Festive Holiday Stuffing
Looking for a festive stuffing that is a tasty accompaniment to your holiday turkey, lamb, beef, or even a Chicken stuffed into a Duck, stuffed into a Turkey? Here’s a tasty California rice dressing made with chestnuts, cranberries, and tart apples. The basmati and wild rice blend provides a savory, nutty flavor, tempting your guests to ask for seconds!
This holiday dish can be made a day ahead, and then baked the following day. Besides saving time, cooking a pot of rice is much easier than tearing up day old bread!
Ingredients
1 cup Lundberg’s Organic Brown Basmati & Wild Rice Blend
1 2/3 cups of water
1 cup, peeled whole Chestnuts, halved
2 Tablespoons butter
1 pound ground Italian Sausage, crumbled
1 large Onion, chopped
1 cup Celery, chopped
2 Garlic Cloves, minced
2 teaspoons dried Thyme
2 teaspoons dried Sage
4 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
3 medium tart Apples, peeled, cored and cut into ½” cubes
1 cup dried Cranberries
1½ cups Chicken Broth
Salt and Pepper to taste
Directions
Combine rice and water in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Cover with a tight-fitting lid, reduce heat to low-simmer and cook for 35 minutes. Remove from heat and let steam for 10 more minutes. Combine with chestnuts in large bowl, and set mixture aside.
Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Generously butter 13X9X2 inch glass baking dish.
Heat olive oil in large skillet. Add sausage, onion, celery, garlic, thyme and sage and cook until meat is browned and cooked through. Add apples and cranberries and cook for a few more minutes. Stir in chicken broth and season to taste with salt and pepper.
Combine sausage mixture with rice mixture and transfer to prepared baking dish. Bake for 20 minutes, or until liquid is absorbed. Fluff stuffing and serve warm. Serves 8.
Note: If you prefer to do the recipe ahead, be sure to keep stuffing mix cooled in the refrigerator until ready to be transferred to your glass-baking dish and into the oven the next day.
Julie is Finance & Administration Manager for the California Rice Commission, and a big proponent of trying new recipes- especially if they feature California rice.
