Cornbread Stuffing with Sausage and Apples

Yesterday, I promised a homemade Cornbread Stuffing that would knock your holiday socks off.

Today, I’m delivering.

I can’t tout the golden deliciousness of this Cornbread Stuffing enough. Hubby and I are both cornbread fiends. Once we bit into this and recovered from silent awe, we slapped each other a high five and agreed that cornbread stuffing is theeee best.

Here’s why.

Cornbread Stuffing with Sausage and Apples has all this gloriousness going for it:

1. Golden crusty exterior
2. Moist, golden interior
3. Slightly sweet and totally savory at the same time
4. You can prepare most of it ahead of time (score!!!)
5. You can make it vegetarian by omitting sausage and using veggie broth instead

We use granny smith apples for that toothsome crunch and lovely tartness that offsets the sweet cornbread. Plenty of onions, garlic, celery, and seasonings amp up the flavor of this starry side dish.

Feel free to add dried cranberries, if you’d like. I probably would have done that if I had some on hand the day I made this.

Really, how can this not be great? ⬆️

Just be sure to bake your cornbread the day before and let it air dry overnight. I use a homemade recipe for cornbread, but feel free to use a boxed brand in a pinch. As long as it makes enough for a 9×13 pan, you’re set.

Then toss and combine, bake all the goodness together, and voila.

Happy dance, happy smiles, & happy tummies are sure to follow.

Here’s to all the eats that’ll knock our holiday socks off.

Enjoy 😊

Cornbread Stuffing with Sausage and Apples

5 from 1 vote

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This Cornbread Stuffing with Sausage and Apples is the picture of golden deliciousness. It's slightly sweet, incredibly savory, and a favorite side dish at any holiday meal. You may never go back to bread stuffing again.

Prep Time: 20 minutes mins

Cook Time: 45 minutes mins

Total Time: 1 hour hr 5 minutes mins

Servings: 12 servings

Author: Amy Dong

Ingredients  

1x2x3x

• One 9x13 pan of baked cornbread, from scratch or boxed, allowed to "air-dry" uncovered, overnight
• 1 lb seasoned bulk sausage, no casings
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, chopped
• 4 stalks celery, chopped
• 1 large granny smith apple, peeled and choped
• kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 2-3 cups regular natural chicken broth
• 1 TB fresh sage, chopped
• 3 TB salted butter, melted

Instructions

• Cut cooled/air-dried cornbread into cubes in a large bowl. Set aside.
• Preheat oven to 375F with rack on lower middle position. Grease a 9x13 baking dish and set aside.
• In a large skillet over medium heat, brown and crumble the sausage until cooked through. Transfer to a paper towel lined plate. In same skillet, add onion, celery, apple, and 2 pinches of kosher salt and pepper. Stir and cook 5 minutes. Add back sausage to the skillet and combine and cook 1 minute. (Cooked sausage mixture can be wrapped airtight and chilled if you'd like to prep ahead, and finish the dish tomorrow.)
• Add sausage mixture to the bowl of cubed cornbread. Add 1 tsp kosher salt and 1/2 tsp black pepper. Using rubber spatula, gently fold to combine well. Add 2 cups of chicken broth and fold until mixture is moistened. Add more broth, a bit at a time, until desired moistness is reached. Mixture should feel damp throughout but not overly wet. Add more kosher salt and black pepper to taste.
• Transfer mixture to prepared baking dish, pressing down the top to even it out into the edges. drizzle with melted butter. Bake 35-45 minutes or just until top is golden brown.

Notes

Leftover stuffing should be stored in an airtight container and can keep for a few days. Feel free to add dried cranberries to your dish if you like them. Make it vegetarian by using veggie broth and omitting sausage.

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Nutrition (per serving)

Calories: 288kcal | Carbohydrates: 25g | Protein: 9g | Fat: 17g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 7g | Trans Fat: 0.3g | Cholesterol: 58mg | Sodium: 650mg | Potassium: 194mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 9g | Vitamin A: 197IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 68mg | Iron: 1mg

Course: Side Dish

Cuisine: American

Source: Chew Out Loud, inspired by Brown Eyed Baker

Let the holiday side dishes have their moments of glory:

1. Sausage and Apple Stuffing. All the bread stuffing lovers, this one’s got you covered. So So So good.

1. Slow Cooker Garlic Mashed Potatoes. Creamy, smooth, garlicky, and won’t use up precious oven space

1. Sweet Potato Casserole. Hands down, the best side dish ever dished up at any of our holiday gatherings.

1. Cornbread Muffins. Sweet, moist, tender, and seriously addictive. So good, I eagerly eat leftovers for breakfast

1. New York Pumpkin Cheesecake. Thick. Rich. Creamy. Worth every single little luscious bite.