Looking for a fun, new side dish for fall? Turn baked apples in to a savory side dish as they are stuffed with an easy sausage stuffing recipe for a delicious and gorgeous addition to dinner or even for Thanksgiving.

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Stuffing is serious business in my family.  We have no less than four different stuffings at Thanksgiving. Everyone likes something different. I have a preference for a sausage stuffing recipe with apples.  This year I’m turning the tables a little and putting the sausage stuffing in the apples!

I almost always start my stuffing recipe with a box. I’ve made it from bread before and it’s delicious but a box is a little quicker.  But I don’t just use the box mix, I dress it up a little by adding my own touches.

The first thing I do is swap out the water for chicken broth.  This time I used Swanson’s Unsalted Chicken Broth in place of the water. Swanson’s broth adds more flavor to the stuffing than just water.

You won’t need the entire box for this recipe so just screw on the cap and store it in the fridge for later use.

Aside from swapping broth for water, I also saute fresh onions and celery for the stuffing. A little sausage is the final touch to make a box mix taste amazing.

I would normally add apples and bake the entire thing in a dish. But this time, I stuffed the apples for a fun twist.

I used a combination of apples for color.  Start by slicing off the top of each apple. I didn’t slice too far down. Just enough to take off the stem.

Next, use a spoon or a melon baller to remove the core of each apple.

Then scoop the stuffing mixture in to the apples and place in a baking dish.

To keep the stuffing from drying out while baking, drizzle a little more broth over the stuffing in each apple and add a little broth to the bottom of the baking dish.

I didn’t cover the apples, but you could if you want to make sure the dressing stays moist.

Bake for about 30 minutes – less if you want firmer apples and more if you want them falling apart.  I loved how colorful these apples are as a side dish!

They are perfect for a weeknight dinner of baked chicken or on your Thanksgiving table. Grab some extra apples and serve these with One Pan Sauteed Chicken and Apples for your main dish and Pecan Caramel Slow Cooker Baked Apple Recipe for dessert. 

Yield: 6-12 apples

Savory Baked Apples with Sausage Stuffing

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Turn baked apples in to a savory side dish as they are stuffed with an easy sausage stuffing recipe for a delicious and gorgeous addition to dinner or even for Thanksgiving.

Ingredients

• 1 Tablespoon oil or butter
• 1 celery stalk, diced
• 1/4 cup finely diced onion
• 1/2 package sausage
• 1 box stuffing mix
• 1 1/4 cup Swanson's UNSALTED Chicken Broth (or the same amount of water called for on the instructions for the stuffing)
• 6-12 apples such as Granny Smith, Golden Delicious and Red Delicious

Instructions

1. Heat the oil in a medium or large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and the onion and the celery and cook until softened, abut 2-3 minutes.
2. Add the sausage to the skillet and cook thoroughly making sure to break it up into crumbles. Remove from heat.
3. In a large bowl, stir together stuffing mix and sausage mixture. Add Swanson's chicken broth in the same amount as water is called for on the stuffing mix instructions. Mine called for 1 1/4 cups of water and I used 1 1/4 cups of chicken broth.
4. Stir the mixture together so that the stuffing is soft and moist. Feel free to add a little more broth if needed. Set the mix aside.
5. Prepare the apples: Slice the very top of the apples off.
6. Use a spoon or a melon baller to carefully scoop out the entire core of the apple.
7. Repeat this for every apple.
8. Spoon stuffing in to the apples and place in a high sided baking dish.
9. Once all the apples are stuffed and in the dish, carefully pour an additional 1/4-12 cup of broth over the apples. Add another 1/4 cup to the bottom of the dish.
10. Bake uncovered at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes or until the apples are softened but not falling apart. If you don't want the stuffing to brown, cover the dish while baking.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

12

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 166 Total Fat: 4g Saturated Fat: 1g Trans Fat: 0g Unsaturated Fat: 3g Cholesterol: 5mg Sodium: 82mg Carbohydrates: 33g Fiber: 6g Sugar: 24g Protein: 1g