My entire family is spending Thanksgiving together up in the mountains. Granted there are only 11 of us, so it is not that huge, but we did want to make Thanksgiving as easy as possible- especially on my mother who usually does everything. So take the load off of her for a year, my brother in law is making the turkey, my brother and his wife are on dessert, and I am on the side dish and salad (my mother is making the stuffing because hers is the best and we as children would rather not mess at least that up). My brother, sister and I of course agree on what the side dish should be since we all grew up with the same one every year- sweet potato pie. However, our spouses have different traditions in their families and hence different ideas on what the side dish should be. I found this recipe and while it says stuffing, it seems like more of a casserole, and it seemed to include a lot of different flavors and ideas, so maybe I will go with this.
Cornbread Stuffing with Sweet Potato and Squash (from www.myrecipes.com)
Ingredients:
1 cup frozen diced onion, red and green bell peppers, and celery
2 small garlic cloves, pressed
1 tablespoon canola oil
1 1/2 pounds butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and cut into 1/4-inch cubes
2 medium-size sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/4-inch cubes
1 Granny Smith apple, peeled and cut into 1/4-inch cubes
3 tablespoons melted butter
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 tablespoon chopped fresh sage
2 teaspoons Creole seasoning, divided
2 (14-oz.) cans low-sodium fat-free chicken broth, divided
1 (8-oz.) package cornbread stuffing mix
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1/3 cup chopped pecans
Garnish: fresh or dried sage leaves
Directions:
Preheat oven to 375°. Sauté frozen onion mixture and garlic in 1 Tbsp. hot oil in a large, deep skillet over medium-high heat 2 minutes or until vegetables are tender.
Stir in squash, next 5 ingredients, 1 tsp. Creole seasoning, and 1/4 cup water. Cover, reduce heat to medium, and cook, stirring occasionally, 15 minutes or until squash and potatoes are tender. Stir in 1 can chicken broth.
Remove from heat; cool 15 minutes. Stir together stuffing mix, egg, and remaining 1 can chicken broth and 1 tsp. Creole seasoning in a medium bowl. Fold into cooled squash mixture. Spoon mixture into a lightly greased 13- x 9-inch baking dish.
Bake, covered with aluminum foil, at 375° for 25 minutes. Uncover and sprinkle with pecans; bake 20 minutes or until dressing is thoroughly heated and pecans are toasted. Let stand 10 minutes before serving. Garnish, if desired.
