Savory Thanksgiving Stuffing




We may talk turkey at the Thanksgiving table but, what we really crave is stuffing or dressing, as I grew up calling it.  No Thanksgiving meal would be complete without a great stuffing.  It is definitely my favorite part of the dinner.

This is a re-post from when I first started this blog and didn’t have any followers, so I want to share it again as it is the absolute best stuffing that my family and I love. It has honors as our traditional stuffing.  By adding Italian sausage, apples, pecans and Triple Sec, it is a moist and flavorful stuffing ~ distinctive from all others.

Just one bite of this delicious stuffing will be enough for a chorus of “aahs” around the dinner table – it’s that good!  Give it a try and it could be your traditional stuffing!


Savory Thanksgiving Stuffing

Ingredients:

1 cup dried cherries (or golden raisins or cranberries)
1 ½ cups orange liqueur (I use Triple Sec)
½ cup butter
2 cups celery, chopped
1 large onion, chopped
1 lb. Italian sausage, casing removed
1-16 oz. package stuffing mix
1 cup pecans, chopped
4 Honeycrisp apples, peeled, cored and chopped
½ cup butter, melted
2 cups water or chicken broth, NO orange juice
4 teaspoons fresh sage, chopped
Salt & pepper, to taste

Method:

Place cherries in a small saucepan and cover with 1 cup of orange liqueur. 
Bring to a boil, remove from heat and set aside.

In a large skillet, melt ½ c. butter over medium heat. 
Sauté the celery and onion for about 10 minutes. 
Transfer to a large mixing bowl.
Using the same skillet, cook the sausage until crumbled and brown.  Drain.
Combine the sausage and stuffing mix with the celery and onion mixture.
Stir in the cherries and liqueur mixture, pecans and apples.
Mix in melted butter, water, ½ cup orange liqueur. 
The stuffing should be completely moistened.
Season with sage, salt and pepper.

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. 
Butter a 15x10” baking dish well.
Place stuffing in prepared dish.

Cover with buttered foil and bake till heated through, about 1 hour.
Uncover and bake until top is crisp, about 15 minutes.
8-10 servings.


It is incredibly delicious, the ultimate stuffing!

Just one bite of this delicious stuffing will be enough for a chorus of “aahs” around the dinner table --- it’s that good! 




Check out my friend, Linda’s blog, at My Kind of Cooking for her great recipes and cookbook giveaway!


Popular entries