Description
This Cranberry Apple Walnut Stuffing is a flavorful and festive side dish combining sweet apples, tart cranberries, and crunchy walnuts with aromatic herbs. Perfectly moist with a creamy base and baked to a golden finish, it complements holiday dinners beautifully.
Ingredients
Scale
Vegetables and Aromatics
- 1 large onion, chopped into small pieces
- 1 apple, diced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tablespoons rosemary, chopped (or use a mix of rosemary and thyme)
Baking and Binding
- 1 loaf cranberry walnut bread, cut into 1-inch cubes (see substitution note below)
- 1 egg
- 1/3 cup heavy cream
- 1/2 cup chicken stock (add more as needed to moisten the bread)
- 1 teaspoon salt (or to taste)
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Oils and Sprays
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- Olive oil spray or cooking spray
Instructions
- Preheat Oven: Preheat your oven to 375°F (190°C) to prepare for baking the stuffing.
- Sauté Aromatics and Fruit: Heat the extra virgin olive oil in a large pan over medium-high heat. Add the chopped onions, season with a pinch of salt and pepper, and sauté until they become translucent, about 5-7 minutes. Add the diced apple and cook for another 3-5 minutes until the apples soften slightly. Stir in minced garlic and chopped rosemary, cooking for an additional minute before removing from heat.
- Combine Bread and Mixture: Place the cubed cranberry walnut bread into a large mixing bowl. Pour the cooked onion and apple mixture over the bread.
- Prepare Wet Mixture: In a small mixing bowl, whisk together the egg, heavy cream, chicken stock, salt, and pepper. Pour this over the bread mixture and toss thoroughly to combine. Add a splash more chicken stock if the bread appears too dry to ensure a moist stuffing.
- Transfer to Baking Dish: Grease a small baking pan or 2-quart baking dish with olive oil or cooking spray. Transfer the stuffing mixture into the dish and lightly coat the top with olive oil spray to help achieve a toasted finish.
- Bake: Bake in the preheated oven for about 30 minutes or until the edges are browned and the top feels set and slightly crisp.
- Serve: Serve the stuffing warm, optionally garnished with extra cranberries for a festive touch.
Notes
- Substitution: If cranberry walnut bread is unavailable, substitute with any nutty or fruity bread like raisin walnut or plain sourdough with added dried cranberries and chopped walnuts mixed in.
- Chicken stock can be replaced with vegetable stock to make the recipe vegetarian-friendly.
- Adjust the salt according to personal taste and the saltiness of your stock.
- For a dairy-free version, substitute heavy cream with coconut cream and use a suitable egg replacer.
