Cornbread, Sourdough and Sausage Stuffing Recipe

Whether it’s stuffing or dressing, the blend of breadcrumbs, vegetables and herbs is an undisputed staple of the Thanksgiving table. The name distinction is all about how, or rather where it’s cooked. Cooked inside the turkey, it’s stuffing. Cooked as a casserole, we’ll call it dressing. It’s delicious however it’s cooked, but one question has become more common in recent years: Is it safe to stuff?

Stuffing the Thanksgiving turkey is a long held tradition. It soaks up the flavor of the bird and gives those breadcrumbs a spectacular moisture some feel it’s hard to pull off in a casserole dish.

Stuffing the turkey is not without it’s concerns, however. The ideal temperature to cook a turkey to is 180 degrees, but stuffing must reach 165 degrees to ensure unsafe bacteria is destroyed. The turkey will be done before the stuffing in the middle hits that magic number.

Cooking the stuffing, er...dressing, separately is an easy way to avoid the issue, but for those who simply must have that stuffed turkey, steps can be taken to achieve perfection without overcooking the turkey.

If stuffing the turkey, precook the ingredients and pack loosely inside the bird to ensure it cooks completely. The recommended ratio is ¾ cups of stuffing per pound of turkey. Once the turkey has been removed from the oven, check the temperature of the stuffing. If it has not reached 165 degrees, transfer it into a casserole dish and place in the oven to finish cooking.

Stuffing or dressing, this recipe delivers the goods (and it makes enough to do both). Some prefer cornbread, others bread crumbs. This one offers the best of both worlds with the crispy crunch of cornbread and dense and tangy sourdough flavored with pork sausage and a blend of sage, parsley and thyme grown right in the kitchen.

Cornbread, Sourdough and Sausage Stuffing

• 6 cups cornbread, cubed
• 8 cups sourdough bread, cubed
• 1 pound pork sausage
• 1 stick butter
• 8 celery stalks, chopped
• 5 carrots, chopped
• 2 medium onions, diced
• 1/3 cup flat leaf parsley, chopped
• 3 tablespoons fresh sage, chopped
• 1 tablespoon fresh thyme
• 1 teaspoon Kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 3 eggs
• 4 cups chicken stock

Spread cornbread and sourdough cubes onto a baking sheet and toast in oven at 350 degrees for 20 minutes or until browned.

In a skillet, brown sausage over medium heat. Drain and set aside.

Combine butter, celery, carrots, onion and garlic in a heavy pot and stir over medium heat until soft.

Remove from heat and stir in sage, parsley, thyme, salt, pepper and browned sausage.

In a large bowl, whisk eggs and chicken stock together and add contents of the pot to your bowl.

Add sourdough and cornbread cubes to the bowl and toss to combine.

Use as much as needed to stuff the turkey (if desired) and transfer remaining stuffing into one or two baking dishes.

Cover stuffing in dishes and bake in a 350 degree oven for 20 minutes, then remove cover and bake another 20-30 minutes until browned.