Homemade turkey stuffing with apples and bacon is a perfect side dish that belongs on any holiday table.
What’s your favorite thing about Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner?
For me it’s the bread stuffing.
Or maybe you call it dressing.
Folks can get pretty particular about their stuffing.
Sausage?
Oysters?
Cornbread?
Not this gal. I like to keep things simple.
I prefer to bake my Thanksgiving stuffing in a casserole pan in the oven.
Just add crunchy, juicy pieces of Honeycrisp apple and crisp crumbles of cooked bacon.
It’s just the right balance of sweet and salty.
Learn how to make the very best apple and bacon stuffing
Over the years I’ve tried cooking it in the bird, in a crockpot and in the oven.
After many years of perfecting this recipe, the oven is my preferred method for stuffing that has a bit of crunch to it.
Making the stuffing has become a family affair, with my boys chopping apples and onions.
I guess you can say my stuffing is made with love.
It’s got big flavor with savory herbs and is always a hit on my Thanksgiving table.
Key tips to the perfect bacon and apple stuffing recipe
- Use rich and flavorful turkey broth, not chicken broth or vegetable broth.
- Choose your favorite apple. I think the best apples are honeycrisp, but this recipe is easily adjustable if you prefer granny smith apples or a more tart flavor.
- Use fresh herbs instead of dried for a more flavorful stuffing.
- Use store bought dry bread cubes from the bakery or prebagged in the center grocery aisles. Purchase 2-inch cubes for best results.
- If you prefer a stuffed turkey, stuff the bird using 1.5 cup of broth instead of two and stuff loosely. The stuffing should be moist not gummy. That bird is juicy and no one like soggy stuffing!
- Use a thermometer to check the stuffing in the turkey cavity. It should reach 180°F. If the turkey is done but the stuffing isn’t, transfer the stuffing to a casserole dish and finish baking in the oven.
- If you make the stuffing ahead of time, hold off on adding the broth to the prepared dish until just before baking.
More Thanksgiving recipes
- HOW TO MAKE AHEAD AND REHEAT MASHED POTATOES
- CHEESY PANCETTA GREEN BEANS
- THE BEST BROCCOLI CASSEROLE WITH RITZ CRACKERS TOPPING
- EASY CRUSTLESS PUMPKIN PIES RECIPE (GLUTEN FREE)
- HOW TO MAKE THANKSGIVING GIBLET GRAVY FROM SCRATCH
- HOMEMADE CRANBERRY SAUCE WITH APPLES AND CINNAMON
- EASY CORNBREAD PUDDING RECIPE
Easy Turkey Stuffing with Bacon and Apple
Ingredients
- 1 apple
- 6 slices of bacon, cooked
- 1 onion, chopped
- 2 ribs of celery, chopped
- 2 carrots, peeled and chopped
- 2 cups turkey stock
- 1 tablespoon fresh rosemary, chopped
- 1 tablespoon fresh sage, chopped
- 1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
- 1 12-ounce bag herb seasoned stuffing
- Cooking spray
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- Add the onion, celery, carrots to the bacon grease and sauté until the vegetables are soft. Add the apples and bacon and mix well. Toss together gently the spices, stuffing and broth until the stuffing is moist.
- Prepare a baking dish by spraying cooking spray to the sides and bottom of the pan.
- In a large skillet at medium-high heat, sauté the chopped bacon until crispy.
- Place bacon on a paper towel-lined plate.
- Add the onion, celery, carrots to the bacon grease and sauté until the vegetables are soft. Add the apples and bacon and mix well.
- With a slotted spoon, toss together gently the spices, bread mixture and broth until the stuffing is moist.
- Transfer the stuffing mixture to a 9 x 13-inch baking dish. that has been buttered or sprayed with cooking spray.
- Bake the stuffing for 30 to 40 minutes cooking time or until lightly golden brown.
- Tent the dish with aluminum foil until ready to serve.
Notes
If you make a recipe, be sure to snap a photo and hashtag it #homeandplate. I’d love to see what you cook!
I could eat stuffing year-round. It doesn’t have to be Thanksgiving or Christmas for me to enjoy something so comforting and delicious. Bacon and apples are one of my favorite combinations in stuffing, too!
I totally agree that stuffing is the ultimate side dish. It’s got the salty and sweet and delish with just about anything. Thanks Rae 🙂
Thanks for sharing key tips for perfect stuffing! I need to make it in autumn… or I will eat it just like that, delicious 🙂
Thanks Alina…I have perfected this recipe over the years and can’t wait for the holiday season 🙂
Yeah, Stuffings can be the ultimate side dish.. Its got all the flavors to make it delicious!
Yes and who says they are only for the holidays 🙂
I just picked up a couple cornish hens from the butcher. I think this would be the PERFECT stuffing! Awesome!
Yes…this would be lovely with cornish game hens. What time should I be over for dinner 😉
Mmmm, now I’m craving stuffing! Who needs a holiday when you have this?! Thanks for the inspiration!
Thanks Traci….I could eat stuffing all year round. It’s my favorite part about the holidays.
The flavors of this stuffing is bang on! Herbs are my favorite flavoring agents and love the use of bacon and apple together. Looks like the perfect holiday recipe