Why does the bread need to be dried out?

Taking a few extra minutes to toast the cubed bread will ensure that your stuffing has that awesome moist texture inside and gets those awesome crispy bits on the top. The bread will absorb more stock and become more flavorful. It has just the right balance of crispy and moist.

Can this recipe be made ahead?

Yes! Prepare it all the way through the part where you cover it in foil in step 3. Then refrigerate the stuffing overnight. Continue with step 4, but add another 5 to 10 minutes of baking before you remove the foil. (Make sure it is steaming hot before you remove the foil.)

Should you put egg in stuffing?

Absolutely! It is the glue that holds all the ingredients together and the moisture adds a fluffy (less dense) texture.

Can make ahead sausage stuffing be frozen?

It can be frozen. Just wrap it well in plastic wrap and then foil. Label and date it and it will hold for up to 3 months.

Cranberry Sausage Stuffing

Description

Cranberry Sausage Stuffing (dressing) is a classic Thanksgiving side dish with toasted pecans, sage and celery. Here’s how to make ahead the day before.

Ingredients

Units Scale

1 pound of whole-wheat sandwich bread, crusts removed and cubed (about 8 cups)
1/2 cup pecans
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 stalks of celery with leaves, finely chopped
2 large shallots, minced
8–ounces cooked crumbled italian or breakfast sausage or fully-cooked chicken breakfast sausage, diced
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1/4 cup chopped parsley, plus more for garnish
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh sage
1 1/2 teaspoons coarse kosher salt (see ingredient note*)
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme
2 eggs
2 cups unsalted chicken or turkey stock (see ingredient note*)

Cook Mode Prevent your screen from going dark

Instructions

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Spread bread cubes out on a large, rimmed baking sheet. Spread pecans out on another baking sheet. Bake both until the nuts are fragrant and lightly browned, 12 to 15 minutes and the bread is dry and toasted, about 20 minutes and.
Meanwhile, heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add celery and shallots, and cook, stirring often until the celery is softened and the shallots are starting to brown, 6 to 9 minutes. Stir in sausage, cranberries, ¼ cup parsley, sage, salt and pepper and remove from heat. Chop pecans and stir in.
Increase oven temperature to 400 degrees F. Coat a 9 by 13-inch (or similar sized) baking dish with cooking spray. Whisk eggs and stock in a large bowl. Stir in bread cubes and celery mixture and stir until thoroughly combined. Transfer the mixture to the prepared baking dish and cover with foil.
Transfer to the oven and bake until the center of the dish is set up and the stuffing is steaming hot, 35 to 40 minutes. Remove foil and continue baking until the top is browned and the stuffing is piping hot all the way through, about 10 minutes longer. Garnish with parsley if desired.

Notes

To Make Ahead: Can be prepared through step 3, refrigerate up to 1 day ahead. Before removing foil, bake for an additional 5 to 10 minutes or until the stuffing is steaming hot.

Ingredient note*: Here is how to make homemade stock. If you don’t have time to do that, you can substitute full sodium store-bought broth. If you do, decrease the kosher salt to ½ teaspoon total.

Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 55 minutes
Category: side dish
Method: Baking
Cuisine: American

Nutrition

Serving Size: 3/4 cup each
Calories: 208
Sugar: 5.6 g
Fat: 13 g
Saturated Fat: 2 g
Carbohydrates: 16 g
Fiber: 2.7 g
Protein: 7.5 g