Slow Cooker Maple Sausage, Apple and Herb Stuffing
Savory and sweet moist sausage stuffing comes together in the convenience of your slow cooker in this easy recipe that doctors up a Stovetop boxed stuffing mix to make an amazing side dish.
I was skeptical if a boxed mix would turn out well, but this recipe surprised me with how tasty it turned out. The addition of diced celery, onion, apple and dried cranberries added in really jazz up the flavor. Not to mention the maple sausage adding a great heartiness to this.
If you prefer, you can substitute the maple sausage for regular, Italian, spicy or sage sausage. I used red onion, but you can use white or yellow as well. Lastly, you can use either a tart or sweet, or somewhere in the middle for the apple. This recipe is extremely adaptable to fit your tastes. Consider what sounds best to you and go for it! Enjoy!
Slow Cooker Maple Sausage, Apple and Herb Stuffing
Equipment
- Large Sauté Pan
- Slow Cooker
Ingredients
- 1 pound maple sausage
- 1/2 cup butter 1 stick
- 6 celery stalks finely diced
- 1/2 cup red onion finely diced
- 1 medium apple sweet or tart, your preference, diced
- 1 cup dried cranberries
- 1/2 teaspoon ground sage
- 2 boxes savory herb boxed stuffing mix
- 3 cups water
- Italian parsley, for garnish finely chopped
Instructions
- Brown the maple sausage on medium high for 5 minutes, until browned. You want to get some good color on it for flavor. Add the butter, celery, red onion, apple, cranberries and ground sage to the pan you cooked the sausage in. Sauté over medium heat for 8 minutes.
- Set the slow cooker to low. Lightly coat with cooking spray. Add water to the slow cooker, then add the boxed stuffing mixes. Lightly stir. Add remaining ingredients and stir well. Cover and cook on low for 3 hours, giving it a stir every hour. When ready to serve, garnish with fresh Italian parsley.