Thanksgiving Casserole

Have you seen it? Holiday cards and candies have entered the stores weeks before Halloween. It makes me crazy.

Most of the irritation comes from them rushing all the holidays. They also skip right over one of my favorites: Thanksgiving.

So, in honor of Thanksgiving and the smells I'm already craving, I made my own simple version last week. It's full of all parts of the feast like turkey, celery, cranberries and sage. This recipe smells just like Fall. Note that I didn't say 'the holidays'.

RECIPE: Thanksgiving Casserole  (adapted from this Everyday Food recipe)

Serves: 4

Time: about an hour (30 minutes of that is for cooking and cooling)

CAN KIDS HELP? Maybe with the chopping, but this is a stove-heavy recipe.

2 tablespoons olive oil (divided)

1 to 1 1/4 lbs ground turkey

3/4 teaspoon dried sage

1 1/2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1 3/4 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth (divided)

coarse salt and pepper

3/4 yellow onion, diced medium

2 celery stalks, diced medium

about 1/2 loaf crusty french bread, cut in large cubes (5 cups)

1/2 cup dried cranberries

1 egg, lightly beaten

1 tablespoon unsalted butter, cut into pieces

My husband calls these (celery and onion) "aromatics".

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. In a large skillet, heat 1 tablespoon oil over medium-high heat. Add turkey and cook until browned (about 8 minutes). Break up the meat as needed. 

Add sage and flour and stir to coat.

It turns out sage is the secret to a house full of Thanksgiving smells.

Add 3/4 cup broth and cook while stirring occasionally until mixture is thickened, about 2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper and transfer mixture to an 8x8 dish coated with cooking spray.

Wipe out skillet with a paper towel. Return to heat and add remaining 1 tablespoon oil. Add onion and celery and cook until softened, about 5 minutes.

Remove pan from heat and add bread, cranberries and 1 cup broth, toss to combine.

Stir in egg. Transfer mixture to cover the meat in the dish. Dot with pieces of butter.

Bake until juices are bubbling and the bread is golden brown, about 20 to 25 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool 10 minutes before serving.

How did the kids do?

BEFORE

My kids don't like Thanksgiving. I know! However, I gave them some bits of the ingredients, some whole grain bread, and a sample of the casserole.
Left: my daughter's plate. Right: My son's.

AFTER

I felt victorious that my son had a bite of the casserole...and LIKED it. We compared it to french toast which actually worked!