For this stuffing recipe, I added fresh tart cranberries and diced sweet apples. They compliment each other nicely. Served from a nice casserole dish it is the perfect side to any meal.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Position 2 racks in the middle of the oven.
Cut bread into 1-inch cubes with a serrated knife.
Lay bread in a single layer on a sheet pan.
Spray bread cubes with some olive oil cooking spray.
Toast bread for about 8-10 minutes until lightly browned, tossing once to evenly cook.
Set aside to cool.
While you are toasting your bread you can roast the sweet potatoes too.
Toss sweet potatoes with a splash of olive oil, some thyme, garlic salt, pepper & smoked paprika.
Place cut sweet potatoes in a single layer on aluminum sheet pan.
Roast potatoes for about 20-25 minutes until lightly browned & softened.
Set aside to cool.
Reduce oven heat to 350 degrees F. Spray or butter a 9 X 13 oven-safe casserole dish.
In a medium sauté pan over medium heat melt the butter.
Add leeks, celery, garlic and a pinch of each spice again. Heat about 5 minutes until softened, stirring frequently.
Add the cranberries, apples, and parsley. Cook a couple of minutes until cranberries start to pop.
Put toasted bread in a large bowl. Add cranberry-leek mixture, eggs & broth and mix well to combine.
Press a layer of stuffing into the casserole dish, add a layer of sweet potatoes. Top with another layer of stuffing and sweet potatoes.
bake for about 45 minutes until golden brown on top.
In this recipe I wanted the cranberries to be in their natural state. You can also use sweetened dried cranberries too. Since they take up less volume you might want to go with 1/2 cup. Soak them in hot water until plump before you add them to the stuffing mixture.
Add a handful of toasted chopped walnuts or pecans.
I use my 1/2 sheet aluminum cookie sheet pan for most of my toasting & roasting – in this case for the bread cubes & sweet potatoes.
Serving Size 8 - 10 Servings