I can’t believe that the holiday season is upon us! With Thanksgiving only a couple weeks away and Christmas close behind I know that there are lots of holiday meals and family gatherings being planned. There are some recipes that just say holiday to me and one of those is definitely stuffing. I love stuffing so much but unfortunately, my husband does not feel the same way. Insert sad face here. However, pretty much everyone else feels differently about this leek and cranberry stuffing recipe.
leek and cranberry stuffing
Since the holidays are pretty much the only time I get my favorite side dish all year, you can bet I always volunteer to make it for any family dinner. That way I can make sure that I’ll have it the way that I like it–with leeks. No standard onion and celery will be found in my stuffing! Cranberries and diced apples give this simple recipe a bit of an unexpected and sophisticated flavor as well.
Leeks are one of my favorite vegetables and I add them to any recipe I can–they just add so much flavor to any standard dish! If you’ve always been a simple, box-mix kind of stuffing chef, don’t feel overwhelmed. It is actually really easy to make delicious stuffing from scratch and this recipe is a great place to start. The dried cranberries in this leek and cranberry stuffing provide the perfect amount of sweet tang. You can also add diced apples to this stuffing to mix it up even more. Pretty much any kind of sweeter apple variety will work (I typically go for a Fuji or Gala) and I definitely recommend adding it!
- 12 oz . of stuffing or bread cubes
- 1 1/2 cup of unsalted butter
- 2 leeks chopped
- 1 cup of dried cranberries
- 1/2 chopped red onion optional
- 1 1/2 cup chicken broth
- 1-2 small apples chopped (optional)
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Melt butter in a large skillet and add in leeks (and onion, if using). Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until soft.
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Pour over stuffing in a large bowl, stir in chicken broth. Add in dried cranberries.
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Grease a 9x13" baking dish and fill with stuffing. Cover with foil and bake for 30-40 minutes at 350°, then uncover and bake an additional 10-15 minutes.
You may also opt to stuff your turkey. Just fill the turkey cavity with stuffing and bake your turkey according to directions.
What is your favorite holiday recipe? What do you have to have or else it doesn’t feel like a holiday dinner?
24 Responses to simple leek & cranberry stuffing for the holidays
This sounds super interesting as I’ve never had leeks, I love adding cranberries to stuffing, and anything I can for the holidays!
This sounds amazing! Thanks for the fun recipe and stellar photos!
This looks really good! I love anything cranberry, so I think I’ll have to give it a try!
This looks like something we could try! If I’m honest, I don’t actually know if I’ve ever even had leeks – now I want to try them!
YUMMY! This looks amazing!
So, I am usually not a fan of stuffing- but this looks sooo good!
This sounds like a tasty twist on a classic! I am a stuffing fan, and your recipe looks great!!
YUM! I have literally never cooked with leeks, but this makes me want to!
I love leeks but have never tried them in stuffing…until THIS year! 😉 This looks great, thanks so much!
This is a stuffing recipe that actually looks super tasty.
I love stuffing. I usually am a traditional kind of girl but this looks good. I would like to try it.
I’ve never had a stuffing like this one before. Great change up from the usual! Sounds delish!
This sounds like a delicious combination! I might have to add this to the menu this Thanksgiving!
I like how this recipe only uses a few simple ingredients!!
That looks so good! (minus the onions) My husband isn’t a stuffing lover either so pretty much the only time I eat it is at Thanksgiving. I have to admit that I’ve never had leeks in anything ever so I don’t even know what they taste like!
I’m not normally a leek person but this looks amazing!!
This looks great! When my son was first eating food, leeks was one of the first foods he would eat…everything else he hated, totally random I know!
Mmm cranberry! That sounds like a great tart addition to stuffing!
I love stuffing! Can you believe Ive never eaten leeks before? Are they similar to onions? Im at a loss lol
Yes! They’re part of the onion family but for some reason they just make everything better. 🙂
I’m making this for Thanksgiving will let you know how it turns out, Thanks for the recipe!
Thanks for sharing. Yum
I love cranberries, but I don’t do stuffing… My mom might enjoy this though.
What an interesting variation on stuffing! I don’t know if I could get the rest of the family to try it but it looks delish!