Sausage Cornbread Stuffing
This recipe creates a rich and flavorful Sausage Cornbread Stuffing, perfect for holiday meals. It combines browned spicy sausage with sautéed onions, celery, walnuts, fresh herbs, and dried cranberries, all bound together with moist stale cornbread and chicken stock, then baked until golden and crusty.
Equipment
- 1 Large Saute Pan For cooking the sausage and aromatics.
- 1 Large Mixing Bowl For combining all stuffing ingredients.
- 1 Ovenproof Baking Dish For baking the stuffing.
- 1 Chef's knife For dicing vegetables and chopping herbs.
- 1 Cutting Board For safe and efficient prep work.
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
For the best texture and flavor, ensure your cornbread is truly stale; freshly baked cornbread will absorb less liquid and result in a mushy stuffing. Browning the sausage thoroughly is key to developing a deep, savory foundation for the dish. When adding chicken stock, aim for a consistency that is very moist, almost wet, as the cornbread will continue to absorb liquid during baking, preventing a dry stuffing. Do not be afraid to use your hands to really incorporate the liquids and sausage mixture into the cornbread. A quick taste before baking allows for final seasoning adjustments, which is crucial for a well-balanced flavor profile.