Homemade turkey stuffing with apples and bacon is a classic side dish that belongs on any holiday table.
What’s your favorite part about Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner?
For me it’s the 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 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 turkey 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.
Key tips to the perfect stuffing:
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Use rich and flavorful turkey broth, not chicken or vegetable broth.
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Use fresh herbs instead of dried for a more flavorful stuffing.
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If you plan to stuff your bird use 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!
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Use a thermometer to check your stuffing in the bird. 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.
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Turkey Stuffing with Bacon and Apples
Ingredients
- 1 apple
- 6 slices of bacon, cooked
- 1 onion, chopped
- 2 ribs of celery, 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. In a large electric skillet at medium heat, sauté the chopped bacon until crispy. Transfer to 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. Toss together gently the spices, stuffing and broth until the stuffing is moist.
- Transfer the stuffing to a 9 x 13 inch casserole pan that has been buttered or sprayed with cooking spray. Bake the stuffing for 30 to 40 minutes or until lightly browned.
Notes
What You’ll Need for this Recipe
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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