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Sausage and Wild Rice Stuffing

September 28, 2020 by Lindsay 54 Comments

This Sausage and Wild Rice Stuffing is hearty enough for a meal but also makes a delicious side dish for Thanksgiving or Christmas.

This Sausage and Wild Rice Stuffing is hearty enough for a meal but also makes a delicious side dish for Thanksgiving or Christmas.

**This post was originally published Oct 14, 2014. Photos and some of the text was updated before republishing**

Hi Friends-

Would you believe me if I told you that stuffing used to be my least favorite part of Thanksgiving? I’m not really sure why. I just know I avoided it as a kid and it wasn’t until just a few years ago that I discovered how delicious my mom’s Sausage & Wild Rice Stuffing actually is. Hubby loves it as well so I’ve started making it regularly around this time of year. A few years ago I posted a vegetarian version of it since we weren’t eating meat at the time…. but this year I thought I should share the original version since here we are only in October and I’ve already made it twice just because we love it so much.

This Sausage and Wild Rice Stuffing is hearty enough for a meal but also makes a delicious side dish for Thanksgiving or Christmas.

So now you can make it yourselves. Save it for the holidays or just make it randomly to enjoy like I do. I love this recipe because it has a few ingredients that I don’t use nearly often enough while cooking. It’s made with leeks, which I use in my Curried Sweet Potato Soup recipe, but other than that I rarely buy them. It also uses wild rice, which I kinda love, but I feel like is very often overlooked and under-appreciated in the food world. Plus it has apples, which I always have on hand this time of year and bread…which i just love no matter what!

So here’s how you make it:

Print

Sausage and Wild Rice Stuffing

This Sausage and Wild Rice Stuffing is hearty enough for a meal but also makes a delicious side dish for Thanksgiving or Christmas.
Print Recipe

★★★★

4 from 1 reviews

A delicious stuffing that makes the perfect holiday side dish but is also hearty enough to enjoy as a meal on its own.

  • Author: Lindsay
  • Yield: 4

Ingredients

Scale
  • 2 Tbsp butter
  • 1/2 cup leeks, thinly sliced
  • 1 medium apple apple, chopped
  • 3 chicken sausages, halved & sliced
  • 1 tsp McCormick’s grill seasoning
  • salt & pepper to taste
  • 1/2 cup Craisins
  • 1/2 cup uncooked wild rice
  • 2 Tbsp fresh parsley, minced
  • 3–4 cup stale bread, cubed
  • 1/2 – 2/3 cup chicken broth

Instructions

  1. Cook rice according to package directions.
  2. Saute the leeks in the butter until soft.
  3. Add the apple, sausage, Craisins and seasonings and saute 5 minutes more
  4. Stir in the cooked rice, parsley and bread cubes until well combined.
  5. Slowly add broth until all of the bread is moistened.
  6. Cook until heated through and serve warm.

Did you make this recipe?

Tag @theleangreenbean on Instagram

Pretty easy and super delicious! Feel free to customize with your favorite kind of sausage. And don’t leave out the leeks! They add a mellow yet unique flavor that pairs well with the rest of the ingredients.

This Sausage and Wild Rice Stuffing is hearty enough for a meal but also makes a delicious side dish for Thanksgiving or Christmas.

[clickToTweet tweet=”Add this Sausage and Wild Rice Stuffing to your holiday menu this year!” quote=”Add this Sausage and Wild Rice Stuffing to your holiday menu this year!”]

Let’s chat:
Are you a stuffing lover? What’s your favorite version?

Enjoy!
–Lindsay–

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Filed Under: Dinner, Side Dish Tagged With: Apple, Bread, Butter, Chicken Broth, Chicken Sausage, Cranberry, Rice

About Lindsay

Lindsay Livingston is a Registered Dietitian and new mom from Columbus, Ohio. On her blog, she shares simple, healthy recipes, nutrition tips, workouts and snapshots of her life. Follow her on Twitter @LeanGrnBeanBlog and Instagram @TheLeanGreenBean and be sure to subscribe via RSS or email so you never miss a post!

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Arman @ thebigmansworld says

    October 14, 2014 at 3:28 AM

    I’ve never heard of a stuffing with sausage- this looks delicious! I think stuffing is the best part of any roasted bird 😉

    Reply
    • lindsay says

      October 14, 2014 at 7:45 AM

      what? really? we grew up on sausage and stuffing and eggs and well anything that involved meat and carbs. Dang linz, looks good!

      Reply
  2. Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine says

    October 14, 2014 at 5:10 AM

    I used to hate stuffing too! Until I went GF and started making my own gf vegan stuffing! Now I van get enough and make it every year!

    Reply
  3. Dan says

    October 14, 2014 at 5:18 AM

    I grew up on apple and sausage stuffing. Love it! A guggestion for leeks: One of my go-tos is to quickly sautee them in butter or oil, then coat them in mustard. Very French and good hot or cold.

    Reply
    • Lindsay says

      October 16, 2014 at 11:26 AM

      oooh i’ll have to try that!

      Reply
  4. Brittany @ Delights and Delectables says

    October 14, 2014 at 7:12 AM

    yum!! I was the opposite. All I used to eat was the stuffing! 🙂

    Reply
  5. Kirtley @The Gist of Fit says

    October 14, 2014 at 7:17 AM

    Isn’t it weird when you finally ‘mature’ and realize how awesome your mom’s cooking was? Haha. I don’t love stuffing, like you once, so I should give this a shot.

    Reply
  6. Tina Reale Yoga says

    October 14, 2014 at 8:06 AM

    This looks soooo good!

    Reply
  7. JEnnifer F says

    October 14, 2014 at 8:11 AM

    Looking at that dressing and the FINALLY having a cooler morning in Austin this morning officially has me in the mood for fall and thanksgiving!

