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Apple Fennel & Italian Sausage Stuffing 1 BEST Horiz

Apple, Fennel & Italian Sausage Stuffing

Apples, fennel, and pork all go together beautifully in this savoury Italian-inspired stuffing side dish. Browned de-cased Italian pork sausages, caramelized onions, garlic, fennel bulb, local Honeycrisp apples, and Italian ciabatta loaf are seasoned with fennel seeds, Rosemary, sage and Parmesan cheese. Baked to golden crisp, this dish makes the perfect side for any fall gathering.

Ingredients

  • 1 ½ tablespoons olive oil, divided
  • 500 g mild Italian pork sausages (about 4 - 5 sausages), removed from casings
  • 1 ½ cups diced onion
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 ½ cups diced fennel bulb
  • 2 teaspoons dried fennel seeds
  • 2 teaspoons dried Rosemary
  • 2 teaspoons dried sage
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 5 cups local Honeycrisp apples, cored, unpeeled and ½” diced (about 4 - 5 medium apples)
  • 3 cups Italian ciabetta loaf, roughly torn into ½” pieces
  • 2 eggs, lightly beaten with 2 tablespoons of water
  • ¾ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese, divided ½ cup and ¼ cup each
  • Fresh sage leaves for garnish

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Prepare a 9 x 12” casserole dish by greasing the bottom and sides.

  2. In a large 6 quart Dutch oven, heat ½ tablespoon of the olive oil over medium-high heat. Working in two batches, add half of the de-cased sausage meat to the skillet. Cook while breaking up the sausage with a wooden spoon until browned and cooked through. With a slotted spoon remove sausage crumbles to a bowl. Repeat process with remaining sausage leaving the drippings in the Dutch oven. 

  3. Meanwhile, in a mortar and pestle grind the dried fennel seeds, Rosemary and sage. Set aside.

  4. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil to the Dutch oven and add onion, garlic, and diced fennel bulb. Season with ground herbs, salt, and pepper. Cook over medium-high heat while stirring occasionally until the onions and fennel bulb are just tender, about 3 minutes. 

  5. Add the diced apples and cook while stirring occasionally for another 5 minutes until the apples are just softening. Remove from heat.

  6. Return sausage meat and any accumulated juices to the cooked mixture in the Dutch oven. Add torn bread pieces and stir well until bread is completely coated with the juices and starting to moisten. Cool the mixture for about 10 minutes.

  7. In a small bowl whisk together the eggs and 2 tablespoons of water. To the slightly cooled mixture, add the beaten eggs and ½ cup of the Parmesan cheese (reserving remaining ¼ cup for topping) stirring well to combine.

  8. Turn mixture into the prepared casserole dish. Sprinkle top with remaining ¼ cup Parmesan cheese.

  9. Bake for 30 minutes until the top is golden and crispy. Garnish with fresh sage.