Mmmm. Stuffing. Whether to you stuff your bird before roasting or baked it separately, stuffing is a Thanksgiving tradition and oh-so-good to go on your Thanksgiving sandwiches the next day!
I prefer cornbread stuffing, my favorite being the southwestern cornbread stuffing recipe below. I’m also including a few other recipes I’ve tried over the years and loved!
Southwest Corn Bread Stuffing Recipe
Buttermilk corn bread (preferably 1 – 2 days old)
10 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 1/4 cups chopped seeded fresh Anaheim chilies (8 ounces)
1 1/4 cups chopped seeded fresh poblano chilies (8 ounces)
3 large jalapeño chilies, seeded, chopped
2 1-pound packages frozen petite yellow corn kernels, thawed
1 1/4 cups chopped green onions
2/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro
4 large eggs
1/4 cup sugar
2 1/4 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
Prepare:
Melt butter in heavy large skillet over medium-high heat. Add all chilies; sauté until beginning to soften, about 8 minutes. Stir in 1 package corn and green onions. Transfer to very large bowl. Mix in cilantro. Coarsely crumble corn bread into vegetable mixture; toss to blend.
Blend second package of corn, eggs, sugar, salt, and pepper in processor to coarse puree. Stir mixture into stuffing.
To bake stuffing in turkey:
Loosely fill neck and main cavities of turkey with stuffing. Add enough broth to remaining stuffing to moisten slightly (1/4 to 3/4 cup, depending on amount of remaining stuffing). Generously butter baking dish. Spoon remaining stuffing into prepared dish. Cover with buttered foil, buttered side down. Bake stuffing in dish along side turkey until heated through, about 25 minutes. Uncover stuffing. Bake until top of stuffing is slightly crisp and golden, about 15 minutes longer.
To bake all of stuffing in baking dish:
Preheat oven to 350°F. Generously butter 13×9x2-inch glass baking dish, depending on recipe. Transfer stuffing to prepared dish. Cover with buttered foil, buttered side down. Bake until heated through, about 40 minutes. Uncover and bake until top is slightly crisp and golden, about 20 minutes longer.
Wild Rice, Sausage and Apple Stuffing Recipe
Get:
1 cup wild rice
3 cups water
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 medium onion, chopped
1 cooking apple, such as a Golden Delicious, Gravenstein, or Rome, peeled, cored, and chopped
2 ribs celery with leaves, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 tablespoon minced fresh thyme leaves
Pinch ground mace or nutmeg
Freshly ground black pepper
1/2 pound fresh Italian-style turkey or pork sausage, casings removed
1/2 cup lightly toasted pecan pieces
1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
Prepare:
Combine the wild rice, water, and 1/2 teaspoon of the salt in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer until the rice is tender and just bursting, about 30 minutes. (Cooking time may vary depending on the brand of rice used.) Drain and set aside.
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.
Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat.
Add the onion, apple, celery, garlic, thyme, mace, remaining 1 teaspoon salt and pepper, to taste. Cook until the vegetables soften, about 5 minutes.
Stir in sausage, breaking it up with a wooden spoon and cook until it loses its rosy color, but not so much that it’s dry, about 5 minutes more.
Stir in the cooked wild rice, pecans, and parsley into the vegetable mixture. (This can be made the day before.)
Turn mixture into a 8 or 9-inch square baking dish, cover with aluminum foil, and bake until heated through, 25 to 30 minutes.
Artichoke, Sausage, & Parmesan Cheese Stuffing Recipe
Get:
2 – Loaves of sourdough bread (1-pound each) crusts removed and cut into 1-inch cubes
Olive Oil
1 pound sweet Italian Sausage, casings removed
1 pound hot Italian Sausage, casings removed
2 medium yellow onions, chopped
1 cup celery, chopped
1 cup bell pepper, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
8 ounces frozen artichoke hearts, thawed and roughly chopped
2 teaspoons fresh thyme, minced
2 teaspoons fresh Italian (flat-leafed) parsley, minced
1 teaspoon fresh oregano, minced
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1+ cups of low-salt chicken broth
Sea Salt
Freshly Ground Pepper
Butter (for coating baking dish)
Prepare:
Preheat the oven to 350° F. Divide the bread between 2 – 3 baking sheets. Don’t over crowd the bread. Bake the bread cubes until dry but not hard, about 15 minutes.
Drizzle a few tablespoons of olive oil in the bottom of a heavy skillet and heat over medium-high heat. Add the sausage and sauté until cooked, about 5 minutes. As the sausage cooks, break it into small pieces with a fork. Add the onions, celery, bell peppers, and artichokes and sauté until the vegetables are just soft. Add the garlic and herbs and sauté for 2 minutes. Transfer the sausage mixture to a large bowl.
Add the prepared bread and the cheese to the sausage mixture; toss to blend. Mix in 1 cup of broth and season, to taste, with salt and pepper.
Generously butter a large glass baking dish (13 X 9 or larger, if called for). Butter the dull side of a sheet of foil (large enough to cover stuffing filled baking dish) and set aside. Add additional stock (3/4 cup to 1-1/2 cups) to dressing mixture to moisten, as necessary, and toss lightly to combine. Spoon into prepared baking dish and cover, buttered side down, with foil. Bake, covered, for about 45 minutes or until heated through. Remove foil and continue baking until the top is slightly crisp and golden, about 20 minutes longer.
