Chestnut and Cranberry Stuffing Balls with a hint of sage and thyme, a delicious side dish for your Christmas roast. Golden and baked to perfection, these stuffing balls are bursting with festive flavours.
Chestnuts roasting on an open fire must be one of the most idyllic Christmas scenes I can think of. And while I absolutely love roasted chestnuts on their own, chestnuts can also be used in a wide range of recipes, both savoury and sweet.
Now, throw in some good old cranberries, which are another Christmas time favourite ingredient, and you have the dream team. Who doesn't like stuffing with the festive roast? I certainly do, and this chestnut and cranberry stuffing is one of a kind.
My previous stuffing recipes have always gone down very well with my family: Sage and Onion Stuffing Balls, Sausage Stuffing Balls and Old-Fashioned Bread Stuffing are so delicious.
You could use roasted chestnuts either made specifically for this recipe or if you have some leftover that haven't seen consumed. But I find that vacuum-packed chestnuts are not only a cheap alternative, but they are ready to be used, thus saving you time and effort.
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Ingredients needed
- cooked chestnuts - they come vacuum-packed and ready to use, and most supermarkets sell them at this time of the year
- dried cranberries - I wouldn't recommend fresh ones for this recipe as they can change the texture of the stuffing balls
- bread slices - I used 50/50 bread, but you can also use white or wholemeal bread
- onion - regular onion, but shallots also ok
- butter - for frying the onion, they add more flavour to the stuffing than oil
- thyme and sage - I used dried, but fresh also ok - or you can use Italian herbs mix
- egg - it's the binding ingredients here, not to be omitted
- salt and pepper
Step-by-step photos and instructions
- in a frying pan, melt the butter over a medium heat, and add the chopped onion
- fry it until golden, then add the seasoning and herbs and mix well
- in a bowl, add the breadcrumbs, cooked onions, beaten egg, cranberries and chestnuts blitzed finely and mix to get a sticky paste
- line a baking tray with non-stick paper, and arrange the stuffing balls
- bake in the preheated oven at 200 degrees Celsius (390 Fahrenheit) for 25 minutes or until golden.
Expert tips
I find that using bread slices and then blitzing them in a food processor works far better than using shop-bought breadcrumbs. You get a nicer texture and stuffing balls that are nice and crispy on the outside, but soft on the inside.
You can chop the chestnuts finely using a sharp knife, but I recommend blitzing them too on a food processor or regular blender, you can much even texture.
The bread mixture can stick quite bad to your hands, so for even and perfectly round stuffing balls I recommend having a bowl with cold water close to you and wetting your hands to handle the mixture better.
Other stuffing recipes
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Chestnut and Cranberry Stuffing Balls
Ingredients
- 3 bread slices ( I used 50/50, but only white or wholemeal can be used too)
- 150 g chestnuts, ready-cooked (vacuum-packed chestnuts)
- 50 g dried cranberries
- 1 egg
- 1 onion
- 25 g butter
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- â…› teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme and sage
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 200 degrees Celsius (390 Fahrenheit).
- In a frying pan set over a medium heat, melt the butter, add the peeled and chopped onion, and fry until golden.
- Add the seasoning and herbs and give it a good stir.
- Add the bread slices to a food processor, and blitz until you get breadcrumbs.
- Remove the breadcrumbs and blitz the chestnuts too to a similar texture.
- In a large bowl, add the breadcrumbs, chestnuts, cranberries, onion mixture and beaten egg.
- Mix well to get a sticky paste.
- With wet hands, shape 14 balls - you can get more or less depending on their size.
- Line a baking tray with non-stick paper, and arrange the stuffing balls.
- Spray them lightly with cooking oil spray and bake for 25 minutes or until golden.
Video
Notes
- Click on the US Customary link to see the measurements displayed in cups and ounces.
- The servings can be adjusted by clicking the number next to Servings.
- I find that using bread slices and then blitzing them in a food processor works far better than using shop-bought breadcrumbs. You get a nicer texture and stuffing balls that are nice and crispy on the outside, but soft on the inside.
- You can chop the chestnuts finely using a sharp knife, but I recommend blitzing them too on a food processor or regular blender, you can much even texture.
- The bread mixture can stick quite bad to your hands, so for even and perfectly round stuffing balls I recommend having a bowl with cold water close to you and wetting your hands to handle the mixture better.
Nutrition
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