Cranberry and Sausage Stuffing Recipe

Everyone has a specialty when it comes to Thanksgiving side dishes. For me, this cranberry sausage stuffing is one of them. I’ve been making this for years and it wasn’t until my daughter asked me for the recipe for this Thanksgiving dressing that I decided to put pen to paper and share it.

This cranberry sausage stuffing is a side you can make year-round; it doesn’t just have to be a Thanksgiving recipe. It goes well with a traditional turkey recipe, of course, and even with a non-traditional turkey. But I also love it with oven roasted chicken or with pork chops. It’s super easy to make and is always a huge hit.

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Can I Freeze Thanksgiving Dressing?

One of the great things about this Thanksgiving dressing recipe is that you can divide it into portion-sized servings and individually freeze them for those busy nights when you need something quick.

I generally use the smaller vacuum seal bags and the food saver and toss them in the freezer. Reheating them for other meals is simple too.

How to Reheat Stuffing

Of course, you can use the microwave, but I don’t recommend it. I feel like the stuffing becomes sort of gooey that way. Keep the microwave for popcorn on this one.

Instead, I recommend reheating the cranberry sausage stuffing by putting it in a greased pan⁠—a small cast iron pan works well. Add a pat of butter to the top and reheat it in the oven. Usually, 20 minutes at about 350°F works perfectly, depending on the portion size.

Tips For Making Cranberry Sausage Stuffing

Cranberries: I recommend using fresh cranberries if you can find them, but if not, the frozen ones will do. Cranberries, by the way, freeze very well so if you like them don’t be afraid to stock up after Thanksgiving when they’re on sale and freeze them for later.
Sage: As much as I use the dried sage, fresh sage is best for this Thanksgiving dressing recipe.
Sausage: The sausage is the X factor in this recipe. Any pork sausage will work, but I like to use a mild breakfast sausage. If you like things a little on the spicy side, by all means, use a spicy sausage.

Cranberry and Sausage Stuffing Recipe

Serves: 6-8 | Prep Time: 10 minutes | Cook time: 1 hour

Ingredients:
2 cups fresh cranberries
1 cup water
1/2 cup sugar
1 stick butter
3 celery stalks, chopped
1 medium Vidalia onion, diced
2 tsp coarse sea salt
1 tsp fresh cracked pepper
1 lb breakfast sausage
2 tbsp fresh sage, finely chopped
1 lb dried bread cubes (you can buy this prepackaged or make your own)
1 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
3 cups chicken stock

Directions for Making Cranberry and Sausage Stuffing

Step 1: Add cranberries, water, and sugar to a medium-sized saucepan and cook over medium heat till water reduces by 1/2 and berries are soft and starting to split.

Step 2: While cranberries are cooking, add one stick of butter to a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and celery to the melted butter and season with salt and pepper. Cook for 5 minutes, you want the celery and onions to still be a bit crunchy.

If you’re already using your grill, it’s easy to add the onions, celery, and berries to the grill and save room on the stove.

Step 3: Pour celery and onions into large bowl and set aside.

Step 4: Cook sausage in same skillet over medium heat. Ensure sausage is in fine crumbles.

Step 5: Add cooked sausage and all drippings to bowl with celery and onions. Immediately add the sage on top of the sausage. This allows the sage to soak in the sausage drippings and smells amazing.

Step 6: Add bread, cranberries, garlic powder, cayenne, and chicken stock to the mixing bowl and lightly fold together. Don’t get carried away with the mixing here, you don’t want the bread to turn to mush.

Step 7: Add mixture into a casserole dish, or cast iron pan, cover with lid or aluminum foil, and place in a 350-degree oven for 30 minutes. Remove cover and continue baking another 10 minutes for a total of 40 minutes.

Step 8: Serve hot.