Cranberry Cornbread Stuffing
All those with a sweet tooth, rejoice: cranberry cornbread stuffing is the perfect combination of sweet and savory. Pecans add texture and a fun crunch, while cranberries make this stuffing taste more like dessert than a main dish. If you have time to spare, feel free to make your own cornbread, especially if you have a classic family recipe. We prefer to just buy large cornmeal muffins at the grocery store; after all, we could all use a few shortcuts during the holidays. This cranberry cornbread stuffing recipe is the perfect tweak on a classic dish; don’t be surprised if it becomes a yearly staple at your Thanksgiving table!
Yield
Conversions
Ingredients
8
oz pecans (chopped)
¾
cups unsalted butter
2
medium onions (chopped)
5
stalks of celery (chopped)
handful of fresh sage leaves (minced, or 2 T. dried)
6
large cornbread muffins (cubed, or 2 boxes of jiffy cornbread, prepared)
3
eggs (lightly beaten(
2
cups dried cranberries
1
tsp salt
1
tsp pepper
½
tsp cayenne pepper (optional)
1
qts chicken stock or canned chicken broth
Preparation
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spread out the pecans on a baking sheet; they should be in a single layer to ensure they all bake properly. Toast the pecans in the oven for 8 to 12 minutes, tossing every once and a while. When they’re golden, take them out and roughly chop them. Then, set them aside.
In a Dutch oven, melt butter and cook the onions and celery over medium heat until onions become translucent. Stir occasionally.
Remove from heat. Add pecans, sage, cornbread, eggs, cranberries, salt, pepper, cayenne pepper and stock. Mix well.
Cover and bake at 375 degrees for 35 minutes. Uncover and bake for another 20 minutes, or until the stuffing is starting to brown on the top. If it is still too moist, stir it around a bit and pop back in the oven for another 5-10 minutes. This keeps the cranberry cornbread stuffing from drying out!
