Bread Stuffing with Apples, Bacon, and Caramelized Onions

Recipe by Diane Morgan, from The Thanksgiving Table

Who can resist crisp bacon, sautéed apples, and the slightly blackened edges of caramelized onions? With the addition of savory herbs, this is the perfect combination for stuffing. Children, especially those (like mine!) who don’t like mushrooms, really gobble this up. This stuffing pairs deliciously with the Butter-Rubbed Roast Turkey with Apple Cider Glaze. Serves 12.

1 tablespoon unsalted butter, softened
10 cups unseasoned dry bread cubes
8 ounces bacon, cut into 1-inch pieces
1¼ pounds pearl onions, peeled and halved
1 tablespoon sugar
2 Granny Smith apples (about 6 ounces each), peeled, cored, and cut into ½-inch dice
3 large ribs celery, chopped
2/3 cup minced fresh parsley
1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
1 tablespoon minced fresh sage
1 teaspoon salt
Freshly ground pepper
3 large eggs, lightly beaten
4 cups homemade chicken stock, or canned low-sodium chicken broth

Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Coat a deep, 9-by-13-inch baking pan with the butter. Place the bread cubes in a very large mixing bowl. In a 10-inch sauté pan, cook the bacon over medium heat until crisp. Drain and add to the bread in the bowl. Remove all but 2 tablespoons of bacon fat from the pan, reserving the extra. Add the onions to the pan and sauté over medium-high heat, stirring frequently, until soft and lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Sprinkle the sugar over the onions and sauté, stirring constantly, until the onions turn golden and the edges caramelize, about 3 to 5 minutes. Add to the bread in the bowl.

Return the pan to medium heat, add 2 tablespoons of the reserved bacon fat and swirl to coat the pan. Add the apples and celery and sauté, stirring frequently, until softened, about 5 to 7 minutes. Add the parsley, thyme, sage, salt, and a few grinds of pepper, and sauté 1 minute longer. Add this mixture to the bread cubes, and stir to combine. Add the beaten eggs and stock to the bowl, and mix well. Place the stuffing in the prepared pan and bake, uncovered, until the top is lightly browned and crusty, about 1 hour.

If you have room in your oven, bake the stuffing while the turkey is roasting. Otherwise, bake it beforehand and reheat it once the turkey is out.

Who wrote this recipe
Diane Morgan is an award-winning cookbook author, freelance food writer, culinary instructor, and restaurant consultant. She is the author of seventeen cookbooks. Her newest book, Roots: The Definitive Compendium with more than 225 Recipes, was published Chronicle Books in September 2012. She is the author of three books about holiday dinners, The Thanksgiving Table, The New Thanksgiving Table and the The Christmas Table. Learn more about her at DianeMorganCooks.com