Cornbread Dressing with Sausage, Apples and Mushrooms

  4.5 – 33 reviews  • Stuffing
Level: Intermediate
Total: 4 hr 10 min
Prep: 25 min
Inactive: 3 hr
Cook: 45 min
Yield: 16 servings

Ingredients

  1. 4 cups artisan/crusty bread (such as ciabatta), cut into 1-inch cubes
  2. 4 cups cornbread, cut into 1-inch cubes
  3. 4 cups French bread, cut into 1-inch cubes
  4. 32 ounces white button or crimini mushrooms
  5. 4 tablespoons olive oil
  6. Kosher salt
  7. 1 pound Italian sausage
  8. 1 large onion, diced
  9. 5 Granny Smith apples, large dice
  10. 3 tablespoons brown sugar
  11. 1 cup white wine
  12. 32 ounces low-sodium (very low) chicken broth
  13. 2 teaspoons fresh rosemary leaves, minced
  14. 1/2 teaspoon ground sage
  15. 1/2 teaspoon ground thyme
  16. 1/4 teaspoon turmeric (or more to taste)
  17. Black pepper
  18. Fresh parsley, minced

Instructions

  1. Allow the cubed bread to sit out on cookie sheets for several hours or overnight, until completely dried out.
  2. Preheat the oven to 500 degrees F.
  3. Wash the mushrooms thoroughly and pat dry with paper towels. Toss in a bowl with the olive oil and sprinkle with salt. The mushrooms will be very coated, but that’s good! Divide the mushrooms between 2 cookie sheets and roast in the upper half of the oven for at least 20 minutes, stirring once halfway through roasting. Remove from the oven when the mushrooms are deep brown. Set aside. Reduce the oven temperature to 375 degrees F.
  4. In a large skillet, crumble and brown the sausage over medium-high heat. Remove the sausage from the skillet and set aside. Pour off any excess grease and, without cleaning the skillet, add in the diced onions and brown for 5 minutes. Increase the heat to high and add the diced apples, brown sugar and some salt. Cook until deep golden brown, 3 to 4 minutes. Decrease the heat to medium and pour in the wine (be careful if you’re using an open flame). Stir and cook to reduce the liquid by half, 2 to 3 minutes. Pour the apple/onion mixture into a bowl and set aside.
  5. Return the skillet to medium heat (again, without washing) and add the chicken broth, rosemary, sage, thyme, turmeric, 1/2 teaspoon salt and pepper to taste. Heat for a few minutes, and then set aside.
  6. Add the bread to a large bowl, and then add the browned sausage, mushrooms and apple/onion mixture (and any juice that might have accumulated). Next, add the broth mixture gradually as you toss the ingredients, being prepared to not use all of the liquid according to your taste.
  7. Check the seasonings at the end and add in minced parsley. Pour into a large baking dish (I used an iron skillet) and bake until golden brown on top, 20 to 25 minutes. (Or you can stuff the turkey if you’re into that kind of thing.)
  8. Delicious!

Nutrition Facts

Serving Size 1 of 16 servings
Calories 405
Total Fat 17 g
Saturated Fat 5 g
Carbohydrates 48 g
Dietary Fiber 3 g
Sugar 11 g
Protein 13 g
Cholesterol 41 mg
Sodium 718 mg

Reviews

Mr. Daniel Smith
What can I substitute the mushrooms with?
Susan West
Best stuffing recipe ever!
Jacob Patel
Delicious
Brian Johnson
Love this recipe! I use all the broth as it tends to be too dry for my liking otherwise. Also, it takes longer than 25 minutes to prepare…but definitely worth the time!
Julie Taylor
We did not like this recipe as well as my tried and true stuffing recipe of 31 years.  It seemed to be on the sweet side and alot of bread, but moist. I stuffed some in the turkey and made a casserole with the remaining. My recipe  I, too, make my own cornbread, add green, dice one apple, add chopped pecans, green onion and celery, Jimmy Dean sausage. I thought Ree’s was similar but it tasted quite different. My family voted it out this year. 🙁
Sharon Hill
It was delicious and made plenty.  I could not get the moistness correct.  Maybe if I was more of a dressing eater I would have known how to adjust it before baking.   It wasn’t super easy to make ahead.  It was a very long process, even with helpers and being an experienced cook, so I’m not sure I’ll attempt it again to try to fix the moistness issue.
Jennifer Miller
I have been making this recipe for at least 5  years.  It is a must have at my house.  My daughter is not a cornbread fan.. it makes me sad because I know a version with cornbread must be AMAZEBALLS!  I substitute brioche bread for the cornbread and it is fabulous!  I also lightly toast the bread in the oven for 10 or 15 minutes after cubed to cut down on the waiting time – cuz watching bread dry is for the birds!  🙂  

Kayla Huerta
I LOVE this recipe!!! I’ve made it at least 3 years now for Thanksgiving, and it became a favorite from the start. I love the aroma during the prep, and the final dish is delicious!!! I love Ree’s recipes!
Richard Johnson
Absolutely outstanding. Best I have ever had. Having to make all the ingredients separate is very time consuming but certainly it is worth it. I made it the day before Thanksgiving so I hope it reheats well.
Michael Welch
Loved it! I’ve never been a fan of stuffing/dressing. Like that it’s made in a dish, not the bird. I could make this while the bird was cooking and just pop in the oven 1/2 hour before dinner. Everyone loved it. Added Craisins. Could probably do half a recipe as our family isn’t that big yet, but this amount would be great for larger extended family gatherings.

 

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