Classic Roast Turkey with Sausage and Apple Stuffing

by Melody Thacker, in Recipes (3 Comments)

Turkey is a traditional holiday meal for us and many other families. Following is a classic recipe for roast turkey with sausage and apple stuffing. Our family loves stuffing and this recipe makes a generous amount. What else is good to serve with roasted turkey? Mashed potatoes and gravy, cranberry sauce, and root vegetables such as carrots, parsnips, turnips, or sweet potatoes go well with this bird. Add a cabbage salad or brussel sprouts to round out the menu.

Traditional Roast Turkey with Sausage and Apple Stuffing

Ingredients for Stuffing:
12 ounces/340 g bulk mild pork sausage
6 slices bacon, chopped
1 cup/250 mL chopped onion
1 cup/250 mL chopped celery
1 Granny Smith apple, peeled, cored, and chopped (about 1 cup/250 ml)
6 cups/1.5 liters dried bread cubes
1 cup/250 mL water
1-1/2 tbsp/22.5 mL Watkins Chicken Soup Base
1 tbsp/15 mL Poultry Seasoning or a combination of sage and thyme

Ingredients for Turkey:
10 to 12 pound/4.5 to 5.5 kg turkey
1 tbsp/15 mL Watkins Poultry & Seafood Seasoning

Cooking Directions for Stuffing:

Scramble fry sausage and bacon in a skillet, stirring until sausage crumbles; drain (reserving 2 tbsp/30 mL of the drippings) and place in a large bowl. Cook onion, celery, and apple in drippings over medium-high heat stirring constantly, until tender for about 5 minutes; remove from heat. Add to meat mixture along with bread cubes, water, soup base, and Poultry Seasoning; mix well. Set aside while preparing the turkey.

Cooking Directions for Roast Turkey:
Remove giblets and neck from turkey; discard or reserve for another use. I usually simmer the giblets with a bit of water in a small saucepan. Our dog loves them. Rinse turkey thoroughly with cold water; pat dry. Place turkey breast side up in roasting pan; rub inside and out with Poultry Seasoning. Stuff loosely with Sausage-Apple Stuffing. Place any remaining stuffing in a covered casserole to bake later.

Roast turkey, uncovered, at 325 deg. F/165 deg. C for 4 to 4-1/2 hours, basting occasionally with pan juices. The meat thermometer should read 185 deg. F/85 deg. C. Cover loosely with foil if turkey begins to get too brown. Remove from oven and let stand 15 to 20 minutes before carving. Place casserole with the remaining stuffing in the oven for the last hour before serving. Remove the stuffing from the turkey and toss it with that in the casserole.

Nutrition Facts – makes 12 servings. Nutritional information per serving: Calories 670, Protein 84 g, Carbohydrates 15 g, Sodium 1020 mg, Fat 27 g, Saturated Fat 9 g, Cholesterol 220 mg, and Dietary Fiber 1 g.

Notes from the kitchen: To make the stuffing entirely in a casserole dish, add a little more water if a moist stuffing is desired. To make stuffing with fresh or day-old bread, reduce the water to 1/4 cup. We prefer using hearty whole wheat bread over white which increases the dietary fiber.

If you are cooking for a big crowd, buy and roast a bigger turkey and double the stuffing recipe. Don’t forget a bigger turkey will take longer to cook!

Here’s how to make cranberry sauce it’s really quick and easy!

What to make with the leftover turkey? Try the easiest turkey pie. 

Roast Turkey Facts And Hints

Here are some turkey facts and hints for successful roasting:

• Ounce for ounce, skinless, cooked turkey is lower in calories than cooked and trimmed beef, pork, lamb or chicken.
• There is no quality difference between a fresh or frozen turkey.
• Letting the turkey “rest for 20 minutes” after roasting allows the natural juices to redistribute throughout the meat so it doesn’t get too dry.
• Oven roasting is a dry-heat method of cooking where you don’t cover the meat with a lid.
• To prevent over-cooking, loosely cover the turkey with aluminum foil when it’s about two-thirds done.
• Covering a roast with a lid changes the cooking method from roasting to braising.
• Braising a turkey can prevent browning and produce soggy skin.

I hope you enjoy this recipe!