My Favorite Stuffing Recipe: Cornbread Stuffing

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).