This easypecan apple stuffingisa classic Thanksgiving stuffing recipe made witha delicious blend of buttery bread cubes, apples, and pecans.
This pecan apple stuffing is a classic stuffing recipe that we make every Thanksgiving. It is loaded with onions, carrots, tart Granny Smith apples, crunchy pecans, and fresh herbs baked together with buttery bread cubes and a rich chicken broth.
We love our traditional Southern cornbread dressing, but sometimes we like to put that extra dazzle to our holiday spread. That’s when we go for the pecan apple stuffing.
It’s delicious and perfect for Thanksgiving or Christmas dinners you can even add your leftovers to porkchops for a delicious dinner!
Serve with some creamed corn casserole, sweet potato casserole, and mashed potatoes and you have a meal that will have your friends and loved ones won’t be able to get enough of.
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Ingredients You’ll Need
- Vegetables – Yellow onions, carrots, celery
- Herbs and seasonings – Garlic, dried or fresh parsley, Beau Monde Seasoning, kosher salt, and black pepper
- Brown Sugar – Adds flavor and moistness to your dish.
- Granny Smith Apples – You want a nice tart apple for this recipe. You can substitute with Pink Lady or Honeycrisp apples if you need to.
- Butter- We recommend unsalted butter, but you can use salted if you need to. You may want to adjust the amount of added salt to compensate for the salt in the butter to prevent your dish from being too salty.
- Bread – You want to use something like a loaf of Italian or French bread. You will want nice, thick chunks when you cube it.
- Broth – We use chicken broth, but you can sub with vegetable if so desired.
- Pecans – You can sub with walnuts if you wish, but we feel pecans give the best flavor with this dish.
Some people also like to add sage and thyme to their stuffing, but we prefer to leave those out for this pecan apple stuffing.
How to Make Apple Stuffing
Step 1 – Preheat – Preheat oven to 350°F.
Step 2 – Sugar onions – Place the onions in a small bowl and sprinkle the sugar over them. Let the onions sit for about an hour.
Step 3 – Sauté – In a large skillet, sauté the carrots, celery, apples, and garlic until softened.
Step 4 – Add onion and butter- Strain the sugared onions and add them to the sauté, along with the melted butter.
Step 5 – Toss with bread – Add mixture to the bread and toss in a large bowl.
Step 6 – Add rest of ingredients – Add chicken broth to the bread mixture along with the pecans, parsley, andBeau Monde seasoning. Slowly toss until the broth is all absorbed by the bread. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Step 7 – Add to pan – Spoon into a well-greased 3-quart or 13- x 9-inch baking pan.
Step 8 – Cover and bake – Cover with foil and bake at 350°F for 45 minutes.
Step 9 – Remove cover and brown – Remove foil and continue to bake for 5 – 10 minutes or until top is crusty and brown.
Which Apple is Best for Stuffing?
You want an apple that is sweet but tart to give just a tiny hint of sweetness to your apple stuffing. We like using Granny Smith apples, but you can also use Pink Lady, Honeycrisp, Golden Delicious, or Piñata apples.
What Type of Bread Should I Use?
I usually use Italian bread for my stuffing but believe it or not plain old white bread is one of the best breads to use for stuffing. It holds up to the butter and broth without getting too soggy.
Just make sure you choose a slightly higher quality white bread, so it isn’t too soft and squishy.
Any bread will do, but you want to make sure you use something that can be cut into thick cubes otherwise your stuffing will be too soggy.
How to Dry Bread for Stuffing
The key to a good stuffing is drying out your bread ahead of time. Properly dried bread cubes will be able to absorb all the liquids without becoming a big bowl of mushy bread.
If you are prepping ahead, you can cut your bread into cubes and leave it out overnight, up to 2 days, to let it get stale.
If you don’t have time for that you can dry your bread out by cutting it into cubes, placing them on a baking sheet, and baking them for about 20 minutes in a 300°F oven.
