What’s Thanksgiving without stuffing?   Why, it’s not a holiday at all.  That’s what my kids would say.  They don’t care about the turkey – they want stuffing!  It doesn’t even have to be the same recipe; I’ve tried a few and found it doesn’t matter whether it’s cornbread or whole wheat bread, with sausage or without.  They’ll eat it all! 

Recently, I’ve been working on perfecting our traditional sausage stuffing, which is actually more of a bread pudding (due to the custardy blend of eggs and milk I soak the bread in).  The recipe includes all the traditional aromatics: celery, onion, garlic, sage and thyme, but I switched out the pork sausage with a leaner turkey sausage and replaced the white bread cubes with chunks of whole wheat sourdough.  The result?  The decadent feel of a rich, flavorful classic recipe but healthier ingredients.  It’s all at once chewy and crunchy and tender, and oh so good.  It’s still a work in progress and I’ll be sure to post it in plenty of time for next Thanksgiving.

Prefer a corn bread stuffing?  There’s a delicious recipe for Sausage Corn Bread Dressing I just added from our friends at Taste of Home.  This one also has turkey sausage but the addition of homemade corn bread, chestnuts, apples and herbs make it a flavor-packed and nutritional stuffing sensation!

And if you’re looking for more ways to add whole grains to your Thanksgiving plate, check out these tasty whole grain sides:

• Wheat Berry Salad with Apples and Mint
• Freekeh with Butternut Squash and Dried Cranberries
• Millet-Cauliflower “Mashed Potatoes”
• Bacon Sautéed Barley with Arugula
• Cremini Mushroom and Roasted Garlic Rice Soup
• Whole Wheat Brown & Serve Rolls
• Buckwheat Pumpkin Muffins