This award-winning Apple Rice (with sausage) is made with dehydrated/dried apples, sage, wild rice, spinach, and nuts. It's a great fall dish that's perfect for a Thanksgiving or holiday side!
This easy rice pilaf recipe was born out of a recipe I made to accompany this Maple Cider Grilled Chicken Kabobs recipe for a local cooking competition that ended up as a finalist! However, this rice was sooo good that I decided to post it on its own~ It really is the perfect side dish and Thanksgiving stuffing alternative. And it's gluten-free!
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Looking for more rice side dishes? Give this Brown Spanish Rice or my Easy Greek Rice (with Lemon)a try!
🥘 Ingredient Notes
For this recipe, you'll need:
- Apples. I use dried/dehydrated apples in this dish because they are quicker, there is no peeling, coring, or cooking, and they give the dish such a unique texture that really works! You can even dehydrate your own apples in your air fryer!
- Sausage. You can use regular breakfast sausage or chicken, or turkey sausage. I use the latter to keep it lighter!
- Rice. Sometimes I use wild rice and brown rice cooked separately (in the main photos), and sometimes I buy a brown and wild rice medley and use that (I use a medley in the process photos). Either works!
- Fresh Spinach. Baby spinach is ideal because it's sweeter and more tender, and you don't have to chop it up. But if you use regular spinach, just be sure to chop it.
- Nuts. Pine nuts are ideal for this recipe because they are softer and have a mild, sweet, and rich buttery flavor, but they are very expensive! I have also used slivered almonds (shown in process shots) and both work well!
*Please see recipe card for full list of ingredients and quantities
📖 Variations & Substitutions
- Sausage: You could mix it up and use a maple or brown sugar sausage, or even a spicy sausage.
- Vegetarian: skip the sausage and use vegetable stock if you want to make it vegetarian. This will also bring down the Weight Watchers points.
- Pine nuts: You could substitute toasted pecans or toasted almonds. For a nut-free option, try pumpkin seeds (pepitas) or sunflower seeds.
- Fresh sage - You could substitute dried sage, but you'll need half the amount as you would use fresh
- Fresh spinach - you could substitute frozen, but I highly recommend using fresh! It makes all the difference.
🔪How to Make Apple Rice
- Step 1: Make the rice: Cook rice according to package directions, but use chicken stock or vegetable stock in place of water.
- Step 2: Cook sausage in a frying pan on the stove top over medium heat until no longer pink and set aside ( use your air fryer to cook turkey sausages). * I usually cook the whole package and use the remainder for breakfast.
- Step 3: Heat a frying pan on medium-high heat. Add 1 teaspoon of olive oil and the pine nuts or almonds. Toast, for a minute or so, stirring.
- Step 4: Then add sage and spinach. Continue to stir until the spinach is soft and the nuts are fragrant
- Step 5: Remove the mixture and stir it into the rice mixture.
- Step 6: Stir the chopped dried apples and sausage into the rice and serve warm.
How to Shape Rice
Serving your rice in a shape, as pictured below, is a great way to give it a little touch of elegance. If you're not sure how to do it, then check out this video: How to shape rice for serving *NOTE: This rice isn't as sticky as your typical rice, so you really have to compress it as you spoon it into the bowl. Then you may also need to run a butter knife around the edges of the bowl to loosen it.
Expert Recipe Tips
- Toast the nuts for maximum flavor: Toasting the pine nuts or almonds brings out their rich, nutty flavor and adds a subtle crunch that elevates the dish. Keep a close eye on them, as they can burn quickly.
- Use stock, not water: Cooking the rice in chicken or vegetable stock instead of water adds layers of savory flavor that complement the apples and sausage.
- Chop dried apples finely: Cutting the apples into small, even pieces ensures they distribute evenly throughout the rice and blend seamlessly into each bite.
- Don't skip the fresh sage: Fresh sage has a vibrant, earthy flavor that pairs beautifully with the apples and sausage. Dried sage works if needed, but fresh will give the best result.
- Cook sausage separately for best texture: Browning the sausage on its own allows the fat to render out and the pieces to develop caramelization, which adds depth of flavor to the final dish.
- Reheat gently with stock: If making ahead, add a splash of chicken or vegetable stock when reheating to keep the rice moist and flavorful.
- Shape for presentation: For a holiday table, pack the rice into a small bowl, then invert onto a plate for a tidy, elegant dome shape. This makes it look like a special centerpiece side dish.
What to Serve with Apple Rice (with sausage)
While this apple rice makes a great side for a traditional Roasted Turkey for a holiday dinner, it also pairs well with Roasted Chicken, such as my Ninja Air Fryer Roast Chicken (with lemon, rosemary, and garlic) (shown), Picnic Ham (with Orange Glaze), Baked Cornish Hens with Rosemary Wine, or this Crockpot Turkey Breast (without the Quinoa Stuffing).
