Thanksgiving Turkey Stuffing Bake
I know many people aren’t having a large Thanksgiving meal this year so I wanted to make all the flavors accessible on a smaller scale. A traditional Thanksgiving meal, in a bite. Savory with a little sweet, the brings forth all the smells you’d expect. The sourdough soaks up the “gravy” so it is tender with just a hint of crunch left. The turkey and sweet potato chunks melt together. The pecans bring that hint of sweet against the slight bite of the cranberries. So delightful!
I could not figure out what to name this dish so I’ll describe it here in more detail for you. I couldn’t call it a casserole because it’s not bound with a cheese or sauce as you’d expect with a casserole. It isn’t a one dish meal as there are a few different dishes required. The best I could come up with is a ‘bake’. It will dump out on the plate rather than staying in pieces.
Tips:
From the tip of your middle finger to your first knuckle is pretty close to 1 inch. Use this for a reference point when cutting.
This is not good leftover. The bread gets too soggy in the microwave and the turkey dries out.
Thanksgiving Casserole
2 servings
4 cups 1-1 1/2 cubes Fresh Sourdough Bread
2 cups 1/4 cubes Sweet Potatoes
1 TBS Olive Oil
1 tsp Salt (divided)
1 1/4 tsp Pepper (divided)
1/4 cup diced Onion
2 cloves fresh garlic
1 TBS Butter
1 1/2 cup Milk
1/4 tsp Thyme
1/4 tsp Sage
3/4 tsp Oregano (divided)
1/2 cup Pecan Pieces, chopped
1/2 TBS Honey
1 lb Ground Turkey
1/3 cup dried cranberries
2 TBS diced green onions (topping)
Tools: 3.5 L braiser or 9x13 pan, 2 baking sheets, knife, sauce pan, skillet (if not using braiser), colander, immersion blender (optional)
Preheat oven to 375 degrees
Cut sourdough in 1 to 1 1/2 in cubes until you reach 4 cups (loosely packed)
Chop Sweet Potatoes into 1’4 inch cubes until you have 2 cups
Spread out sourdough cubes onto a baking sheet
Spread out potatoes on a different baking sheet, lined with non-stick mat or parchment paper for easy cleanup. Drizzle with 1 TBS olive oil, 1/2 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp pepper and mix up, spread back out.
Put both baking sheets in the oven with the bread on top, potatoes on the bottom rack if they don’t fit on the same rack.
Bake both for 20 minutes. When done, set aside on cooling racks until assembly
While bread and potatoes are baking, dice onion to get 1/4 cup and add to sauce pot with 1 TBS butter over medium low heat.
Peel and roughly chop 2 cloves fresh garlic and add to onion along with 1/4 tsp dried thyme, 1/4 tsp dried oregano, and 1/4 tsp dried sage. Whisk and let cook for 5 minutes.
If you don’t have an immersion blender, you’ll need to chop the garlic finely
Stir in 1 1/2 cup milk to the onion mixture and allow to warm over medium low heat
Warm the braiser (or skillet), over medium low heat. Add in 1/2 cup chopped pecan and toast for 5 minutes. Dump the pecans into a small bowl and mix in 1/2 TBS honey.
Cook turkey in the braiser or skillet over medium high heat, breaking up into pieces. Season with 1 tsp pepper, 1/2 tsp salt, and 1/2 tsp oregano.
Drain the turkey using a colander
Blend the milk and onion mixture using an immersion blender to finish your “gravy”
Assemble the casserole in the braiser or a casserole dish, layering in the following order: The crispy sourdough on bottom, turkey, sweet potatoes, “gravy”, pecans, cranberries
Bake at 375 with the lid on (or foiled) for 10 minutes. Remove the lid and bake another 5-8 minutes.
Top with green onion
Speed it Up
This entire dish took less than 1 hour to make so while it isn’t a quick meal, its pretty fast for Thanksgiving
Prep in Advance
Chop the bread, onion, pecans, and sweet potatoes (store in fridge) in advance to speed up on the day
