Slow Cooker Sausage and Apple Stuffing

This sausage and apple stuffing is a hybrid of my mother-in-law's recipe and my family's recipe. I tried it this Thanksgiving, and both sides of the family loved it.

• Preparation Time: 35 mins
• Cooking Time: 5 hr
• Total Time: 5 hr 35 mins
• Calories: 189 Calories

Ingredients

• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 large egg
• ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh sage
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary
• 1 cup finely chopped onion
• 2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme
• ⅓ cup chopped fresh parsley
• ¾ cup diced celery
• cooking spray
• 1 loaf white sandwich bread
• ½ pound sage-flavored bulk breakfast sausage
• 1 medium Golden Delicious apple, chopped
• 1 cup chicken broth, or more as needed
• ⅓ cup unsweetened applesauce

Recipe Instructions

Step 1

Tear bread into small pieces and spread out on a baking sheet. Let dry at room temperature for 8 hours or overnight.

Step 2

Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook and stir sausage in the hot skillet until browned and crumbly, 5 to 7 minutes. Remove sausage to a paper towel-lined plate to drain. Drain and discard grease from the skillet.

Step 3

Melt butter in the same skillet over medium heat; stir in onion and celery. Cook and stir until very tender, about 10 minutes. Add sausage, apple, parsley, sage, rosemary, thyme, salt, and pepper. Cook for 2 minutes, then remove from heat.

Step 4

Put dried bread pieces into a large bowl. Pour sausage mixture over bread and mix.

Step 5

Combine chicken broth, applesauce, and egg in a bowl. Pour over bread mixture and mix well. Add more broth, as needed, to moisten all the bread. Don't add too much now; more can always be added later if needed.

Step 6

Spray the inside of a slow cooker with cooking spray. Pour stuffing mixture into the slow cooker; cover and cook on High for 1 hour. Reduce heat to Low and cook for 4 hours; stir the stuffing halfway through cooking, scraping the sides and adding more broth if it seems dry.