Sausage & Cranberry Cornbread Stuffing
Of all the fixin’s on our Thanksgiving table, this Sausage & Cranberry Cornbread Stuffing ranks right up there as one of my favorites. It’s a close second to the mashed potatoes. No Thanksgiving is complete without the dressing or stuffing. Stuffing of any kind at Thanksgiving is just as important as bread and butter, eggs and bacon or wine and cheese. They just go together.
This easy to prepare recipes involves three main ingredients — cornbread, Italian sausage and fresh cranberries. I like to make my cornbread from scratch and use it in this recipe. I can also make the cornbread several weeks ahead of time and freeze, saving me preparation time several days before the “big feast.” Not a baker? No problem, you can purchase cornbread or cornbread stuffing mix at your local grocery store. Wonderfully fresh fall cranberries top off this recipe. I just love their flavor and beautiful red color.
I begin by removing the Italian sausage for its casing and frying. Make sure you work it into bite sized pieces. Remove the sausage, drain of the fat and set aside. If you like, you can substitute the Italian sausage for a Chorizo or Andouille sausage. This will give the dish a little more zip.
I then sauté the celery and onions until transparent. Season with salt, pepper and poultry seasoning. Now, crumble up the cornbread and add it to the pan along with the cranberries and sausage. Give it a quick stir and then add about 1 cup of chicken or turkey stock – just enough to moisten it. Pop it in a 350° oven for 30 minutes. This stuffing is so good, your guests will be asking for seconds. It can also be made ahead of time and then just warmed in the oven.
- 6 cups cornbread day old, cubed
- ½ stick butter
- 1 cup fresh cranberries
- ½ lb. Italian Sausage casing removed
- ⅔ cup onion diced
- ⅔ cup celery diced
- 1 teaspoon poultry seasoning
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon fresh cracked pepper
- ½ - 1 cup chicken stock
- ½ cup maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon poultry seasoning
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Remove sausage from casing and cook over medium heat until brown. Drain and set aside.
- In same pan, add butter, celery and onion and sauté until translucent. Season with salt, pepper and poultry seasoning.
- Add sausage back into the pan along with 5 cups of cubed cornbread and 1 cup of cranberries. Add the maple syrup. Stir to incorporated, cooking over medium heat.
- Gradually add ½ - 1 cup of chicken stock to stuffing mixture. You want to use enough stock to moisten but not soak the dressing. and cook until heated through.
- Add stuffing to a baking dish and bake for 25 - 30 minutes or until top is light brown.
Happy Thanksgiving!
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My recipe includes apples, and I’ve substituted “regular” bread in a pinch…still delicious in or out of the bird!
love the combo on this! stuffing is a weakness of mine
Love the sausage in this dish! I bet a spicy Italian variety would be yummy 🙂
Loving the sweet and salty combo here!
Oooh yummy! I’m always looking for new stuffing recipes. Thank you for sharing at Merry Monday!
I see maple syrup on the ingredient list, but unless, I’m missing it, I can’t see the step where it is added?
Hi there, I apologize. My brain was thinking faster than my hands were typing. Add the maple syrup at the same time you add the cranberries.
Hello! Recipe looks amazing. Do you cube the cornbread yourself? How does that work? Thanks!
Yes, I cube the cornbread. It really is more like large crumbs when broken apart.
Should I pre cook the veggies n sausage to put in the bird? Or can it all be cooked at same time?
And can I make it the day before?
First timmer so a little worried. But this sounds yummy.
Yes, Debbie, you will need to precook everything before you stuff the bird. Don’t worry, you will do great! I hope you enjoy.
Do the cranberries cook enough in the oven?