It can also be served with everyday dinners like Apple Sage Pork Chops, or Hoisin Baked Chicken Quarters.
If you're looking for a great recipe for a side dish that's also gluten-free, you'll love this apple rice recipe!
👪 Serving size
This apple rice recipe makes 8 servings. You can cut this recipe in half, double it, or triple it by simply clicking on the servings number in the recipe card, and the ingredient amounts will adjust accordingly.
🔢WW Points
This recipe is 7 ww points using almonds (they are a few less points than using pine nuts), using turkey sausage and instant brown rice and wild rice (not the medley).
🌡️Storage
- This delicious rice dish can be made ahead and stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
- It also freezes well. Store in an airtight container for up to 2 months. Thaw in the fridge overnight, then reheat on the stovetop or in the microwave, adding a little stock if needed.
- Reheat: Reheat this recipe in the microwave for 3-5 minutes or until warm.
❔ Recipe FAQs
Yes, you can, but the texture and flavor will be different. Fresh apples will add more moisture to the dish and may soften too much when mixed with the rice. If using fresh, choose a firm variety (like Honeycrisp or Granny Smith) and dice them small so they don't overpower the rice.
Absolutely! This dish reheats well, so you can prepare it the day before and store it in the fridge for 1-3 days in advance. Reheat it in the microwave or on the stovetop with a splash of broth to refresh the flavors.
A wild rice blend or a mix of wild and brown rice is best because it gives the dish a hearty, nutty flavor and chewy texture. White rice can be used in a pinch, but the flavor won't be as rich.
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It's full of fall flavors like apple, sage, and pine nuts, and makes a wonderful Thanksgiving side, Christmas dinner side, or alternative to stuffing. If you are looking for the perfect side dish for Thanksgiving this year, you can welcome this Apple Rice with Sausage into the Thanksgiving line-up!
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📋 Apple Rice (with Sausage) Recipe
Ingredients
- 6 fresh breakfast sausage links chopped into ¼ inch circles
- 1 cup finely chopped dried/dehydrated apples
- 1 Tbsp. chopped fresh sage
- 1 ½ cups fresh baby spinach washed and dried
- 2 cups dry brown rice and wild rice blend (or 1 ½ cups dry brown rice and ½ cup dry wild rice) cook as per package directions
- Chicken stock or vegetable stock amount according to package direction of rice
- ½ cup pine nuts
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
Instructions
- Make the rice: Cook rice according to package directions, but use chicken stock or vegetable stock in place of water.
- Cook sausage in a frying pan on stove top over medium heat until no longer pink and set aside.
- Heat a frying pan on medium high heat. Add 1 teaspoon of olive oil and the pine nuts. Toast, for a minute or so, stirring, then add sage and spinach.
- Continue to stir until spinach is soft and pine nuts are fragrant. Remove the mixture and stir into rice mixture.
- Stir in chopped dried apples and sausage into the rice and serve warm.
Notes
- Toast the nuts for maximum flavor: Toasting the pine nuts or almonds brings out their rich, nutty flavor and adds a subtle crunch that elevates the dish. Keep a close eye on them, as they can burn quickly.
- Use stock, not water: Cooking the rice in chicken or vegetable stock instead of water adds layers of savory flavor that complement the apples and sausage.
- Chop dried apples finely: Cutting the apples into small, even pieces ensures they distribute evenly throughout the rice and blend seamlessly into each bite.
- Don't skip the fresh sage: Fresh sage has a vibrant, earthy flavor that pairs beautifully with the apples and sausage. Dried sage works if needed, but fresh will give the best result.
- Cook sausage separately for best texture: Browning the sausage on its own allows the fat to render out and the pieces to develop caramelization, which adds depth of flavor to the final dish.
- Reheat gently with stock: If making ahead, add a splash of chicken or vegetable stock when reheating to keep the rice moist and flavorful.
- Shape for presentation: For a holiday table, pack the rice into a small bowl, then invert onto a plate for a tidy, elegant dome shape. This makes it look like a special centerpiece side dish
- This delicious rice dish can be made ahead and stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
- It also freezes well. Store in an airtight container for up to 2 months. Thaw in the fridge overnight, then reheat on the stovetop or in the microwave, adding a little stock if needed.
- Reheat: Reheat this recipe in the microwave for 3-5 minutes or until warm.
Nutrition
Terri Gilson
This Apple Rice with Sausage recipe is a fantastic way to shake up the traditional Thanksgiving menu. It's packed with delicious fall flavors like apple and sage, and the pine nuts add a wonderful crunch. As someone who usually sticks to classic dishes, I was pleasantly surprised by how well this gluten-free stuffing alternative fits into the holiday spread. Plus, at only 7 WW points, it's a guilt-free addition to our family's Thanksgiving table!
Colleen Milne
I love changing things up and this rice looks delicious with sausage and apples. Yum!
Sara
This looks so good! Love the apples you've added into this!
Terri Gilson
Thanks, Sara!