Chestnut and Cranberry Cornbread Stuffing
Thanksgiving is complete with this lovely Chestnut and Cranberry Cornbread Stuffing. The sweetness of the cornbread combined with the earthy roasted chestnuts and tart cranberries is an absolute must next to roasted turkey!
While dreaming of what stuffing I’d like for Thanksgiving this year, I wanted one that incorporates all of the fall flavors I adore. Roasted chestnuts came to mind as I remembered the roasted chestnut vendors on the streets of Toronto as the weather started to turn cold. Corn bread was the base for which the stuffing was designed, it’s sweetness and texture being the right bread to make this successful. The cranberries added the tartness along with the chewy factor and the sage and thyme were absolutely the only fall herbs to use.
Put it all together and this is one of my favorites!
The cornbread is very easy. I recommend you make your own, but if you are pressed for time, you can use store-bought cornbread. This begins with the boxed corn muffin mix. I combine it with chopped fresh thyme, chicken or vegetable stock, eggs and melted butter and bake it all in a 9×13-inch pan. The cornbread can be made the day ahead.
Once cooled, break it into 1-inch chunks and bake the chunks in a 350°F oven until they begin to dry out and start to brown. Cool the chunks on the sheet pan.
To make the stuffing, sauté the vegetables and herbs until tender. Transfer them to a large bowl and add the chestnuts, cranberries and cornbread.
Separately, whisk broth, eggs, pepper and salt in a medium bowl. Add to stuffing and toss until the stuffing starts to hold together, adding more broth as necessary. I used 1 cup total.
Transfer the stuffing to a baking dish, cover with foil and bake for 40 minutes. Remove the foil and bake another 20 or so minutes, until it’s cooked through and the top is brown.
If you want a vegetarian stuffing, use vegetable broth instead of chicken.
The stuffing can be made ahead of time and frozen. Because it has eggs in it, I wouldn’t freeze it longer than 2 months. Freeze it uncooked. Cover it in plastic wrap and then aluminum foil. To bake it from frozen, cook it covered for one hour in a preheated oven at 350°F. Uncover, increase the temperature to 400°F, and bake for 15 to 20 minutes more, until hot throughout and golden-brown and crispy on top.
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Chestnut and Cranberry Cornbread Stuffing
Makes: 10 servings
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Bake Time: 2 hours
Total Time: 2 hours & 20 minutes
Ingredients
For Cornbread:
- 2 (8.5 ounce) boxes corn muffin mix
- 1 tsp chopped fresh thyme
- 1 & 1/2 cups low-salt chicken or vegetable broth
- 2 large eggs
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
For the Stuffing:
- 2 tbsp unsalted butter
- 2 & 1/2 cups chopped onions
- 2 & 1/4 cups chopped celery
- 1 & 1/2 cups chopped carrots
- 2 tbsp chopped fresh sage
- 2 tbsp chopped fresh thyme
- 1 & 1/2 cups ( 7-ounce jar) roasted whole chestnuts, broken into 1/2-inch pieces
- 1 & 1/4 cups (about 6 ounces) dried cranberries
- 1 cups low-salt chicken or vegetable broth, divided
- 2 large eggs
- 1 tsp ground black pepper
- 1 tsp salt
Instructions
Cornbread:
Preheat oven to 375°F. Butter a 9x13x2-inch metal baking pan.
Combine muffin mix and thyme in a large bowl; whisk to blend. Make well in center of dry ingredients. Add broth, eggs, and butter to well; whisk to blend batter. Pour batter into prepared pan.
Bake bread until tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 25 minutes. Cool bread in pan on rack. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover; store at room temperature.)
Stuffing:
Preheat oven to 350°F. Break cornbread into 1-inch pieces. Arrange on rimmed baking sheet and bake until just beginning to dry and brown, about 20 minutes. Cool on sheet.
Butter 9x13x2-inch glass baking dish. Melt 2 tablespoons butter in heavy large pot over medium-high heat. Add onions, celery, carrots, sage, and thyme. Sauté until tender, about 12 minutes. Transfer to a large bowl. Mix in chestnuts and cranberries, then cornbread.
Whisk 1/4-cup broth, eggs, pepper and salt in medium bowl to blend. Add to stuffing and toss until stuffing is evenly moist and begins to hold together, adding more broth 1/4 cup at a time, if dry. Transfer stuffing to prepared dish. Cover with foil.
Bake stuffing 40 minutes. Uncover and bake until cooked through and brown on top, about 20 minutes longer.
Chef’s Notes:
For a vegetarian stuffing, use vegetable broth instead of chicken broth.
The stuffing can be made ahead of time and frozen. Because it has eggs in it, I wouldn’t freeze it longer than 2 months. Freeze it uncooked. Cover it in plastic wrap and then aluminum foil. To bake it from frozen, cook it covered for one hour in a preheated oven at 350°F. Uncover, increase the temperature to 400°F, and bake for 15 to 20 minutes more, until hot throughout and golden-brown and crispy on top.
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