Name: Chestnut, bacon & cranberry stuffing
Prep time: 40 min
Cook time: 40 min
Total time: 1 h 20 min
Yield: Makes 24 stuffing balls
Cuisine: British
Ingredients: 100g dried cranberries; 50ml ruby port; 1 small onion chopped; 2 rashers unsmoked back bacon cut into strips; 50g butter; 2 garlic cloves chopped; 450g sausagemeat; 140g fresh white or brown breadcrumbs; 2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley; ½ tsp chopped fresh thyme leaves; 140g peeled, cooked chestnuts roughly chopped; 1 medium egg lightly beaten

Home
Recipes
Chestnut, bacon & cranberry stuffing

Chestnut, bacon & cranberry stuffing

Good Food team

Save recipe

Makes 24 stuffing balls

Easy

Prep: 30 mins - 40 mins

Cook: 40 mins

Plus 1 hour to soak the cranberries

A star rating of 4.8 out of 5.52 ratingsRate

loading...

This festive stuffing brings together all the trimmings in one gorgeous mass

Skip to ingredients

Alternatives

Complete the dish

Showing items 1 to 3 of 3

Salt & pepper turkey

A star rating of 5 out of 5.4 ratings

Ingredients

Nutrition

Units:

MetricUS

100g dried cranberries
50ml ruby port
1 small onion

chopped
2 rashers unsmoked back bacon

cut into strips
50g butter
2 garlic cloves

chopped
450g sausagemeat
140g fresh white or brown breadcrumbs
2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
½ tsp chopped fresh thyme leaves
140g peeled, cooked chestnuts

roughly chopped
1 medium egg

lightly beaten

Keep the screen awake with cook mode on the Good Food app.

Nutrition: per stuffing ball

kcal123
fat7g
saturates3g
carbs12g
sugars0g
fibre1g
protein4g
salt0.65g

low

Method

step 1

Soak the cranberries in the port for an hour. Fry the onion and bacon gently in the butter, until the onion is tender and the bacon is cooked. Add the garlic and fry for another minute or so.
step 2

Cool slightly, then mix with all the remaining ingredients, including the cranberries and port, adding enough egg to bind – I find it easiest to use my hands. Fry a knob of stuffing in a little butter, taste and adjust the seasoning if necessary.
step 3

To Cook: This stuffing can be baked in a dish, or rolled into balls that will be crisp on the outside and moist inside. To bake, press the stuffing into a greased ovenproof dish in a layer that is around 4cm thick. Bake at 190C/gas 5/fan 170C for about 40 minutes, until browned and, in the case of sausagemeat stuffing, cooked right through. Alternatively, roll into balls that are about 4cm in diameter. Roast the stuffing balls in hot fat (they can be tucked around the turkey or done in a roasting tin of their own) for 30-40 minutes, until crisp and nicely browned on the outside.

RECIPE TIPS

CHOOSE THE BEST CHESTNUTS

The best fresh chestnuts come from Italy, France or Spain. They should be glossy-skinned and plump, and weigh heavy in the hand – a sure sign of a good fat nut lurking inside. To save time, buy them freshly roasted from a friendly street vendor and peel while still warm on the way home.

Recipe from Good Food magazine, December 2002

Comments, questions and tips

Rate this recipe

What is your star rating out of 5?1 star out of 52 stars out of 53 stars out of 54 stars out of 55 stars out of 5

Choose the type of message you'd like to post

CommentQuestionTip

Overall rating

A star rating of 4.8 out of 5.52 ratings

Get 3 months of Good Food All Access

Get 3 months of Good Food All Access for just £6. Find triple-tested recipes that take the stress out of deciding what to cook, spend less time planning, and more time enjoying the season.

Subscribe now