Sausage, Apple and Pecan Stuffing

We are well on our way to a memorable Family Style Thanksgiving with this recipe.  Between the savory sausage, tart apples and sweet candied pecans, I'd say this recipe is a home run!  I cut out over half of the butter and used turkey sausage instead of traditional pork sausage and added candied pecans for a little crunch, and it turned out oh, so tasty!  Plus I have included 2 recipes for the leftovers that are just as good as the first one , if not better :) Let's get started.

Here is what you will need for about 8 servings:

1/2  stick of Butter, plus 3 tbsp. 

1 14 oz. bag Herb Seasoned Stuffing Mix

4 cups Chicken Broth, divided

1/2 pound Turkey Sausage

1/2 large Onion, chopped

2 cloves Garlic, minced

2 stalks Celery

1/2 cup Candied Pecans, chopped

1 Apple, cored and chopped

Salt and Pepper

In a large pot, melt the butter with 1 cup chicken broth.

Sauté turkey sausage until no longer pink.  Set aside.  I'm super lazy, so I used frozen turkey sausage patties then ground them up with a fork.

Put your stuffing in a large bowl, pour melted butter mixture over the stuffing and mix it around until it is well incorporated, add your sausage.

Then, add your candied pecans.

In a sauté pan, melt 2 Tbsp butter and sauté the onions, celery and garlic until the onions are translucent, about 3 minutes.  Season with salt and pepper.  Then add the apples and sauté for one minute more.

Add the sautéed ingredients to the stuffing and mix it up.

Pour up to 3 more cups of chicken stock over the stuffing.  You want the stuffing to be very moist.  Transfer to a 8x8 casserole dish.

Cover with foil and Bake at 350 for 30 minutes.  Then uncover and bake for 15 minutes more, until the tops are just starting to get crispy.

TIP:  If you read this blog regularly, you will come to know my infatuation with putting an egg on top of leftovers and eating it for breakfast the next morning... This is no exception!  I love to heat up a little bit of this stuffing, and add 1 over easy egg as a topper.  The runny egg gets all soaked up by the stuffing and it is a wonderful thing! You could also use this for a breakfast casserole, just place the stuffing on the bottom of a 9x13 dish, top with cheese, then mix up 8 eggs and 1 1/2 cups of milk and pour over the top.  Let it sit in the refrigerator overnight and bake it for 1 hour at 350 in the morning.  YUM!

Check out this delicious Sausage, Apple and Pecan Stuffing recipe and more with step-by-step instructions at www.theviewfrom8600ft.com! While you're there, try this recipe with my other Family Style Thanksgiving Menu Recipes:

Perfect Roast Turkey

Loaded Cheesy Scalloped Carrots

Skinny Sweet Potato Casserole


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