    Reply
  8. Jeanette | Jeanette's Healthy Living says

    October 14, 2014 at 8:43 AM

    It’s definitely getting to be that time of year for comfort food. I’ve never used wild rice in stuffing but love the idea!

    Reply
    • Lindsay says

      October 16, 2014 at 11:25 AM

      Thanks Jeanette! It’s a fun twist for something different!

      Reply
  9. Holly @ EatGreatBEGreat says

    October 14, 2014 at 9:07 AM

    This stuff sounds amazing and I love the added sweetness from the apple! Delish!

    Reply
  10. Liz @ The Lemon Bowl says

    October 14, 2014 at 9:54 AM

    This sounds so good!

    Reply
  11. Dana @ fresh simple five says

    October 14, 2014 at 10:01 AM

    I used to avoid stuffing as a kid too and now I can’t believe how many years of deliciousness I missed out on – haha! This recipe sounds great. I enjoy reading about other variations of stuffing and people’s holiday meal traditions. Don’t know about you, but our family pretty much eats the same dishes every year!

    Reply
  12. Hannah @ CleanEatingVeggieGirl says

    October 14, 2014 at 10:04 AM

    This would be DELISH with some vegan “sausage.” Thanks to you I am now EXTRA excited for the holidays coming up and all of the good food 🙂

    Reply
    • Lindsay says

      October 16, 2014 at 11:25 AM

      yesss. love thanksgiving food 🙂

      Reply
  13. Alyssa @ The Healthy RD says

    October 14, 2014 at 10:06 AM

    Definitely checking out the vegegarian version! I’ve never heard of sausage in stuffing either!

    Reply
    • Lindsay says

      October 16, 2014 at 11:25 AM

      hope you enjoy!

      Reply
  14. Chelsea says

    October 14, 2014 at 10:14 AM

    This looks awesome! Thanks for sharing!

    Reply
  15. Joanna @Makingmine says

    October 14, 2014 at 11:17 AM

    I’m with you on the “late to the stuffing party.” I really didn’t give it a chance until I hosted my own Thanksgiving and made it myself. Maybe I just needed to see (and smell, and taste test) the process.

    This recipe looks amazing! I’m filing it away just in case I end up hosting this year again!

    Reply
    • Lindsay says

      October 16, 2014 at 11:25 AM

      woohoo! happy eating!

      Reply
  16. Tiff @ Love, Sweat, & Beers says

    October 14, 2014 at 11:44 AM

    I’ve heard of stuffing with sausage, but I’ve never tried it. I can seriously go ape on some stuffing though. Leftovers aren’t safe around me when Thanksgiving comes!

    Reply
  17. Courtney @ Eat Pray Run DC says

    October 14, 2014 at 11:45 AM

    i’ve never liked stuffing but this looks great and has all ingredients that i love so i pinned it and am going to try it! thanks for sharing 🙂

    Reply
    • Lindsay says

      October 16, 2014 at 11:24 AM

      hope you love it!

      Reply
  18. Danica @ It's Progression says

    October 14, 2014 at 2:48 PM

    I’ve never liked (traditional) stuffing either, especially since I saw the process to make it as a kid haha
    This recipe I could totally get behind though – it looks delicious!

    Reply
    • Lindsay says

      October 16, 2014 at 11:24 AM

      yay! let me know if you try it!

      Reply
  19. Bre & Ree says

    October 14, 2014 at 3:07 PM

    Stuffing is my absolute favorite part of Thanksgiving dinner! Thanks for sharing!
    ~Bre

    Reply
  20. Angela @ HonestlyAngela says

    October 14, 2014 at 6:39 PM

    Yum! Can’t wait to try this. It is totally different than my family’s traditional stuffing, but it looks amazing!

    Reply
  21. Danielle @ It's a Harleyyy Life says

    October 14, 2014 at 6:57 PM

    this looks delicious! (:

    Reply
  22. Matt @ Runner Savvy says

    October 14, 2014 at 8:16 PM

    Looks delicious!

    Reply
  23. Alex says

    October 15, 2014 at 5:15 PM

    I ate way too much stuffing one thanksgiving in high school and it took me a long time to jump aboard the train again-but I have. This looks delicious. A must make this thanksgiving for sure.

    Reply
    • Lindsay says

      October 16, 2014 at 11:18 AM

      woohoo! enjoy!

      Reply
  24. Amanda @ Diary of a Semi-Health Nut says

    October 15, 2014 at 5:18 PM

    Oh man I love stuffing! So funny you used to avoid it! I’ve never had stuffing with another meat inside of it though…usually it’s stuffing that’s been inside a large bird! 🙂

    Reply
    • Lindsay says

      October 16, 2014 at 11:18 AM

      yeah i still can’t get on board with the stuffing cooked inside the turkey….but this is a good replacement for me 🙂

      Reply
  25. heather @french press says

    October 19, 2015 at 10:12 AM

    stuffing is my absolute favorite part of the thanksgiving meal! and this looks like a great one

    Reply
  26. Chrissa - Physical Kitchness says

    October 24, 2016 at 7:20 AM

    I’m sooooo pinning and probably making this to share for Thanksgiving! Will likely use gluten-free bread. Such a good recipe!

    Reply
  27. Tara | Treble in the Kitchen says

    October 24, 2016 at 8:41 AM

    I love adding leeks in stuffing. Looks so good! 🙂

    Reply
  28. Laura says

    October 24, 2016 at 5:56 PM

    Love this healthier stuffing recipe for Turkey Day!

    Reply

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Lindsay Livingston The Lean Green Bean Healthy Living Tips and Tricks

I'm a Registered Dietitian and mom of three from Columbus, Ohio. I use this blog to share simple, healthy recipes, nutrition tips, and an honest glimpse of motherhood!

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