The Best Thanksgiving Stuffing Recipe (Sausage, Apple & Herb)

The Stuffing That Makes the Turkey

I cannot have Thanksgiving without this stuffing. It's a family recipe, and it's been on our holiday table every single year for as long as I can remember. Loaded with pork sausage, apples, celery, raisins, cranberries, and seasoned generously with KITCHEN'S KEEPER Italian Herbs & Garlic Salt — it's the dish that disappears first.

A few reasons I always stuff my turkey (and why you should too):

• Flavor: The herbs, fruit, sausage, and veggies infuse the turkey from the inside out.
• Drippings: The stuffing juices create the most incredible base for gravy.
• Moisture: A stuffed bird always comes out more moist.
• Oven space: One less dish to juggle on the busiest cooking day of the year.

Important: Stuffing a turkey adds cooking time. Always follow the instructions for a stuffed bird — never increase the temperature to compensate, or you'll dry it out.

🦃 Ingredients

• 1 lb ground pork sausage
• 4 large apples, cored and cubed
• 1 heart of celery, sliced into bite-size pieces
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 yellow onions, minced
• 2 cups dried raisin/cranberry mix
• 12 cups bread cubes (about 1.5 loaves) — lightly toasted
• SALTOPIA KITCHEN'S KEEPER Italian Herbs & Garlic Salt, to taste
• Juice of 1 lemon
• 1 cup white cooking wine
• 1 stick unsalted butter
• 4 cups chicken stock

👩🍳 Directions

Pro move: make the stuffing 1–2 days ahead to reduce Thanksgiving day stress.

1. Cook the sausage. Sauté ground pork in a large skillet until about ¾ cooked through. Do not overcook — it will finish cooking inside the turkey.
2. Mix the stuffing. In a large baking pan, combine the partially cooked pork, apples, celery, garlic, onion, raisin/cranberry mix, and bread cubes. Mix well and season generously with KITCHEN'S KEEPER to taste. If making ahead, cover and refrigerate until Thanksgiving morning.
3. Prep the turkey. Pull your brined turkey from the brine and place in a large roasting pan. Remove the bag of giblets from the cavity.
4. Stuff the bird. Pack the stuffing firmly into the cavity — don't worry if some spills out. Follow the cooking instructions for a stuffed turkey.
5. Make the basting liquid. In a saucepan, combine cooking wine, butter, chicken stock, lemon juice, and more KITCHEN'S KEEPER to taste. Simmer on low and baste the entire turkey throughout cooking until the saucepan is empty. This is what keeps the bird rich, flavorful, and golden.
6. Serve. Once the turkey is done, remove the stuffing into a serving bowl, carve the bird, and enjoy every bite. Happy Holidays! 🦃

✨ Pro Tip

Save the bread "ends" from your kids' sandwiches in the weeks before Thanksgiving, toast them lightly, and use them as your bread cubes. Zero waste, maximum flavor — and they hold up better in the stuffing than fresh bread.