Laura Dave, occasional chef and New York Times bestselling author of works like “The Night We Lost Him” and “The Last Thing He Told Me,” recently shared her favorite cherry cornbread stuffing recipe with PEOPLE. After trying the dish for the first time at a Friendsgiving party near Brighton Beach in her early 20s, the author tried to recreate the recipe for years. She experimented with various ingredients and ways to prepare the stuffing before nailing it. So, if you are looking for a new stuffing recipe for your holiday, you need to try Laura Dave’s cherry cornbread stuffing recipe, which is spicy, buttery, tart, and sweet at the same time with every bite.
Ingredients
- Unsalted butter, for greasing
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 cup yellow onion, chopped
- 1 ¼ cups celery, chopped
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt, divided
- 4 cups cornbread, crumbled
- ½ cup tart cherries, dried
- ¼ cup fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped
- 1 ½ tablespoons fresh sage, chopped
- ½ cup chicken broth
- 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
Preparation
- To make Laura Dave’s cherry cornbread stuffing recipe, preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Take an 11 x 7-inch baking dish and grease it with butter.
- Then, take a large skillet. Heat oil over medium heat. Now, add onion and cook until translucent (should take about 3 to 4 minutes). Then, add celery and ¼ teaspoon of salt in the skillet and cook until vegetables are softened (should take about 5 minutes).
- Now, transfer the onion mixture to a large bowl. Add other ingredients, like cherries, parsley, cornbread, and sage to the mixture. Fold gently to combine. Then, add chicken broth in small batches (¼ cup at a time) until stuffing is moist.
- Add in beaten eggs, pepper, and remaining ¼ teaspoon of salt and fold gently.
- Transfer this cornbread mixture to a prepared baking dish and cover it with aluminum foil to avoid over-browning.
- Lastly, bake Laura Dave’s cherry cornbread stuffing recipe in a preheated oven until set in the center (should take about 25 to 30 minutes). Then, uncover and continue to bake until crispy on top (should take about 10 to 15 more minutes).
Voila, you are done! Laura Dave’s cherry cornbread stuffing recipe is ready to be served on your holiday table for a spicy and sweet treat. So, try this crowd-pleasing dish, and do let us know how it turned out in the comment section below!
