Apple Sausage Stuffing

Ingredients

• 6 cups (8 ounces) dried bread cubes, purchased or homemade
• 6 ounces sweet Italian sausage, bulk if possible
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
• 1 cup chopped onion
• 1 cup chopped celery
• 2 apples (1 Granny Smith, 1 Fuji), diced
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh sage
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme
• 1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper, or to taste
• 1 1/2 cups low-sodium chicken stock, divided
• 3 large eggs
• Thyme sprigs for garnish

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Place dried bread crumbs in a large mixing bowl, set aside.
2. Crumble the sausage into a large skillet over medium-high heat and cook until browned. Transfer cooked sausage to the bread crumbs.
3. In the same pan, lower heat to medium, then add the butter, onions and celery and cook until tender, about 10 minutes. Add the diced apples to the pan; cook for another 5-8 minutes until the apples are starting to soften. Stir in the sage, thyme, salt and pepper and cook for 1 minute more. Add 1 cup of the stock to the skillet, stirring to release the bits at the bottom of the pan; remove from the heat and transfer to the bowl with the bread crumbs and sausage.
4. In a small bowl, whisk the eggs and remaining 1/2 cup of stock together. Stir egg mixture into the bread crumbs until all ingredients are combined.
5. Transfer stuffing mixture to a 2-quart baking dish, cover with tin foil and bake for 15-20 minutes. Uncover and bake for another 15 minutes or until set and the top is nicely browned. Let rest 5-10 minutes before serving. Garnish with additional thyme leaves if desired.
6. For a make-ahead option, cool stuffing completely, wrap tightly and freeze. Defrost in refrigerator one day ahead, reheat before serving.