Maple sausage stuffing: so good you’ll call it a main dish

Written By Drea Lo
3 min read

Where it all started

I’ve been working at this stuffing recipe for over a decade now and I’ve come up with a version I love so much. One year, my mom confessed she froze my stuffing and ate it for 6 months!

I started hosting Friendsgivings back in 2010 when I was living in Jersey City. I didn’t have enough money/vacation days to make it to CA for Thanksgiving, so I decided to host a Friendsgiving for people who couldn’t make it home for the holidays.

As a joke, we decided to make Turducken. An unexpected rising star was this stuffing that accompanied the Turducken. Sidebar: The Turducken was also very good, and I’ve made it almost every year. Will write this up in the future!

My stuffing used to have many more ingredients in it, like smoked oysters(!), but I’ve narrowed it down to this recipe.

Why I love it

It reminds me of my childhood. Growing up Asian American, I romanticized and looked forward to American dinners. I loved my turkey TV dinners (Hungry Man!!!) and Stove Top stuffing.

This recipe is my favorite because of the balance of flavors. The maple sausage sets the stage with a cozy sweet/salty flavor. Bacon for salt, apple for tartness, cornbread for light sweetness, and veggies/sage for earthiness. Pairs great with mashed potatoes and gravy, and tastes better with each day.

Visual learners, cook with me on YouTube

Recipe video here

Scroll here for printable recipe =)

Serves 6-8

Ingredients

  • 9 x 13 baking dish or casserole dish (to bake stuffing)

  • Any rectangle or square baking dish (to bake cornbread)

  • Butter to grease the pan

  • 1 box of Jiffy corn muffin mix

  • 1 egg (for Jiffy mix)

  • 1/3 cup milk (for Jiffy mix)

  • 12 oz unflavored dried croutons (e.g. Rainbo Stuffing Mix Croutons, Vons Bakery Bag Bread Cubes for Stuffing, or make your own. This is usually the hardest to find - check the display cases by the bakery, the bread aisle, and the holiday section)

  • 18 oz of Johnsonville Vermont pork sausage links  (1 ½ packages)

  • 1/2 pound bacon slices (suggest thinner bacon or low sodium bacon)

  • 1 cup celery, chopped

  • 1 cup onion, chopped

  • 2 cups baby bella mushrooms, chopped

  • 1/2 cup minced fresh flatleaf parsley, minced

  • 1 Granny Smith apple, peeled and chopped

  • 1 tablespoon of salt, to taste

  • 1 teaspoon of black pepper, to taste

  • 1 tablespoon dried sage

  • 2 cups of chicken broth (not chicken stock), and additional broth as needed

Steps

1) Make Jiffy cornbread the night before

  • Bake Jiffy cornbread per package instructions.

  • However instead of making muffins, cook the cornbread in any rectangle or square dish.

  • Set aside overnight, or if you don’t have time, a few hours will do.

2) Combine the breads

  • Cut the chilled cornbread into 1 inch cubes

  • In a big bowl, combine your cornbread cubes with unflavored dry croutons

  • Don’t worry if the cornbread cubes come apart - they will still add awesome flavor

3) Prep the produce

  • Chop all the fresh produce, except for the apple, which we’ll chop toward the end

  • Chop the celery, onion, and baby bella mushrooms into quarter inch cubes

  • Mince the flat leaf parsley

4) Cook the bacon and sausage

  • Cook the ½ pound bacon, drain on a paper towel, crumble, and add over bread mixture

  • Drain bacon fat into a bowl, using a strainer to remove the solid bits

  • (Optional) Add 2 tablespoons of bacon fat in the pan

  • Remove the maple sausage from the casings

  • Brown the sausage on medium heat, and break it with your spatula

  • Once cooked, stir into the bread mixture

  • Before you start cooking the veggies, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F

5) Cook the veggies

  • (Optional) Add 2 tablespoons of bacon fat into the pan

  • Saute the celery, onion, and mushrooms over medium heat until tender, about 5 minutes.

  • Stir into the bread mixture

6) Add the rest of the ingredients

  • Chop 1 granny smith apple into quarter inch cubes, and add to the bread mixture

  • Add chopped parsley

  • Add salt, to taste

  • Add ground pepper, to taste

  • Add dry sage

  • Add 2 cups of chicken broth. Add additional broth if the stuffing is looking dry. What you’re looking for is a spongy texture

7) Ready to bake!

  • Grease a 9x13 baking pan or casserole dish

  • Add stuffing mixture to the pan

  • Cover with foil and bake at 350 degrees F for 45 mins

  • Remove foil and hit broil until the top is crispy. This usually takes around 10 mins.

  • ENJOY!!!

Drea Lo
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