Bud’s Country Stuffing with Cherries and Walnuts
You may have noticed that some of the recipes on my website are the handiwork of “Bud.” I thought I’d give you a bit of background on Bud, as you’ll be seeing a lot more of his recipes!
My family has been friends with Bud and his family for more than 30 years. As he describes the relationship, we’re really more like family than friends. Bud comes from a full house — six boys — where Thanksgiving was the biggest event of the year. Friends and family alike would always find their way to Bud’s house just for the delicious desserts alone. His mom, Maribeth, used to make over 20 desserts (sounds about right if you ask me)!
Bud also happens to be an amazing cook. Whenever we get together we know we’re going to have a lip-smacking good meal. A few years back, Bud and his family joined us for Thanksgiving, and it's been a tradition ever since. We cook together for our traditional family Thanksgiving dinner, working side by side. To be honest, I wouldn't have it any other way!
We can always count on Bud’s homemade Sausage and Dried Cherry Stuffing. I love the tasty combination of the savory breakfast sausage and sweet dried cherries with herbs. It’s hands-down my favorite stuffing. It’s just not Thanksgiving without it.
Bud's Country Stuffing with Cherries and Walnuts for Thanksgiving
Ingredients
- 8 cups country-style white bread, cubed and toasted
- 1 pound bulk pork sausage or sage-flavored pork breakfast sausage
- 4 ounces (1 stick) unsalted butter
- 2 onions, chopped
- 4 ribs of celery, chopped
- 2½ tablespoons fresh sage leaves, chopped
- 1½ teaspoons fresh thyme leaves
- 1 cup dried cherries
- 1 cup chopped toasted walnuts
- 1½ cups chicken stock or chicken broth, as needed
- ½ cup chopped Italian parsley
- Salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Place the bread cubes evenly on a parchment-lined baking sheet pan. Toast until golden in color, about 10 to 15 minutes. Transfer to a large mixing bowl.
- In a large skillet, sauté the sausage until brown. Drain the grease from the pork, discarding the grease. Add the pork to the bread cubes.
- In the same skillet used for the pork, melt the butter. When melted, add the chopped onion and celery. Sauté until the vegetables are softened, about 10 minutes. Transfer the vegetables, with any butter left in the pan, to the bowl with the pork and bread.
- Add the dried cherries and chopped walnuts to the stuffing mixture. Add enough of the chicken stock to just moisten the bread. You don’t want it soaked, just moist. Fold in the parsley
- and taste for salt and pepper.
- Place in a lightly greased baking dish. Drizzle the top of the stuffing with a little more of the stock. Cover the top of the baking dish with aluminum foil. Bake in the 325-degree oven for 25 to 30 minutes. Remove foil and bake for another 10 to 15 minutes to crisp the top.