Sausage Cranberry Stuffing Recipe

No-Egg Stuffing Dish That is Great For Any Time And Any Occasion

Sausage cranberry stuffing recipe is not only for Thanksgiving, but also great for any time before and after the holiday season.

Total Time: 1 Hour 8 Minutes - 1 Hour 15 Minutes
Prep Time: ZERO  
Active Cook Time: 18-20 Minutes  
Inactive Cook Time: 50-55 Minutes  
Serving: 6-8

If you have checked out my turkey recipe already, you most probably understand why I don’t cook stuffing in the cavity of a turkey.  Stuffing must be cooked separately with a good reason.  To sum it up, it is all about making your turkey moist.

Yes, you can make this ahead of time. Check out the instructions. Perfect for anyone hosting a big family dinner for Thanksgiving.

CHEF NOTES

Make Ahead of Time

You can prepare the stuffing ahead of time, especially if you are hosting Thanksgiving or any other big dinner party.  Once the vegetables went into the pot, turn off heat and complete the rest of the steps by following this sausage cranberry stuffing recipe instructions. 

The goal here is to slow the cooking process.  Transfer the stuffing into a casserole dish.  Do NOT bake it into the oven.  Immediately cover it with foil and let it sit in room temperature to cool down before transferring into the fridge.  The foil will prevent any loss of moisture.  

On the day of serving, let stuffing sit in room temperature for an hour with foil covered.  

Considering most families only have one oven in the house, you most likely use that same oven cooking both turkey and stuffing at the same time.

Transfer casserole dish of stuffing into the oven.  Still covered with foil. Bake for 20 minutes.  Remove foil and bake for another 15-20 minutes and serve together with turkey.

Turkey Broth vs Chicken Broth

This sausage cranberry stuffing recipe recommends chicken broth.  But you can also choose to use turkey broth.  The reason why chicken broth is considering not majority grocers always have turkey broth available.  In US, turkey broth is easier to find when Oct/Nov is here which is also the start of holiday seasons.  

For some supermarkets, they only sell chicken broth throughout the year.  Given if you plan on making stuffing during any time of the year, chicken broth will give you more flexibility.

Dried Cranberries vs Raisins

You and I know that there is always a picky eater around the corner.  So, can you use raisins instead of dried cranberries?  Yes, absolutely.  I love the combination of sausage, celery and raisins together.  Check out this recipe for more details.  (Side note: It doesn't hurt to have a taste test.  You will love it.)

The biggest difference between these 2 dried fruits is the color.  The deep red color from the dried cranberries really gives a pop of the dish.  But it is not a must.  If you have raisins handy in your pantry already, there is no need to spend more money to buy dried cranberries.

Sausage Cranberry Stuffing Recipe and Directions

Ingredients

1 bag (12oz) Stuffing Bread Cubes (the basic flavor)
1 lb Sweet Italian Sausage
4 Stalks Celery (diced)
1 Medium Yellow Onion (diced)
3 Cups Chicken Broth (feel free to use turkey broth)
1 cup Dried Cranberries
1/2 tsp Ground Sage
2 tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions

1. Preheat a Dutch oven at high heat and add sausage.
2. Use spatula to break sausage into small bite size pieces and turn to medium low heat (you don’t want to brown the sausage at this stage.  It will get browned later in the oven.)
3. Chop and drop; stir in diced onion and celery (they can go into the pot about 3-5 minutes apart.  (You only want to slightly cook these vegetables.  The oven will take care of the cooking process.  When you transfer everything into a casserole dish later, the vegetables should still be crunchy.)
4. Add more extra virgin olive oil and stir in cubed bread.
5. Stir in dried cranberries, ground sage and chicken broth, add a pinch of each salt and pepper (Hold the salt because the seasoning should be enough from both the sausage and broth.)
6. Spray no-stick cooking spray on a 13" x 9" casserole dish and transfer stuffing into it; spread it out in even layer.
7. Cover casserole dish with aluminum foil and bake in 350F oven for 25 minutes.
8. Remove foil and continue to bake for another 25-30 minutes and serve immediately.

Sausage Cranberry Stuffing Recipe Steps with Photos

6 ingredients, no prep time, chop and drop.

Didn't have bulk sausage at the time of development. So, got to improvise.

Break sausage into small bite size pieces.

Dice one medium onion.

Chop and drop into the pot.

Cook sausage and onion about 3-5 minutes at medium low heat.

Dice 4 stalks of celery.

Chop and drop into the sausage mixture.

Cook about 3 minutes.

Stir in stuffing bread cubes.

Stir in dried cranberries, ground sage and broth.

Ready to transfer to casserole dish.

Even layer stuffing in the casserole dish and bake in the oven.

Ready to serve!

ENJOY!

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