Stuffing Muffins

Bread Stuffing Muffins are a fun twist on classic holiday stuffing, baked in a muffin pan for golden, crispy edges and a soft, savory center. Perfectly portioned and easy to serve, they’re a pretty and delicious addition to any Southern Thanksgiving table.

Course Side Dish

Cuisine American

Keyword easy-stuffing-recipes, stuffing-muffins

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 35

Total Time 50

Servings servings

Calories 150kcal

Ingredients

10 cups 1/2 inch cubes rosemary olive oil bread OR Italian herb bread
1/2 lb Italian sausage (casings removed)
1/2 cup butter
2 ribs celery finely diced
1 medium onion finely diced
1 large Gala apple cored and diced into 1/3 inch cubes
3 cloves garlic minced
1 Tbsp chopped fresh sage
2 tsp poultry seasoning
1 tsp chopped fresh rosemary
1 tsp salt adjust to taste
1/2 tsp black pepper
2-3 cups low sodium chicken stock or broth
1/2 cup whole milk
2 large eggs beaten

Instructions

Cube bread and toast in a 350°F oven for 10-15 minutes. Set aside to cool. Alternately, spread on a sheet pan and leave on the counter overnight to dry out.
Meanwhile, in a large skillet, brown sausage over medium high heat. Cook for 6-8 minutes or until no pink remains, breaking up into smaller pieces. Remove from the pan and discard fat.
To the same skillet add butter, celery and onion. Cook over medium-high heat for 3 minutes or until softened and beginning to brown, scraping any brown bits from the bottom of the skillet. Add apple, garlic, sage, poultry seasoning, rosemary, salt and pepper. Cook for 3 minutes or just until apple begins to soften. Remove from heat.
In a large mixing bowl, whisk together broth, milk and eggs. Add cubed bread, sausage and sauteed vegetables. Stir well, adding more stock, if needed, to fully moisten.
Spray 18 cups of two standard size muffin pans liberally with cooking spray. Divide mixture between muffin cups.
Bake in preheated oven for 30-35 minutes or just until cooked through and the tops are crusty.
Let stand for 5 minutes, then serve.
Cook's Note: You may opt to dump the whole recipe into a 13x-9-inch baking dish and bake it casserole style, if your prefer. This is what you do:
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spray a 13x9-inch baking dish with cooking spray.
Prepare the ingredients as instructed in the recipe. Spread mixture evenly in dish.
Bake for 45-55 minutes or until it's crusty on top and reaches an interior temperature of 165°F.
Cut into desired portions and serve.

Notes

Bread - I use a loaf of rosemary olive oil bread in this recipe and it complements the flavor of the Italian sausage beautifully. You can also opt to use an Italian herb bread, plain focaccia or French bread.
Use Dry Bread - Dry bread is your friend when making these sorts of recipes. You can toast it or after cubing the bread spread it in a single layer on a large sheet pan uncovered. Leave it on the counter to dry out for several hours, or overnight. Dry bread will soak up the liquid and flavors the best.
Sausage - You can use mild or spicy Italian sausage, breakfast sausage, turkey sausage or chicken sausage in this muffin recipe. You can also omit the sausage altogether for a meatless version.
Apples - You can use a different variety of apples. Granny smith apples, Braeburn apples, honeycrisp apples or your favorite variety. You can choose to peel or not peel the apples, it's your call. You may also use a different variety of apples.
Fresh Herbs and Aromatics- You could use thyme or fresh parsley.
Adjust Salt as Needed - When making adaptations to the flavor of bread used consider the amount of salt and seasonings. For example, if you choose a different bread that isn't seasoned at all, you may want to amp up the fragrant herbs and increase the other seasonings. Taste and adjust as needed to your personal taste.
Cut into Bite-Size Pieces - When cubing the bread and apple, big chunks won't work here, If they're too big, the muffins won't hold their shape.
Stir Thoroughly - When mixing the stuffing mixture, it's important to keep mixing until all of the liquid has been absorbed by the bread, then divide into the wells of the muffin pan.

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