My Favorite Stuffing Recipe: Cornbread Stuffing

on November 20, 2009 at 7:01 AM

holiday entertaining guide

Remember a few weeks back when I was freaking out about making Thanksgiving dinner for my whole family and, more specifically, the stuffing?

Well, since then I've been trying recipes, and I think I found my favorite: Cranberry-Cornbread Stuffing (using the Skillet Cornbread I made earlier this week). It's a Martha Stewart recipe, but I've added a special, secret ingredient.

From all your comments on my earlier post (thank you!), it seemed like sausage in stuffing is the way to go. And, Mr. Cafe Kim enthusiastically agreed. So, I added a tiny bit of spicy Kielbasa to this recipe, and it was heavenly.

And now that I have the stuffing out of the way, I can concentrate on more important things—like the turkey!

Cranberry-Cornbread Stuffing by Martha Stewart

8 ounces (2 cups) pecans

3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter

3 large onions, cut into 1/4-inch dice

6 stalks celery, cut into 1/4-inch dice

1/4 cup dried oregano

Skillet cornbread

1 loaf day-old white bread, crust on, cut into 1-inch cubes (10 heaping cups)

3 large eggs, lightly beaten

2 cups dried cranberries

1 cup coarsely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley (1 large bunch)

1 tablespoon coarse salt

1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper

1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1 quart chicken stock

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spread pecans in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet; toast in oven until golden and fragrant, 8 to 12 minutes, tossing occasionally. Let cool, then roughly chop; set aside.

Melt butter in a large skillet. Add onions and celery; cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until onions are translucent, about 10 minutes. Add oregano; stir to combine.

Transfer onion mixture to a large bowl. Add pecans, cornbread, bread cubes, eggs, cranberries, parsley, salt, black pepper, cayenne, Seasoning, and stock, mix to combine. Cook stuffing in a turkey or buttered baking dish (35 mintues covered at 375; removed foil and bake additional 10-20 minutes).

Which dish are you most looking forward to on Thanksgiving?

Stuffing: How Do You Make It?

Cranberry Sauce: Take It or Leave It?

About the author Kim Conte

has shoes that make people stop her on the street and ask "Where did you get those?" but it doesn't work for taxi cabs as she was hit by one ... and lived to tell the tale. She has more freckles than Lohan but way less attitude. And she's a fierce cook with tons of recipes to share -- and wishes she could share some with Bourdain.