Cranberry-Wild Rice Stuffing
- Total Time
- 2¼ hours
- Rating
- Notes
- Read community notes
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Ingredients
Yield:12 servings
- 1pound wild rice
- 1bay leaf
- 6tablespoons butter, more for greasing baking dish
- 2medium yellow onions, diced
- 4Italian-style sweet fennel sausages
- 3cups cranberries (258 grams)
- 2teaspoons kosher salt (12 grams), or to taste
- 1teaspoon black pepper
- 2 to 3teaspoons chopped fresh sage (optional)
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (12 servings)
315 calories; 15 grams fat; 7 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 6 grams monounsaturated fat; 2 grams polyunsaturated fat; 34 grams carbohydrates; 4 grams dietary fiber; 3 grams sugars; 11 grams protein; 287 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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- Step 1
Place wild rice in a saucepan and pour over just enough boiling water to cover. Set aside, covered, for one hour. Drain rice. Add fresh boiling water to cover by half an inch, and the bay leaf. Bring to a simmer and cook gently until rice is soft but not mushy, 15 to 20 minutes. Drain well, discard bay leaf, and set aside.
- Step 2
Heat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 2-quart gratin dish or a 9x13 baking dish if not stuffing into a turkey.
- Step 3
Melt 4 tablespoons butter in a sauté pan over medium heat and gently cook the onions until soft, about 7 minutes. Remove skins from sausages and add sausage meat to the pan with the onions. Raise the heat to medium-high and cook, crumbling the sausage with a fork, until it is browned. Remove from the heat and stir in the wild rice.
- Step 4
Rinse cranberries, picking them over and discarding any that are spoiled. Chop them roughly or process them briefly in a food processor. Add to the sausage-rice mixture and mix well. Add salt, pepper and sage if using and stir to combine. Taste for seasoning.
- Step 5
Either stuff into a turkey or pour into the prepared dish. Cut the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter into small pieces and dot the top. Cover the dish with foil. Bake for 20 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for an additional 15 to 20 minutes, or until the top is lightly golden. Serve warm.
Tips
- Any leftovers may be cooked in the oven along with the bird. Place the leftover stuffing in a greased pie tin and cook, covered with aluminum foil, for about 30 minutes. Remove the foil for the last 10 minutes to brown the stuffing.
- For a larger bird, such as a turkey, amounts may be doubled or tripled as necessary.
Private Notes
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Cooking Notes
Barbara
There isn't any liquid added to the mixture? Won't it dry out when it bakes?
Maya
I made it and there is plenty of moisture. Haven't yet baked it but you can add broth if it dries up. Also, the cranberries don't need added sugar (though I imagine it wouldn't hurt). I think it added a nice tart taste to the creaminess of the butter and the onions and sausage. Tastes great.
Debbie
I haven't made this, but...
The rice is cooked, so it has moisture. The butter and sausage add fats for mouth feel. There are no dry bread elements which need added moisture to soften in the cooking. Looks reasonable to me.
Debby
This isn't cranberry sauce. It's supposed to be savory. Kind of like you wouldn't drink lemon juice without sugar, but you would add it to recipes.
CYW
This is okay. I made half the recipe and use it as filling for a chicken roulade -- de-boned chicken thighs with the skin attached. The recipe definitely needs more in the way of seasoning. Garlic, salt, pepper, thyme and maybe some toasted pecans. And, if I were to do it again, I'd use dried cranberries, not fresh. Or perhaps currants or raisins. Needs a touch of sweetness.
DH
Made this as directed, except I cut the recipe in half, and it still makes a lot. I made it as a side dish and it was very tasty and everyone loved it. The cranberries work well to counter the richness of the butter and sausage. I will definitely make this again.
Katha Dalton
Do you really need 16 oz uncooked wild rice for 12 servings?
A
Anyone actually put this in a bird? I'm thinking I only need to half-cook the rice, saute the onions in a little olive oil and then half-cook the sausage and pour off the grease since turkey juices will do the rest (and butter is lost inside a turkey) Recipe doesn't have the weight of sausage -- thoughts? 4 links is anywhere from a half-pound to 2 pounds depending on where you get it. Planning on using frozen cranberries and not over-mixing, adding them just before stuffing the bird.
Carol
Do not believe the photo. The color is an icky brownish purple if you make it ahead, as I did. Be aware that the cranberries will bleed red through the stuffing. I will make it again but do the make-ahead prep only through step 4 and add the cranberries immediately before popping it in the oven. That should prevent the dis-colorization. Also, taking a cue from those who complained it was much too tart, I used apple juice for the second boil. Excellent taste.
DH
Made this as directed, except I cut the recipe in half, and it still makes a lot. I made it as a side dish and it was very tasty and everyone loved it. The cranberries work well to counter the richness of the butter and sausage. I will definitely make this again.
Carol
Since I made it only for my husband and me, I quartered the recipe. We will still eat it through next week. I plan to use some for rice pancakes.
Paige
I tried this recipe last night and I have to say that although it smelled wonderful while cooking, the taste was off. I think there’s too many cranberries and it made the dish overtly tart. Next time I make this I would halve the amount of cranberries and perhaps add just a touch of maple syrup or brown sugar to them to cut that tartness. I get that you want some tartness to balance the fat of the pork sausage here, but this dish was unbalanced on the tart side. I also added fresh herbs on top.
Clare
Makes a lot, but that's fine since it's absolutely delicious! Keeps well for leftovers. In response to other questions: 1. No, it's not too dry. If anything, it's a little greasy between the butter and the sausage. Maybe consider draining off some of the grease before baking. 2. The cranberries are perfect as-is. Their tartness helps cut the richness of the other ingredients. If you're not into tart, reduce or eliminate the berries, or sub in apples, but do not add sugar
CYW
This is okay. I made half the recipe and use it as filling for a chicken roulade -- de-boned chicken thighs with the skin attached. The recipe definitely needs more in the way of seasoning. Garlic, salt, pepper, thyme and maybe some toasted pecans. And, if I were to do it again, I'd use dried cranberries, not fresh. Or perhaps currants or raisins. Needs a touch of sweetness.
Susanna
This makes a *lot*. I cut it in half for three people & we still have leftovers. Delicious combination of flavors. Easy gluten-free side dish.
louisa
We adorned this stuffing. Made it with field roast Italian veggie sausage and needed to add more liquid due to the lack of fat from fake sausage. So good!!!
Maya
I made it and there is plenty of moisture. Haven't yet baked it but you can add broth if it dries up. Also, the cranberries don't need added sugar (though I imagine it wouldn't hurt). I think it added a nice tart taste to the creaminess of the butter and the onions and sausage. Tastes great.
roberta columbus
Once again, an inaccurate NY Times recipe. 3 cups of cranberries without sugar?? It would be very bitter. Good thing I realized it before I ruined another dish for Thanksgiving.
Debby
This isn't cranberry sauce. It's supposed to be savory. Kind of like you wouldn't drink lemon juice without sugar, but you would add it to recipes.
Karen
The batch I made wasn’t at all bitter. It wasn’t sweet, but of course it’s not supposed to be - it’s not a relish or sauce, it’s “stuffing” - and a very good one.
Barbara
There isn't any liquid added to the mixture? Won't it dry out when it bakes?
Debbie
I haven't made this, but...
The rice is cooked, so it has moisture. The butter and sausage add fats for mouth feel. There are no dry bread elements which need added moisture to soften in the cooking. Looks reasonable to me.
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