Sausage Cornbread Stuffing
This recipe creates a hearty and flavorful cornbread stuffing featuring spicy sausage, aromatic vegetables, walnuts, and dried cranberries. It's an easy-to-follow dish, perfect for holiday gatherings or a satisfying side, yielding a moist interior with a deliciously crusty top.
Equipment
- 1 Large Saute Pan With a lid, if available, for even cooking.
- 1 Large Mixing Bowl Essential for combining ingredients thoroughly.
- 1 Ovenproof Baking Dish For baking the stuffing until golden.
- 1 Chef's knife For precise dicing of vegetables and chopping herbs.
- 1 Cutting Board For safe and efficient ingredient preparation.
Ingredients
Main
- Extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 large onion small dice
- 3 ribs celery small dice
- Kosher salt
- 1 pound spicy sausage casing removed, broken into bite-size chunks
- 3 cloves garlic smashed and finely diced
- 3/4 cup coarsely chopped walnuts
- 10 sage leaves finely chopped
- 3 sprigs rosemary leaves finely chopped
- 10 cups stale cornbread cut into 1-inch cubes
- 2 cups dried cranberries
- 3 to 4 cups chicken stock
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- Coat a large saute pan with olive oil, add the onions and celery and saute over to medium heat. Season with salt and cook until the vegetables start to become soft and are very aromatic. Add the sausage and cook until the sausage begins to brown. Stir in the garlic and saute for another 1 to 2 minutes. Add the walnuts, sage and rosemary and cook for another minute, then remove from heat.
- In a large bowl mix together the cornbread, cranberries, and the sausage mixture. Add chicken stock and knead with your hands until the bread is very moist, actually wet. Taste to check for seasoning and season with salt, if needed and transfer to an ovenproof dish.
- Bake the stuffing until it is hot all the way through and is crusty on top, about 30 to 35 minutes. MMMMM...stuffing!
Notes
1. For best results, use truly stale cornbread; fresh cornbread can lead to a mushy stuffing. If yours isn't stale enough, toast the cubes in a 300°F oven for 15-20 minutes until dried out.
2. Adjust chicken stock gradually. The goal is moist, not soupy. The 'wet' description is accurate – the cornbread should absorb the liquid fully without turning into a paste.
3. Elevate the flavor by using homemade chicken stock. Consider adding a splash of dry white wine or brandy to the pan with the aromatics for an extra layer of complexity before adding sausage.
4. For a crispier top, consider increasing the oven temperature slightly to 375°F for the last 10 minutes of baking, or finish under the broiler for a minute, watching carefully to prevent burning.
2. Adjust chicken stock gradually. The goal is moist, not soupy. The 'wet' description is accurate – the cornbread should absorb the liquid fully without turning into a paste.
3. Elevate the flavor by using homemade chicken stock. Consider adding a splash of dry white wine or brandy to the pan with the aromatics for an extra layer of complexity before adding sausage.
4. For a crispier top, consider increasing the oven temperature slightly to 375°F for the last 10 minutes of baking, or finish under the broiler for a minute, watching carefully to prevent burning.