Slow Cooker Sourdough Stuffing with Turkey Sausage and Apples

Free up oven space this Thanksgiving and make this delicious Slow Cooker Sourdough Stuffing with Turkey Sausage and Apples in your crockpot instead!

Easy and Delicious Slow Cooker Stuffing

Our Slow Cooker Sourdough Stuffing with Turkey Sausage and Apples is so good – it may steal the show from your Thanksgiving turkey! Seriously – THIS is the side dish that everyone will be going back to the buffet for a second helping.

Your guests will love this stuffing but YOU will love how easy it is to make! It’s cooked in the slow cooker, so it won’t take up oven space while you are preparing the rest of your Thanksgiving dinner.

You’ll simply cook up some flavorful turkey sausage plus mushrooms, celery, and onions – then toss it together with dried cubes of sourdough bread, chunks of apple, and walnuts, plus turkey stock, eggs and seasonings.

Pour it all into the slow cooker and let it cook while you do the rest of your holiday meal prep. (I told you it was easy!)

• Not only is this stuffing recipe delicious, it’s also super easy to prepare.

• You can literally set it and forget it while you cook the rest of your Thanksgiving meal. It will be ready to serve when the turkey is done.
• All of the flavors of turkey sausage, apples, plus a variety of seasonings soak into the hearty sourdough bread and the walnuts add a little bit of crunch too.

• Sourdough Bread – This recipe uses one and a half loaves of dense, crusty sourdough from the bakery at the supermarket. Sourdough holds its shape and texture even as it soaks up the moisture during the slow cooking process.
• Butter – We always suggest cooking with unsalted butter so you can adjust the seasonings to suit your tastes.
• Celery
• Onions – We used a yellow onion in this stuffing recipe.
• Mushrooms – We chose Cremini (also called baby Bella) mushrooms, but the white button mushrooms can be used as well.
• Turkey Sausage – We selected a sweet Italian flavored turkey sausage for our recipe, but other varieties can be used for a different flavor. You’ll remove the sausage from the casings. If you can find bulk sausage, that is fine to use.
• Apples – We selected Gala apples for our stuffing, but any baking apple that stays firm once it is cooked will work in this recipe.
• Walnuts – You can swap in pecans instead if you prefer.
• Eggs
• Fresh Italian Flat-Leaf Parsley
• Seasonings – Including kosher salt, ground black pepper, Bell’s poultry seasoning, dry ground sage, dry thyme, dry marjoram.
• Turkey Stock – You can buy boxed or canned stock, or make a homemade turkey stock. Chicken stock can also be used.

If you can’t find turkey sausage, chicken sausage, or pork sausage can also be used in this recipe. You can also choose a hot Italian sausage instead of sweet if you enjoy a bit of heat.

1. Cut bread into cubes and lay out on a sheet tray to get stale and dry. (Do this step the day before Thanksgiving.)
2. The next day, place stale bread cubes in a large mixing bowl.
3. Cook celery, onions, and mushrooms in a sauté pan with some of the butter.
4. Add turkey sausage and cook until no longer pink.
5. Pour sausage mixture into mixing bowl. Toss to combine.
6. Melt the remaining butter and stir into the bread and sausage mixture.
7. Add apple chunks, chopped walnuts, eggs, seasonings, and turkey stock to the mixing bowl. Mix well.
8. Pour mixture into the slow cooker.
9. Cook on high for two hours. Reduce heat to low and cook for two more hours.
10. Spoon into a serving bowl and garnish with an additional sprinkle of chopped parsley.

• Can I make this Slow Cooker Stuffing ahead of time? Although we think it tastes best freshly made, you can prepare it ahead of time and reheat before serving.
• How do I reheat any leftovers? You can microwave individual portions, or if you are reheating a larger portion, place in a casserole dish and cover with foil. Then reheat in the oven. (We do not recommend attempting to reheat chilled stuffing in the slow cooker.)
• How do I store leftovers? Store in a covered container in the refrigerator for up to three days.
• Can I freeze the leftovers? We’ve never tried doing so ourselves. I suspect the stuffing will get very soft/mushy after being frozen and thawed.

This Slow Cooker Sourdough Stuffing with Turkey Sausage and Apples originally appeared on A Family Feast in November 2017. We’ve updated the post but the delicious recipe remains the same.

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