Sweet Potato Cranberry Stuffing

Perfect for Thanksgiving or at any time! This Sweet Potato Cranberry Stuffing is a complete meal and we love it so. A dear friend shared this with me. Everyone that has tried it loves it too. We will be making it again on Thanksgiving. Outside of our turkey celebrations, it’s great for dinner too. Talk about cooking once and eating twice...this recipe does just that. It takes a few more minutes to prepare but the effort is so worth it. Enjoy each flavorful bite!

Preheat oven to 350 F and line baking sheets with parchment paper. Melt half the butter and pour over the cubed sweet potatoes. Lay the sweet potato cubes on the baking sheets in a single layer. Dust with half the sea salt. Bake at 350 F for 30 minutes, stir, then bake for an additional 25 minutes. Add or subtract baking time in order to get slightly crisped, but not burnt sweet potato croutons.
In a large frying pan, break up and brown the Italian sausage. When it’s brown and crispy, drain in a colander and then set aside.
Add the other half of the butter (4 ounces) to a large sauce pan over low/medium heat. Add the cloves of garlic and let it simmer and infuse for about 5 minutes. When the garlic starts to brown, remove and discard. Add the diced onions and stir. Add the diced celery, ½ teaspoon of the kosher salt, and the Italian seasoning. Stir and let simmer for about 5 minutes, or until the onions are translucent.
Pour the finished sweet potato croutons, Italian chicken sausage, and cooked onion, celery, and garlic mixture into a large mixing bowl. Add raw cranberries and fold until evenly combined.
Pour the mixture into a large baking dish, cover and bake at 350 F for 20 minutes. Remove the cover then bake for an additional 10 minutes uncovered.
Remove from oven, serve, and enjoy!