Stuffing muffins with sausage and apple

Summary

Prep: 20 minutes
Cooking: 25 minutes
Ages: Toddlers to Teens
Difficulty: Easy peasy
Makes: 12 muffins

Ingredients

• 10 cups of whole wheat bread, chopped into cubes and loosely packed
• 4 tablespoons of olive oil
• 1 cup of chopped celery
• 1 yellow onion, chopped
• 1 tablespoon of thyme
• 1 tablespoon of sage
• 400g of chopped sausage meat
• 30g pumpkin and sunflower seeds
• 1 apple, peeled and finely chopped
• 2 cups of chicken stock (low sodium)
• ½ cup of milk
• 3 large eggs
• 1 cup of dried cranberries

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 180 C
2. Spray a 12 cup muffin tin with cooking spray and set aside.
3. Cut the bread into cubes and bake in the oven for 15 minutes. Remove and put in a large bowl.
4. Sautee the onion and celery in the oil until soft.
5. Add the sausage and break it up with the back of spoon. Saute until the sausage is browned.
6. Put the sausage mixture into a blender. Add the bread, chopped apple and sage. Blend. (Alternatively you can leave them pieces if you can mash them together enough with a fork in a mixing bowl).
7. In a separate bowl mix together the stock, milk and eggs. Beat until well combined.
8. Pour the mixture over the blended sausage mixture and stir gently until the bread is coated in the liquid.
9. Add the cranberries, seeds and thyme and stir until everything is well distributed.
10. Spoon the mixture into your prepared muffin tin. Start by adding one layer and pressing down with a spoon. Add a second layer and press down with the spoon so that everything is compact.
11. Bake for 25 minutes or until the tops are golden.
12. Let cool in the pan for 10 minutes before running a knife around the edges to release.

Our step-by-step guide:

Chop your bread into cubes and bake in the oven for 15 minutes until golden and crispy.

Remove them from the oven when done and put them in a large bowl or mixer.

Meanwhile, saute your chopped onion and celery in the olive oil until everything is soft, about 4 minutes.

Add your sausage and continue sauteing until the sausage is browned.

Add the sausage mixture to the bread cubes. Stir everything gently with a wooden spoon.

Add your chopped apple and sage to the mixture and stir gently.

If you are blending for a smoother texture, pop everything into the blender and mix until smooth.

Mix the stock, milk and eggs together and pour it all over your bread and sausage mixture.

Mix it all up with a wooden spoon until all the bread is moistened but not mushy.

Add the seeds, dried cranberries and thyme and stir them in gently.

Press the mixture into your muffin tin with the back of the spoon.

Do this in two layers, first filling the muffin cups halfway full and pressing down with a spoon, and then filling to the top and again pressing down with your spoon again. You want them compact.

Bake in the oven for 25-30 minutes or until the tops are golden brown and the centre is fully cooked.

Let the muffins cool for 10 minutes before releasing them from the pan.

Enjoy this stuffing recipe with Thanksgiving or Christmas lunch!