Low Sodium Chorizo Green Apple Stuffing
Growing up I was not a fan of stuffing (or dressing, or whatever you call it). I didn’t like the texture. It was mushy like oatmeal (another dish I still have issues with…don’t hate!). Maybe it was the fact that in our house, it was always a prepackaged stuffing like Stove Top. Store bought stuffing is loaded with sodium. I needed a recipe for something that was easy enough to make at home. Here is my Low Sodium Chorizo Green Apple Stuffing.
A Stuffing Story
On my wife’s side of the family though, stuffing is a huge deal. She grew up in Iowa, where stuffing was so integral to the diet, that apparently at church potluck’s or basically any event where you had people over to eat a bunch of food, they even made stuffing sandwiches. I was stunned. Let’s put bread in between two parts of a white bread roll? Carbtastic!
After college I was invited to a friend’s house for their Thanksgiving dinner. They had stuffing like no other I had seen. it wasn’t all one pile of greyish-brown mush! I could actually identify the ingredients. It was wonderfully seasoned with spices that screamed fall: sage, rosemary, and thyme. the bread, while softened by the process was still spongy. It was packed with bits of onion, apple, celery and venison sausage. It was smoky and earthy and just warmed you to the core. I have replicated that stuffing over the years, and now I have hacked the salt out of the recipe so it can be part of our new tradition of a low sodium Thanksgiving.
The Bread Matters
So here is my latest version of stuffing good for any family meal, or for the holidays like Christmas and Thanksgiving. A key factor in keeping this low sodium is the bread. The Ezekiel Brand Low Sodium Bread seemed like a great option, but sadly it turned to mush in this recipe. I went with a loaf of King’s Hawaiian Round Bread. It is lower in sodium than most breads out there. I use their hamburger and hot dog buns all the time. It is a low sodium Chorizo Green Apple Stuffing:
The Recipe For Low Sodium Chorizo Green Apple Stuffing
Low Sodium Chorizo and Green Apple Stuffing
Ingredients
- 1 inch Loaf of King's Hawaiian Round Bread cut into 1 cubes or other low sodium bread
- 8 Tbsp unsalted butter 1 stick
- 2 Medium onions - diced
- 2 Stalks of celery - diced
- 2 Medium Granny Smith apples - cored and large diced
- 1 Tbsp sage
- 1 Tbsp rosemary
- 1 Tbsp thyme
- 1 tsp ground black pepper
- 1 lb of low sodium Chorizo see recipe below
- 1 cup low sodium chicken stock
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 300 degrees.
- Place the bread cubes in a single layer on a baking sheet and bake for 7 minutes.
- Remove the bread and place in a very large mixing bowl.
- In a large saute pan, melt the butter and add the onions, celery, apples, rosemary, sage, thyme, and pepper.
- Saute over medium heat for 10 minutes, until the vegetables are soft and translucent.
- Add to the bread cubes.
- In the same pan, cook the Chorizo Sausage over medium heat for about 10 minutes, until browned and cooked through, breaking up the sausage with a wooden spatula to a small grind.
- Add to bowl with the bread and vegetables.
- Add the chicken stock, mix well, and pour into a 9 x 12 inch baking dish.
- Bake for 30 minutes, until browned on top and hot in the middle.
- Serve warm.
Nutrition
Low Sodium Chorizo To Use In Almost Everything
I am including the recipe for my low sodium Chorizo sausage. If you have a sausage maker, I recommend you also try to locate a low sodium skin option. I usually just make up patties that can be grilled up for breakfast, lunch, or dinner. I like make breakfast sandwiches on the weekends and have a low sodium Bloody Mary with them. Find the lowest sodium ground pork as the base.
The Recipe For Low Sodium Chorizo Sausage
Low Sodium Chorizo Sausage
Ingredients
- 1 lb Low sodium ground pork
- 1 Tbsp cumin - ground
- 1 Tbsp pimenton Spanish paprika
- 1 Tbsp garlic powder sodium free
- 1 tsp coriander - ground
- 1 tsp chili pepper sodium free
- 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
- 1 tsp thyme
- 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
- 1 tsp ground clove
- 2 Tbsp cider vinegar
Instructions
- Grind and mix together all spices in a mortar and pestle or a grinder (I use a coffee bean grinder)
- In large bowl, mix together the spices, pork, and vinegar. Use your hands and get in there!
- Let the sausage set up in your refrigerator for 10-20 minutes prior to cooking to let the spices all meld in.
- break up into small balls and form patties if desired.
Nutrition
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Beautiful recipes! I can’t wait to try both of these. I make my own loose sausages already but hadn’t tried chorizo on my own yet.
The blog looks great, too!
Thank you! I love Spanish and Latin spices, so Chorizo is great for me.
thank you