High Protein Stuffing Without Celery

Overhead view of stuffing in a white casserole dish.

4.94 from 15 votes

High Protein Stuffing Without Celery

With over a dozen 5-star reviews, you can be sure this stuffing without celery will be a crowd favorite. Plus, it's incredibly easy to make with just 15 minutes of hands-on work required. It has all the warmth of fall with sage and seasoned breakfast sausage paired with a refreshing bite of crisp apples.

Prep Time10

Cook Time1

Total Time1 10

Course: dinner

Cuisine: American

Keyword: apples, holidays, sausage, stuffing, thanksgiving

Servings:

Calories: 478kcal

Author: Mika Kinney

Ingredients

5 cups french bread stale & cut into 1"-2" cubes
1 lb breakfast sausage
3 cups apples about 4 medium apples - honey crisp or granny smith, diced
⅓ cup dried cranberries
1 tablespoon sage dried & powdered form
1 tablespoon rosemary dried & powdered form
1.5 teaspoon thyme dried & powdered form
1 cup chicken bone broth
5 tablespoon butter unsalted
1 yellow onion diced
1 egg
1.5 cups parsley finely chopped, fresh or ⅕ tablespoon dried
See above for substitution options

Instructions

If your bread is not stale, you can toast the cubed bread for 10 minutes at 200 degrees. Keep an eye on it so it doesn't burn.
Prep by preheating the oven to 400 degrees. Dice your onion and apples and measure out your spices. If the dried rosemary is large, turn it into powder with a coffee grinder. Cube your bread.
Saute 1 yellow onion, 1 tablespoon rosemary, 1 tablespoon sage, and 1.5 teaspoon thyme in a skillet over medium heat until soft with 1 tablespoon of the butter.
Add the 1 lb breakfast sausage to the pan to brown and break it up as it cooks. Cook until browned.
In a bowl, melt the remaining of the 5 tablespoon butter in a microwave safe container and then whisk in 1 egg and 1 cup chicken bone broth. Add the bone broth to the hot butter first so the egg doesn't scramble.
Once the sausage is done, add the ⅓ cup dried cranberries, 3 cups apples, diced, and the 1.5 cups parsley and mix. For the apples - I like to use honey crisp because they are sweet with a slight tang and a harder variety meaning they hold up better when baked.
Pour this mixture into a greased 8x11 pan. You can also do a larger pan or even a sheet pan, which will result in crisper bread because it is spread thinner. I prefer the bottom of the stuffing soft and the top crispy, hence the 8x11 pan. Add the 5 cups french bread on top, then the liquid mixture. Mix together until thoroughly coated.
Cover with foil and bake for 25 minutes at 400 degrees. Then remove the foil and continue to bake for 35 minutes or until golden brown.

Video

Notes

Storage

Fridge: If you have any leftovers, store in the fridge in a sealed or airtight container for up to 4 days.

To reheat: Stuffing is best reheated in a toaster oven to retain the crisp. But it can be heated in a microwave until heated through.

Nutrition