Scan with your phone's camera to reopen
this recipe with checkboxes and timers.
this recipe with checkboxes and timers.
Grandma Jane's Cornbread, Sausage & Pear Stuffing
Cornbread, sausage and pear. Enough for a 15-pound bird.
retest scheduled Adapted from Grandma Jane's recipe card — being retested to the rcpbx spec, one dinner at a time. how we test
Ingredients
tap to check off
Instructions
tap a step to focus it · tap times to start a timer · arrow keys move between steps
- Heat the oven to 350°F (175°C).
- Spread the cornbread pieces on a cookie sheet and bake , stirring twice, until lightly browned. Cool to room temperature.
- Meanwhile, in a large deep skillet, cook the sausage over medium-high heat, breaking up chunks, until browned with no pink left. Lift it out with a slotted spoon into a large bowl. Pour off the grease, leaving a thin film in the pan.
- Melt the butter with the drippings over medium heat. Add the onion and celery and cook , until crisp-tender.
- Add the cornbread, pears, parsley, thyme, sage, salt and pepper to the sausage. Toss gently to mix.
- Add the onion and celery, sprinkle with the broth, and toss to mix well.
- Spoon into a buttered casserole and cover with foil. Bake covered, then uncover and bake about more, until the top is crisp and the center reads 165°F (74°C).
Notes
- The family card ends at "spoon into casserole" with no bake time. The bake in the last step is the rcpbx stuffing method (350°F, covered then uncovered, to 165°F in the center).
- If you stuff the turkey instead, pack it loosely and check the stuffing itself with a thermometer: it must reach 165°F in the center, which often means the breast overcooks. Baking it in the dish is the safer route.
- 1/3 cup broth makes a crumbly, dry-style stuffing. If you like it moist, add more broth a splash at a time before it goes in the oven.
- Use ripe but firm pears. Soft ones turn to mush in the toss.
- Turkey sausage gives off little fat. If the pan is dry after browning, the butter alone is enough.
When it goes wrong
- Soggy, pasty stuffing → cornbread not toasted dry, or tossed too hard; toast the full 20 minutes and fold gently.
- Dry and crumbly → normal with 1/3 cup broth; add broth before baking, or bake covered longer.
- Pears fell apart → too ripe; use firm-ripe pears and add them in the last toss.
Adapted from Grandma Jane's recipe card