Trail Mix Thanksgiving Stuffing

I've now developed the most delicious Thanksgiving stuffing. It starts with my Thanksgiving Sourdough Stuffing base, and then for the customizable ingredients, I choose ingredients in a trail mix like cranberries, almonds, walnuts, pumpkin seeds, and sunflower seeds. 

My other secret is I've perfect the timing for cooking it based on my Epically Fast & Delicious Roasted Turkey. This stuffing takes 60 minutes to cook in a 350 degree oven. My turkey recipe starts with a hotter oven for 30 minutes and then drops to 350 degrees for the remaining 45-60 minutes. Once the turkey is done, it can rest on the cutting board while the stuffy continues to cook for the remaining time and then stay warm in the oven until it's time to serve. 

I used to try cooking the turkey breast on top the stuffing. It worked great one year but I think it's because I had a smaller breast. This last year, it resulted in too much liquid draining into the stuffing which made for soggy stuffing, particularly where the turkey breast cook. It's better to just cook the separately but you can still use the same oven which is key given limited oven space on Thanksgiving.

This recipe has bar far the hit dish over the last several Thanksgiving and I will continue to make it this way from here on out (that is until inspiration strikes again).

Ingredients

• Sourdough bread - 8-10 slices of large sandwich style (about 8 cups cubed)
• 2 tbsp butter or oil
• 1.5 cups diced onion - red, yellow, or white are all fine
• 1 cup diced celery (about 3 celery ribs)
• 4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 1/2 cup dried cranberries
• 1/2 cup slivered almonds
• 1/4 cup chopped walnuts (optional)
• 1/4 cup pepitas (optional)
• 1/4 cup sunflower seeds (optional)
• 2 large eggs, beaten
• 2.5-3.5 cups turkey stock
• 1/2 tsp dried rosemary
• 1/2 tsp dried sage
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper

Directions

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease a 9x13 casserole dish.
• To estimate the right amount of bread, for me I grab my 11x17 baking sheet and lay out enough bread to fit one tray plus another half tray.
• Toast the bread slices ideally 4-24 hours in advance. I do this in the oven on a baking sheet using the low broiler setting for 3-5 minutes per side. 
• Once toasted leave on a rack or baking sheet to dry out. Be sure to flip them at 3 hours so the underside can dry out too. If you forget to do this ahead, no worries, just toast the bread and proceed.
• Cut the bread into 1/2 inch cubes. 
• In a skillet, heat the oil over medium heat and sauté the onions and celery until soft and translucent (about 6-8 minutes). You can season them with some of the salt and pepper while they cook. 
• Add the garlic and cook another 1-2 minutes. Don't let the garlic burn. You can also add the nuts and seeds with the garlic to let them toast a bit, but also be careful not to let them burn.
• While the vegetables cook, in a mixing bowl, beat the eggs and add 2.5 cups of stock and seasonings. 
• Add the cubed bread to the mixing bowl and stir to hydrate. The bread should absorb all the liquid and be very saturated until you just start to see some residue liquid not getting absorbed at the bottom. If too dry, add more stock.
• Scrape the vegetable mixture into the mixing bowl.
• Add the remaining trail mix ingredients to the mixing bowl and stir until combined.
• Pour the stuffing into the casserole dish and cook for 60 minutes.