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    Sausage Apple Cranberry Dressing

     

    Jump to Recipe - Print Recipe

    This is one of the most delicious holiday cornbread dressing recipes! Loaded with seasoned sausage, green & red apples and plump, tart cranberries, Sausage Apple Cranberry Dressing is moist and full of seasonal flavors.  Subtly sweet and richly savory, this easy recipe is sure to become one of your favorites!

    A spoonful of Sausage Apple Cranberry Dressing

    Some years we like to mix things up a little bit for Christmas or Thanksgiving.  Instead of our favorite cornbread & squash dressing, we like to make this wonderfully aromatic Sausage Apple Cranberry Dressing. 

    It is chock full of delicious fall & winter flavors and has crisp, golden edges that just can’t be beat.  Plus, nothing says holiday goodness like the sweet of the fruit against the savory, seasoned cornbread and sausage.  It’s perfect sidekick for turkey, pork loin, even prime rib!

    Related Recipes: Southern Chicken and Dressing, Cornbread and Squash Dressing

    Sausage Apple Cranberry Dressing Process photo

    Ingredients for Sausage Apple Cranberry Dressing

    • yellow cornbread mix
    • sausage
    • Granny Smith & Honey Crisp Apples- unpeeled to add color
    • dried cranberries
    • onion
    • celery
    • chicken broth
    • cream of chicken soup
    • buttermilk
    • butter
    • eggs
    • poultry seasoning, salt & pepper
    Sausage Apple Cranberry Dressing in a casserole dish

    Why We Love Apple Cranberry Cornbread Dressing with Sausage

    Another reason we love this recipe is that it is a real time saver.  No sitting extra bread out to dry over night.  And the fruit, meat, onions and celery are cooked right into the base cornbread (see photo above), creating a richly flavored, moist bread and cutting down on final bake time.

    It’s also EASY! Because so many ingredients are baked right into the original cornbread, this is an easy dressing recipe that comes together in a snap!

    Spicy sausage can be used if you like a little kick.  It adds another layer of savory goodness that can’t be ignored. 

    Sausage Apple Cranberry Dressing overhead photo with wooden spoon

    The making and the passing on of a good cornbread dressing recipe is almost a sacred thing here in the South.  And this Sausage Apple Cranberry Dressing is sure to take it’s proper place among your favorites.  All the right flavors, baked up in just the right way, your family is going to love the cornbread dressing this year!

    Other Thanksgiving Side Dishes You’ll Love

    • Southern Cornbread Pudding
    • Louisiana Dirty Rice
    • Sweet Potato Casserole with Pecan Topping
    • Broccoli Macaroni & Cheese
    • Sauteed Green Beans with Bacon & Mushrooms
    inspiration
    A spoonful of Sausage Apple Cranberry Dressing

    Sausage Apple Cranberry Dressing

    One of the BEST Southern Cornbread Dressing Recipes for the holidays! Loaded with sausage, apples and cranberries, this dressing is moist and full of flavor.
    5 from 1 vote
    Print Pin Rate
    Course: Main Course, Side Dish
    Cuisine: American
    Keyword: Easy Recipe, holiday
    Prep Time: 40 minutes minutes
    Cook Time: 40 minutes minutes
    Servings: 10
    Author: Stacey | SouthernDiscourse.com

    Ingredients

    • 3 6.5 oz yellow cornbread mix packages
    • buttermilk as directed
    • 1 Tbsp canola oil
    • 1 lb ground sausage, browned
    • 1 medium honeycrisp apple, chopped
    • 1 medium granny smith apple, chopped
    • 1 C dried cranberries
    • 1/2 C diced yellow onion
    • 1/2 C diced celery
    • 1 10 3/4 oz can cream of chicken soup
    • 1 14 oz can chicken broth
    • 1 stick butter, room temperature
    • 2 large eggs, room temperature, beaten
    • 1/2 tsp poultry seasoning
    • 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
    • 1/2 tsp salt

    Instructions

    • Preheat oven to 450 ° Fahrenheit. Add 1 Tbsp oil to your skillet. Place in oven while it is preheating.
    • Prepare cornbread in a mixing bowl as instructed on mix packages. Use buttermilk as a substitute for the water or milk designated on the mix. Use the same measurement for the buttermilk as designated on the mix for the other liquids.
    • Stir apples, cranberries, browned sausage, celery, and onion into the cornbread batter.
    • Pour cornbread batter into heated skillet. Bake for the time designated on the mix package. You may have to bake a few minutes longer to compensate for the moisture the apples release into the cornbread as it bakes.
    • Remove cornbread from oven after baking. Allow to cool, but not completely. Turn oven temperature down to 350 degrees.
    • While cornbread is still warm, remove from skillet and break into pieces in large mixing bowl. Add butter and mix together, breaking down the cornbread.
    • Add soup, eggs and seasonings to cornbread mixture. Mix ingredients together until all are well-incorporated. Stir in just enough broth so that the cornbread mixture looks almost like a batter again (don't make it overly wet), about half the can.
    • Spoon cornbread dressing into 9×13 casserole dish. Bake at 350 ° Fahrenheit for 30- 40 minutes or until dressing is golden brown and set in the middle.

    Notes

    This is a moist dressing that doesn’t need a gravy!
    This dressing can also be made ahead of time and frozen.  Allow to thaw for 24 hrs and allow dish to come to room temperature before baking.  If made a day before, store in fridge, then bring to room temperature before baking.
    One of the BEST Southern Cornbread Dressing Recipes for the holidays! Loaded with sausage, apples and cranberries, this dressing is moist and full of flavor. #southerndiscourse #cornbreaddressing #thanksgiving #christmas #holidays #casserole #traditional
    https://www.pinterest.com/SouthernDiscourse/all-the-best-from-southern-discourse/
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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. jay

      November 24, 2022 at 4:10 pm

      5 stars
      Absolutely perfect recipe – everyone loved it!

      Reply
      • stacey

        December 13, 2022 at 10:53 am

        Hi, Jay! Yay! Thank you so much! This absolutely made my day!

        Reply

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