Cornbread Stuffing

Thanksgiving is my favorite time of year. I love the time off to spend with family and friends and love cooking amazing food. Every year I have a 3 course menu planned out like this and this, but this year we are not hosting. Because I am not sure what we will have tomorrow or if it will include any of my traditional favorites like this pumpkin soup, I decided to make one of my absolute musts tonight. This is the best stuffing recipe I have ever had/made. It is super moist and stays moist even after re-heating 2 days later. It is a simple recipe with simple ingredients and lots of flavor. Make sure your cornbread base is the exact one as I have listed in the ingredients below and you won't be disappointed. It's the key. 

Ingredients:

1 box of Krusteaz honey cornbread, substitute butter for the oil when making

3/4 loaf of french bread* (see note below)

1 stick butter

4 cups (one 32 oz carton) low sodium chicken broth

2 cups diced celery (I used 5 stalks, leaves included)

2 large carrots, peeled and diced

1 medium onion, diced

2 tsp fresh rosemary

1/2 tsp fresh thyme

1/4 tsp fresh sage 

1/4 tsp turmeric 

1/4 cup fresh parsley

Directions:

First, make the cornbread as instructed on the back of the box, substituting the oil for butter. Let cool, cube, and set out to dry overnight. Cut the french bread and set out overnight as well. 

*Note: If you forget to set out the night before, just put the cubes on a baking sheet and let crisp in the oven on 400 degrees for about 10 minutes. 

In a large skillet, melt the butter. Add the celery, carrots, and onion. Season with salt (a little), black pepper, turmeric, fresh rosemary, sage, and thyme. Cook until soft. Add the broth and fresh parsley. Bring to a boil then turn off heat. 

Put the cubed bread and cornbread in the pyrex and pour the vegetable/broth mixture over it. 

Place in the oven (350 degrees) until golden brown on top, approximately 25 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature with cranberry sauce on the side. Makes great leftovers!

Turkey sandwich with stuffing and cranberry sauce

Source: adapted from Pioneer Woman