Cranberry-Pecan Stuffing
Amanda Biddle’s Cranberry Pecan Stuffing blends whole wheat and country croutons with sweet-tart cranberries, toasted pecans, and herbs. Use vegetable stock for a vegetarian Thanksgiving side dish.
For additional recipe tips, see: Amanda Biddle, Striped Spatula, Cranberry-Pecan Stuffing
Photos from stripedspatula.com
Ingredients:
- Ingredients ¾ pound firm country white or “farmhouse” sandwich bread (I use Arnold or Pepperidge Farm) ¾ pound firm whole wheat sandwich bread
- 1 cup small diced-celery (about ¼-inch dice)
- 2 cups small diced yellow onion (about ¼-inch dice)
- 10 tablespoons unsalted butter , divided, plus additional for buttering the pan
- 2 tablespoons fresh sage leaves , finely chopped
- 1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves , chopped ½ teaspoon poultry seasoning (I use Bell’s)
- 1-½ teaspoons kosher salt , plus additional to taste
- 1 teaspoon freshly-ground black pepper , plus additional to taste
- 1 cup dried sweetened cranberries
- 1 cup toasted, coarsely chopped pecans (Better Halves Pecans)
- ¼ cup fresh Italian parsley leaves, , chopped
- 2-½ to 3 cups low sodium turkey, chicken, or vegetable stock , plus additional, as needed
- 2 large eggs
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 250 degrees F.
- Cut breads into ½- to ¾-inch cubes, leaving crusts on. Spread into an even layer on two baking sheets.
- Bake 50-60 minutes, until bread is lightly-toasted and dry throughout. Rotate pans halfway through baking time. Let croutons cool completely at room temperature.
- Raise oven temperature to 375 degrees F. Butter a 3-quart gratin or shallow baking dish.
- Melt 8 tablespoons butter in a skillet over medium-high heat until foaming subsides. Add celery and onion and cook, stirring frequently, until onions are softened and translucent, about 8-10 minutes. Stir in 1-½ teaspoons kosher salt, 1 teaspoon freshly-ground black pepper, sage, thyme, and poultry seasoning. Cook for an additional 1-2 minutes, until herbs are fragrant.
- In a large bowl, mix together croutons, onion and celery mixture, dried cranberries, pecans, and parsley. Moisten with 1-¾ cups broth or stock and let stand for a few minutes for the bread to soak up the liquid. Season to taste with additional salt and pepper.
- In the liquid measuring cup, beat together ½ cup broth/stock and the eggs. Fold mixture into the stuffing mixture to combine. If the stuffing seems dry, add some of the additional liquid a little bit at a time. The broth should permeate the croutons, but the mixture should not be “mushy”.**
- Transfer stuffing mixture to the prepared baking dish. Cut the remaining butter into small cubes and scatter over the top of the stuffing. Cover the pan with a piece of foil. Bake for 30 minutes. Uncover and continue baking for 15-20 minutes, until edges are crispy and center reads 165 degrees F.
- Let stuffing rest for 15 minutes before serving.
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