This easy chestnut stuffing recipe (also known as chestnut dressing) combines roasted chestnuts, sausage, veggies, and herbs for the ultimate holiday side dish!
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Last year, while I was working on a roasted chestnuts recipe, I went a little overboard and bought way too many chestnuts (classic me). After testing every roasting method I could think of, I still had a big bowl of leftover chestnuts staring at me from the counter. 👀 Not wanting to waste them, I decided to create this chestnut stuffing recipe. It turned out so good, it's going to be on repeat every holiday season.
Whether you're serving it alongside a smoked turkey breast for Thanksgiving or with chicken or smoked pork loin any time of year, this recipe hits all the comforting, savory, slightly sweet notes you could want in a holiday side dish. Make sure to save some chestnuts to make marron glace (candied chestnuts)!
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😍 Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Adding chestnuts to your stuffing takes it from ordinary to memorable!
- Chestnut dressing can be prepared a day in advance, then baked the day you plan to serve it.
- Leftover stuffing is delicious and can even be repurposed. I like to use it along with all my Thanksgiving or Christmas leftovers to make mini turkey pot pies. Stuffing in pie? Yes, it's delicious!
🔖 Ingredients & Substitutions
- Sausage: I used regular pork sausage; however, you can also use turkey sausage or sweet Italian sausage.
- Bread Cubes: Choose from cubed stuffing mix or approximately 8 cups of toasted bread cubes (I especially like sourdough bread). Or use cornbread or Italian bread that's been cut into ½ to 1-inch cubes.
- Veggies & Fruit: I added celery, carrot, yellow onion, garlic, and a Granny Smith apple.
- Herbs: Fresh sage and fresh Italian parsley, along with dried rosemary and thyme.
- Eggs: You'll need a couple of eggs to bind the stuffing mixture.
- Broth: Chicken broth may be replaced with vegetable broth.
- Milk: Milk adds richness to the dressing.
- Nuts: Roasted chestnuts are the star of the show. They should be roasted ahead of time. If you have to replace them, try walnuts or pecans.
- Seasoning: Salt, black pepper, and chili pepper flakes.
- Prunes: Prunes may be replaced with craisins.
- Butter: Unsalted butter.
*See recipe card for quantities.
🌰 How to Make Chestnut Stuffing
Step 1: Roast chestnuts, then peel and roughly chop. Optionally, they can be boiled or steamed. Use 1 tablespoon of butter to grease a 9x13 casserole dish.
Step 2: In a large skillet, over medium heat, fry pork sausage along with chopped celery, onion, and carrot. After a few minutes, add 5 tablespoons of butter, apple, and chopped roasted chestnuts. Sauté until veggies are tender, fragrant, and the sausage is cooked through.
Step 3: Season stuffing mixture with salt, black pepper, and crushed red pepper. Add chopped sage, parsley, rosemary, and thyme. Stir in chopped prunes (or cranberries) and remove from heat.
Step 4: Mix the sautéed vegetable mixture with the bread cubes and add it to the casserole dish. In a large measuring cup, whisk together eggs, milk, chicken broth, and 2 tablespoons of melted butter. Pour over the bread mixture; stir until evenly moistened.
Step 5: Bake stuffing, covered with foil, in a 350°F preheated oven for 20 minutes, then uncover and bake for another 10 minutes or until heated through and lightly crisped on top.
🍽 Serving Suggestions
Chestnut stuffing is incredible with this smoked turkey without brine, smoked spatchcock turkey, or these air-fried Cornish hens. You can even stuff this chestnut dressing inside halved acorn squash, for a gorgeous presentation.
What's the Difference Between Stuffing & Dressing?
Stuffing is literally stuffed and cooked inside the bird (turkey or chicken). The juices from the poultry soak in, making it super flavorful but also a bit moister (sometimes mushy if you're not careful).
Dressing is the same mixture: bread, herbs, veggies, sausage, etc., but it's baked separately in a casserole dish. This gives it a crisp top and a fluffier texture.
Regionally, people seem to use the terms interchangeably. In the South, "dressing" is more common (especially cornbread dressing). In the North and Midwest, the term "stuffing" tends to win out.
🤷🏻♀️ Recipe FAQs
Absolutely, just increase the butter by a couple of tablespoons.
You can, but dried bread or toasted cubes soak up the flavors better. If all you have is fresh bread, lightly toast it first.
Yes, chestnut dressing can be frozen, but it should be removed from the freezer and thawed in the fridge overnight, then warmed in the oven using a low temperature.
👩🏼🍳 Pro Tips
- You can assemble this stuffing a day ahead, refrigerate it, then bake just before serving.
- If you prefer stuffed turkey, stuff this chestnut dressing inside the bird instead of serving it as a side dish.
- If substituting fresh herbs for dried, use 3 times as much.
- Baking time may take longer because ovens vary. Make sure the stuffing is no longer jiggly in the center.
- The texture of the chestnut stuffing should be moist, not soggy.
🥘 More Holiday Recipes
If you enjoy this chestnut stuffing recipe, check out these other holiday dishes.
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Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- Roast chestnuts, then peel and roughly chop. Optionally, they can be boiled or steamed. Use 1 tablespoon of butter to grease a 9x13 casserole dish.
- In a large skillet, over medium heat, fry pork sausage along with chopped celery, onion, and carrot. After a few minutes, add 5 tablespoons of butter, apple, and chopped roasted chestnuts. Sauté until veggies are tender, fragrant, and the sausage is cooked through.
- Season stuffing mixture with salt, black pepper, and crushed red pepper. Add chopped sage, parsley, rosemary, and thyme. Stir in chopped prunes (or cranberries) and remove from heat.
- Mix the sautéed vegetable mixture with the bread cubes and add it to the casserole dish. In a large measuring cup, whisk together eggs, milk, chicken broth, and 2 tablespoons of melted butter. Pour over the bread mixture; stir until evenly moistened.
- Bake stuffing, covered with foil, in a 350°F preheated oven for 20 minutes, then uncover and bake for another 10 minutes or until heated through and lightly crisped on top.
Nutrition
Notes
- You can assemble this stuffing a day ahead, refrigerate it, then bake just before serving.
- If you prefer stuffed turkey, stuff this chestnut dressing inside the bird instead of serving it as a side dish.
- If substituting fresh herbs for dried, use 3 times as much.
- Baking time may take longer because ovens vary. Make sure the stuffing is no longer jiggly in the center.
- The stuffing texture should be moist, not soggy.
Hilda Sterner says
We hope you enjoy this chestnut stuffing this holiday season!