Quick Sourdough Stuffing with Sausage & Cranberry

There are some recipes we make to stimulate our appetites, and others that we make to stimulate our memories. Sometimes we can bring back thoughts of loud family gatherings, full of bright conversation and peals of laughter. Other times we remember the quiet moments: a saucepan of warming milk on a gas stove, watching snowflakes falling on the other side of a frosted windowpane. Food has an amazing ability to transport us back in time. My recipe for Quick Sourdough Stuffing with Sausage & Cranberry is my homage to some of those golden food memories!

My Childhood Thanksgivings…

As a kid, I spent many Thanksgivings staring at a heavily-laden table, practically groaning with big dishes of mashed potatoes, broccoli with butter, candied yams (with those cliche white marshmallows), and a golden-brown roasted turkey. Hidden amongst the gravy boat and wiggly canned cranberry sauce, my mom usually hid a small bowl of orange mush. It was not quite identifiable, but definitely made of some sort of grain. It looked odd and smelled funny – I wouldn’t even touch the stuff until I was ten, in fear that it might ‘bite” back!

Eventually, when I was finally brave enough to try this sticky side dish, I learned it was my Nana’s recipe for a WWII era “stuffing”, made from what was available during rationing. What I had initially turned up my nose to was something that meant so much to my mum she still made it. It was her memory brought to life: maybe it was a sludge of corn cereal, butter crackers, water, and Bell’s Seasoning, but it transported my Mum back to her childhood.

I…don’t make that stuffing, but I created this recipe for sourdough stuffing with sausage and cranberries for a similar reason. My Mum was a big sourdough bread baker, and I frequently had a chance to devour fresh loaves as soon as they were cool. I developed this stuffing to honor my own memories of warm crusty bread at family dinner. It is a food memory that has so much meaning for me.

What is a traditional stuffing made of?

What a great question! It really depends on where you come from, and what ingredients are handy! In New England, Oyster Stuffing filled with aromatic vegetables, butter, stale bread, and fresh oysters is all the rage. Down South, Cornbread Stuffing or creamy “dressing”, with lots of celery, a few eggs, and fresh herbs is the ticket. This dish is truly one of the most versatile and easy holiday side dishes for a crowd!

How do you make a bread stuffing mix from scratch?

This is the fun part – anything goes! Start by choosing your base; I like to use homemade (or store-bought) sourdough bread, but you could easily choose cornbread, Italian bread, French baguettes or even challah instead! Just make sure the bread is slightly stale and dried out – it’s going to absorb a lot of moisture. Try to buy some loaves a few days ahead of time. If that’s not an option, slice the fresh bread and give it a quick low temperature bake in the oven. This will help the bread to dry out. I personally pre-season and toast my sourdough bread cubes in a mixture of melted butter, olive oil, herbs, and Bell’s Seasoning.

Next, decide what add ins you’d like! I stick with aromatics like diced celery, carrot, minced garlic and a lot of yellow onion. You can add turkey or pork sausage, fried turkey giblets, shellfish, or keep it vegetarian, and make a sourdough stuffing with mushrooms. Pick ingredients that are highly flavored!

Fresh herbs such as sage, rosemary, and thyme are a classic Thanksgiving stuffing combination, but fresh parsley, even green garlic, are also delicious options. I really like to layer savory flavors together with a contrasting sweet element. Given the season, I turned to dried cranberries, but I’ve also used dried cherries and apricots too! If you prefer something fresh, a bit of diced apple would serve the purpose as well. Just a touch of sweetness to add that extra ‘something’.

Once your homemade mix is ready to go into the oven, add a few whisked eggs thinned with water, or a bit of chicken bone-broth (I’ve chosen the latter for this recipe). This will help to moisten your stuffing before baking.

Baking the stuffing inside the turkey or in the oven?

I am not a cook that believes in baking my Thanksgiving sourdough stuffing in the turkey itself. I don’t want any of my guests to worry about temperature safety or bacteria before digging in, so I always bake my bread stuffing in a casserole dish, away from the bird. As a bonus, baking separately gives an easy make-ahead side dish!

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Sourdough Stuffing with Sausage & Cranberry

makes 8 servings

for the bread cubes

1 sourdough boule

2 teaspoons garlic powder

2 teaspoons dried parsley

2 tablespoons olive oil

1/4 cup salted butter, melted

3 teaspoons Bell’s Seasoning

pinch of kosher salt & pepper

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for the stuffing

1 package of turkey breakfast sausages

3 stalks of celery, diced

2 large carrots, peeled & diced

1 medium yellow onion, diced

2 cloves fresh garlic, minced

1 tablespoon chopped fresh sage

4 sprigs of fresh thyme, stems removed

1 spring of fresh rosemary, stem removed

1 cup dried cranberries

1/2 cup-1 cup of chicken bone broth or turkey stock, depending on how moist you want your stuffing

1 Tablespoon olive oil

kosher salt & pepper

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to make the bread cubes

Preheat the oven to 375F and reserve a large baking tray.

Slice & cube your bread or hand tear into bite sized pieces. Add to a large mixing bowl. Reserve.

Melt the 1/4 cup of butter and add to the bread, along with 2 tablespoons of olive oil.

Sprinkle on the Bell’s Seasoning, a pinch of kosher salt & pepper. Toss to coat.

Spread the bread in a single layer on a large baking tray and place into the oven for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes, flip the bread cubes and bake for another 10 minutes. Let cool and reserve.

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to make the stuffing

Set a large frying pan on high heat and add the turkey sausage. Cook completely. As the sausages cook, break them up into a crumble. After fully cooking, set aside. Keep the ‘drippings’ in the pan.

Next, dice the celery, carrots, and onion. Mince the garlic cloves and prepare your herbs.

In the same pan that you cooked the turkey sausages, add 1 tablespoon of olive oil, and reheat to medium high heat. Once hot, add the vegetables, garlic, and herbs to the pan. Add a generous pinch of salt.

While stirring often and watching for over browning, cook the vegetables until slightly wilted. About 5-7 minutes.

Next, add the dried cranberries and cooked sausage to the pan. Let cook for 3 minutes while stirring.

Remove the pan from the heat.

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to assemble

In a large bowl, add the toasted bread cubes and vegetable mix. Stir well.

Grease a large casserole dish and add the bread stuffing mixture. Spread into an even layer.

Now, pour your stock or bone broth on top, but don’t mix again. It will spread out.

Bake in a 375F oven for 25 minutes.

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Enjoy!