Description
Comfort comes alive with sausage and cranberry stuffing casserole, a hearty dish blending Mediterranean and American flavors. Robust herbs, sweet cranberries, and golden-brown breadcrumbs make this recipe a gathering centerpiece you’ll crave again and again.
Ingredients
Scale
- 1 lb (454 g) ground sausage
- 14 oz (397 g) stuffing mix
- 2.5 cups (590 mL) chicken broth
- 10.5 oz (298 g) condensed cream of chicken soup
- 4 tbsps unsalted butter
- 1 small yellow onion, diced
- ¾ cup (120 g) celery, diced
- 2 cups fresh green beans
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- ⅓ cup (80 mL) sour cream
- ¼ cup dried cranberries
- ½ cup crispy fried onions
- Salt, to taste
- Pepper, to taste
- Fresh parsley, to garnish
Instructions
- Sausage Preparation: Brown ground sausage in a large skillet over medium-high heat, breaking into small crumbles until fully cooked and golden.
- Vegetable Sauté: Utilize the sausage’s rendered fat to sauté onions, green beans, and celery until tender and slightly translucent, then introduce minced garlic, salt, and black pepper.
- Flavor Development: Deglaze the skillet with chicken broth, scraping caramelized bits from the pan to intensify the dish’s savory profile.
- Creamy Mixture: Remove from heat and fold in cream of chicken soup, sour cream, and whole cranberries, creating a rich, luxurious base.
- Combining Ingredients: Reintroduce cooked sausage to the skillet and incorporate stuffing mix, ensuring thorough and even distribution of all components.
- Baking Preparation: Transfer the mixture to a buttered 13×9-inch casserole dish, spreading evenly and covering with aluminum foil.
- Initial Baking: Roast in a preheated 350°F oven for 1 hour, allowing flavors to meld and stuffing to absorb moisture.
- Crispy Topping: Uncover the casserole, sprinkle crispy fried onions on top, and bake an additional 10 minutes until golden and crunchy.
- Serving: Let the casserole rest for 5 minutes, garnish with freshly chopped parsley, and serve hot as a sumptuous side or main dish.
Notes
- Optimize Sausage Browning: Cook ground sausage thoroughly to develop deep, caramelized flavor and prevent excess moisture in the final dish.
- Master Vegetable Sautéing: Sauté onions, green beans, and celery until slightly translucent to release natural sweetness and create a robust flavor base.
- Control Moisture Balance: Use chicken broth and cream-based ingredients carefully to achieve the perfect stuffing texture – moist but not soggy.
- Enhance Topping Crunch: Sprinkle crispy fried onions in the final cooking stage to create a golden, textural contrast that elevates the entire casserole.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
- Category: Breakfast, Dinner
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 7
- Calories: 380
- Sugar: 6 g
- Sodium: 900 mg
- Fat: 22 g
- Saturated Fat: 9 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 8 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 33 g
- Fiber: 2 g
- Protein: 14 g
- Cholesterol: 60 mg