Generally, I am a traditionalist when it comes to certain food-related things. First, it is not St. Paddy’s Day without corned beef and cabbage, home made Irish soda bread and bread pudding with whiskey caramel sauce. It is not Christmas without cranberry upside down cake. It is not Easter without lamb cake. And it is most definitely not Thanksgiving without at least one kind of stuffing. In all honesty, I could handle a feast of just different kinds of gluten-free stuffing, no need for a turkey.
Thankfully, we also get gluten-free stuffing at Christmas, about a month later. And then nothing. 11 months with no stuffing. We have celebratory meals, so why don’t we include it more often?
I think we should. And there is no better stuffing to make for a Sunday dinner (and then Monday’s lunch), than this Apple & Sage stuffing.
Sweet apples and the woody flavor of sage combine and make this a hearty side for any cold weather meal.
- 4 tablespoons (55 grams) butter
- 3 1/2 (50 ml) tablespoons olive oil
- 2 onions, peeled and diced
- 2 celery stalks, finely diced
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 large apples peeled, cored and diced
- 1 bunch sage, leaves picked and chopped
- 1/2 bunch flat leaf parsley, leaves picked and chopped
- 1 3/4 – 2 pounds sausage meat*
- 2 1/2 cups (10 ounces or 280 grams) gluten-free bread crumbs
- 1 egg, beaten
- In a large sauce pan, melt the butter and oil over medium heat. Add the onion, celery and garlic and cook, stirring constantly, for 5-7 minutes until the veggies are soft and translucent.
- Add the apple and cover. Cook for an additional 4-5 minutes, until the apple has softened. Remove from heat and transfer to a tray to cool.
- When cool, heat the oven to 375 degrees.
- In a large bowl, combine the cooled onions, celery, garlic and apples with the sage, parsley, sausage, bread crumbs, and egg. Use your hands to squish it together and make sure that everything is evenly mixed. If you are concerned about the seasoning, fry a small amount to taste. Adjust salt and pepper if needed – usually the seasoning in the sausage is plenty.
- Place in a greased casserole dish and bake covered for 35 minutes. Remove lid and bake for an additional 10-15 minutes. You want the outside to be nice and golden, and the inside to be cooked through.
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