By Ryan King
For The Associated Press
If you want the taste of homemade with the convenience of prepared, try for a middle ground with stuffing. Start with a 14-ounce bag of herbed stuffing mix, then saute whatever you enjoy. Onions, celery and fresh herbs are an obvious start.
In this version of doctored stuffing, we also add sweet Italian sausage, dried apples and fresh sage. Be sure to remove the sausage from the casings. Any variety of packaged stuffing mix can be used with this recipe.
Sausage Stuffing with Apples and Sage
Servings: 12
6 Tbsp. butter
2 small red onions, finely diced
4 celery sticks, finely diced
4 to 5 ounces dried apples, cut into thin
strips
1 pound sweet or spicy Italian sausage
3 C. chicken broth, divided
14-ounce bag herb stuffing mix
15 fresh sage leaves, lightly chopped
Salt and ground black pepper, to taste
Heat the oven to 350 degrees.
In a large saute pan over medium-high, melt the butter. Add the onion and celery, then saute for about 3 minutes, or until the onions are translucent. Add the apples and cook for about 2 minutes.
Remove the sausage from the casings and add to the pan. Saute until the sausage is fully cooked, about 5 to 7 minutes. Add 2 1/2 cups of the broth and the herbed stuffing mix. Mix well. Add the sage and toss well.
Spray a casserole dish with cooking spray, then pour in the remaining 1/2 cup of broth. Spoon the stuffing into the casserole dish, then bake for about 10 to 15 minutes.