What is Beau Monde Seasoning
This stuffing recipe is a little different because it uses Beau Monde Seasoning rather than the typical poultry seasoning. It’s a mix of celery powder, onion powder, and salt.
It is made by Spice Islands spice company and you can find it in the dried herbs and spices section of your grocery store or order ithere.
Substitute for Beau Monde Seasoning
If you can’t find Beau Monde seasoning in your grocery store, you can use a homemade seasoning to give you the same flavor profile.
Mix 1 teaspoon onion salt and 1 teaspoon of celery salt then sprinkle it into the stuffing as a substitution for beau monde seasoning.
How to Tell if You Have Added Enough Broth
Adding the right amount of broth is important because you want your stuffing to absorb all that moisture but not turn to mush.
Add the broth to the dried bread slowly, letting it sit for a few minutes in between additions. You want as much broth as the bread cubes can absorb without leaving a puddle of broth on the bottom, so keep adding broth until the bread no longer seems to be absorbing it.
Looking for More Holiday Side Dishes?
- Creamed Corn Casserole {with Jiffy Cornbread Mix!}
- Southern Cornbread Dressing
- Broccoli Cheese Casserole
- Asparagus Casserole
- Keto Green Bean Casserole
- Pineapple Casserole
- Easy Creamed Spinach
- Creamed Corn Casserole {with Jiffy Cornbread Mix!}
- Not Your Mom’s Mashed Potatoes
- More Side Dish Recipes…
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Servings: 12
Prep Time: 1 hour hr
Cook Time: 1 hour hr
Total Time: 2 hours hrs
Apple Pecan Stuffing
This Thanksgiving Apple Pecan Stuffing recipe is a delicious blend of buttery bread cubes, apples, and pecans.
Print Recipe
4.07 from 29 votes
Ingredients
- 2 cups Onions, diced
- 1 tablespoon Brown Sugar
- 1 cup Carrots, diced
- 1 cup Celery, diced
- 2 Granny Smith Apples, diced
- 2 cloves Garlic, minced
- 8 ounces Butter, melted
- 15 ounces Bread, cut into 1/2 inch cubes (10-12 cups)
- 1 1/2 – 2 cups Broth
- 1/2 cup Parsley, finely minced
- 8 ounces Pecans, roughly chopped (approx. 2 cups)
- 2 teaspoons Beau Monde Seasoning
- 1 teaspoons Salt
- 1 teaspoons Pepper
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350°F
Place the onions in a small bowl and sprinkle the sugar over them. Let onions sit for about an hour.
In a large skillet saute the carrots, celery, apples, and garlic until softened.
Strain the sugared onions and add them to the saute along with the melted butter.
Add mixture to the bread and toss in a large bowl.
Add chicken broth to the bread mixture along with the pecans, parsley, and Beau Monde seasoning, slowly tossing until the broth is all absorbed by the bread.
Add salt and pepper to taste.
Spoon into a well-greased 3-quart or 13- x 9-inch baking pan.
Cover with foil and bake at 350°F for 45 minutes.
Remove foil and continue to bake for 5 – 10 minutes or until top is crusty and brown.
Nutrition
Calories: 350kcal, Carbohydrates: 21g, Protein: 5g, Fat: 28g, Saturated Fat: 10g, Cholesterol: 40mg, Sodium: 689mg, Potassium: 273mg, Fiber: 4g, Sugar: 5g, Vitamin A: 3145IU, Vitamin C: 16.5mg, Calcium: 82mg, Iron: 2.1mg
Nutrition Disclaimer: We are not certified nutritionists. Nutrition facts are an estimate and are provided as a courtesy. They are generated by an online API which recognizes ingredient names and amounts and makes calculations based on the serving size. Results may vary.
Author: Kat Jeter & Melinda Caldwell
Course: Side
Cuisine: American
Keyword: apple stuffing, pecan stuffing, stuffing recipe
