- 1 tsp ground sage
- 1 tsp dried thyme
- 1 Tbsp fresh parsley, finely-minced
- 1–1/2 cups chicken broth or water ³
- Kosher salt and freshly-ground black pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly grease a 9×13-inch baking dish with butter. Set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, drizzle the cornbread cubes with the melted butter, and stir to combine.
- Meanwhile, cook the sausage in a medium skillet over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until browned and cooked through, about 6-8 minutes. Transfer the cooked sausage to a plate.
- Add the onion to the skillet, and cook over medium heat, stirring often, until beginning to soften, 2-3 minutes.
- Add the celery and apple, and continue to cook, until tender and just golden, another 2-3 minutes.
- Add the cooked sausage, onion, celery, and apple to the cornbread mixture, followed by the spices, and stir to combine.
- Slowly pour the broth or water over top, and stir until evenly moistened. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.
- Pour the dressing into the prepared baking dish, and spread into an even layer.
- May be prepared in advance: at this point, simply cover tightly with aluminum foil, and refrigerate for up to two days before baking.
- When ready to bake: cover with aluminum foil, and bake until cooked through, about 35 minutes. ⁴
- Remove the foil, and continue baking for an additional 10-15 minutes, until the top is crisp and golden. Serve warm. Enjoy!!
Notes
- ¹ If you prefer to make your own cornbread stuffing, you’ll need about 8 cups, and I recommend making the cornbread in advance, crumbling it into large pieces, and letting it dry out for a day or two.
- ² Choose a firm, sweet-tart variety of apple, such as Honeycrisp, Pink Lady or Granny Smith.
- ³ For a moister, more stuffing-like texture, add up to another 1/2 cup of broth or water.
- ⁴ Add an extra 5-10 minutes to the baking time if the baking dish has been made in advance and refrigerated.
- I prefer my dressing hot with a crispy top, but if you’re accustomed to a more stuffing-like texture (cooked in the bird), you can add a little more stock or water, or bake for a few less minutes.
Keywords: apple sausage cornbread dressing, cornbread stuffing, thanksgiving, holiday,