Cranberry Walnut Dressing

Dressing should have crispy, buttery edges with a fluffy and moist center, loaded with fragrant herbs and aromatics. Cranberry Walnut Dressing with Sausage makes the perfect side dish, taking traditional toasted bread-cube stuffing up a notch with the addition of dried fruits and crunchy walnuts – the perfect savory-sweet combination.

Cranberry Walnut Dressing with Sausage Recipe

WHAT TO LOVE

1. Moist dressing with buttery, crispy edges all around, giving way to a center that’s delicately tender inside.
2. This recipe puts a new spin on traditional dressing with the addition of dried fruits and crunchy walnuts. 
3. You can assemble this dressing ahead, then bake later when it’s time to cook dinner. 

INGREDIENTS NEEDED

• Bread – Bread is the backbone of dressing and you can use any type of hearty bread you prefer, truly. I like to start with a loaf of Italian or French bread since they are easy to slice into cubes and are dense in texture. You can also use cornbread to make this dressing, if you prefer.
• Ground pork sausage – I use bulk ground sausage, but if all you can find is sausage in links, just use your kitchen shears to cut open the casing on the links and it will tumble right out into your skillet. Or, you could even slice the links into coins for this recipe, if preferred.
• Butter – I use unsalted butter so that I can add salt to taste as preferred.
• Fresh thyme – I really like using fresh thyme for this dressing recipe, but if all you’ve got is dried thyme in your spice cabinet, that will work just fine, too.  (See the amount of dried thyme to substitute for the fresh thyme in the recipe card.)
• Fresh Italian parsley – This adds a bit of a peppery flavor to the dressing, so if you don’t have fresh Italian (also called flat leaf parsley) parsley, you can just opt out of this one – no worries!
• Dried crumbled sage – Another spice you’ll probably find in your spice cabinet.
• Red onion – I like red onions for this recipe as they tend to be a bit more mild and sweet, but you can also use either a white onion or a yellow onion.
• Celery – Like onions, celery is another aromatic to add to the dressing for a bit of texture and flavor.
• Golden raisins – Much more mild in flavor and tender in texture than regular raisins, golden raisins are dried in a dehydrator with a bit Sulphur Dioxide so they don’t darken.
• Dried sweetened cranberries – Like golden raisins, dried cranberries add a touch of sweetness to the dressing.
• Walnuts – Roughly chopped walnuts add some good crunch to this dressing. You can substitute chopped pecans, if desired.  Or, another option would be to sprinkle sliced almonds over the top of the dressing when you are ready to bake.
• Chicken or vegetable broth – Here’s where the dressing gets added moisture so it can steam as it bakes. I usually use chicken broth, but vegetable broth will work just fine, too.
• Salt and pepper, to taste – Always! 

How to Make Cranberry Walnut Dressing 

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Using a serrated knife, slice the loaf of bread into cubes about 1-inch in size. Place the bread cubes onto a rimmed baking sheet in a single layer.  Bake the bread cubes on the center oven rack, uncovered, until golden brown and crisped, about 15 minutes. Place the bread cubes into a greased 9×13 baking dish. 

Meanwhile, cook and crumble the sausage in a skillet over medium high heat until no pink remains and the sausage is fully cooked throughout; add the butter, thyme, sage, onions, and celery. 

Reduce the heat to medium and cook until the vegetables have softened a bit, about 10 minutes, then add the golden raisins, cranberries, and walnuts to the pan.  Combine all the ingredients and cook an additional 5 minutes over medium heat. 

Spread the contents of the skillet over the toasted bread cubes; slowly add 3 cups of broth, gently incorporating it until everything is combined; season with salt and pepper, to taste. Cover the pan with foil. 

Bake the dressing in a preheated 350 degree F. oven on the center rack for 30 minutes; remove the foil and continue to bake an additional 10 minutes. Serve warm. **If the dressing seems as though it has dried out during the baking time, warm some broth and pour a bit of it over the dressing, tossing to combine. 

DRESSING VS STUFFING – WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE? 

Technically, stuffing and dressing are the same dish, made from the same ingredients; it’s how they are cooked that’s different. 

Stuffing is stuffed (yep, literally) into the inside of a turkey (the cavity) and cooked right within. Dressing, on the other hand, is baked in a casserole dish, completely separate from the turkey.  

IS COOKING STUFFING INSIDE THE TURKEY SAFE?

Sometimes home cooks feel like cooking stuffing inside a turkey is a bit overwhelming and question the safety of it.

Just remember that when cooking stuffing inside a turkey, it must be cooked to 165 degrees F. at the center in order to be hot and safe to serve. 

Both of my grandmothers cooked their stuffing inside their turkeys and it was totally delicious!

IS MAKING DRESSING EASIER THAN MAKING STUFFING?

I think stuffing baked inside the turkey IS more flavorful, but because making dressing in casserole dish is easier and faster, that’s what I choose to do most of the time. 

CAN DRESSING BE ASSEMBLED AHEAD OF TIME AND BAKED LATER? 

You sure can and it works great. About an hour before you want to bake the dressing, remove it from the fridge and uncover; let the dressing rest on the counter to remove some of the chill from refrigeration. Bake the dressing as the recipe directs. 

WHAT SHOULD YOU DO IF YOUR DRESSING IS TOO DRY?

If you bake the dressing and realize it’s not as moist as you’d prefer, warm some chicken or vegetable broth and stir it in to the dressing, a little a time, until it is the desired texture.  

CAN YOU FREEZE DRESSING?

Yes. Dressing freezes well. Just thaw and reheat in the microwave or oven.  

CAN YOU DOUBLE THIS RECIPE?

You can easily double this recipe to make two pans of dressing at once. 

HOW DO YOU MAKE DRESSING AHEAD OF TIME? 

You can prep dressing up to two days before your dinner. Just store it (covered) in the fridge and increase the baking time by 10-15 minutes since the dressing will be chilled when it’s going into the oven.  Or, let the dressing rest, uncovered, on the counter to remove the chill and bake as the recipe directs. 

RECIPE TIPS 

Vary this recipe by using sour dough bread instead of French bread.  Sour dough bread gives the dressing a bit of tangy flavor.  You can use any good quality bread (as long as it’s dense in texture) for making stuffing. This dressing is also delicious made with corn bread! 

Toasting the bread cubes to make dressing does two things. First, it helps the bread to absorb the broth without falling apart.  Secondly, toasting the bread cubes adds another layer of flavor to the dressing. 

We really prefer sausage for making dressing, but you could certainly opt out of meat if you want complete vegetarian dressing.  Be sure to use vegetable broth and not chicken broth if vegetarian is the route you are going. 

We have used Italian sausage instead of country sausage (or breakfast sausage even) and it adds it’s own special flavor to the dressing.  You could even substitute chopped ham in place of sausage and the dressing would be delicious! 

If you prefer a dressing that is much drier in texture with very crispy edges, you can bake the dressing uncovered for the entire 40 minutes. 

 

MORE FAVORITE SIDE DISH RECIPES TO ENJOY – 

• Instant Pot Creamy Smashed Potatoes 
• Crispy Bacon and Sweet Potato Hash 
• Cheddar and Green Chili Sausage Cornbread 
• Cajun Sweet Corn Medley 
• Creamy Au Gratin Sweet Potatoes 
• Baked Pull-Apart Stuffing Ring 
• Air Fryer Roasted Broccoli Parmesan 
• Mashed Potatoes Supreme with French Fried Onions and Bacon 
• Sweet Potato Crumble 

 

 

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