This Bacon and Apple Stuffing just might steal the show on your Holiday table! It is a traditional bread stuffing recipe, with the addition of tart granny smith apples, crispy salty bacon, and sweet golden raisins. It is the perfect combo of savory, salty, and sweet. The top of the Apple Stuffing is golden and slightly toasty, while the inside is soft and buttery. Perfect!
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Some people say the side dishes are the best part of a holiday meal, we might agree…. and this Apple Stuffing Recipe will not disappoint! It is flavorful enough to stand up to all the rich dishes served at the holidays, especially at Thanksgiving and Christmas.
RELATED: You can also discover some other stuffing recipes with these delicious options: Traditional Stuffing and Sausage Stuffing.
Is It Stuffing or Dressing?
Well, in my opinion you can call it either stuffing or dressing. BUT the real definition is; if it is stuffed inside the turkey it is “stuffing”, if it is baked in a separate dish it is “dressing”.
You will notice this Apple Stuffing recipe is not stuffed inside the bird… but we are still calling it “stuffing” because sometimes Google mixes up the word “dressing” with salad dressing. LOL.
Ingredients, Especially The Bread
Make sure to use quality ingredients and fresh herbs to have the best stuffing.
Bread: This is the main ingredients in your Apple Stuffing. I highly recommend making your own dry bread cubes for this recipe. The ones you buy in the store are usually too small and make more of a crumbly stuffing.
The recipe calls for 24 oz loaf of bread. We love Pepperidge Farms Hearty White for this Apple Stuffing.
I have also used Sara Lee Artesano bread. It isn’t quite 24 oz. but it does work.
Apples: Granny Smith Apples are the perfect option for this stuffing. They are super tart, ensuring your stuffing isn’t overly sweet. They bake up very nice and pair perfectly with the bacon, garlic, and fresh herbs.
Bacon: Use whatever bacon you love. Crisp it up either on the stove top or in the oven. You can even use pre-cooked bacon and crisp it in the microwave (Costco has a great one) since we aren’t using the bacon grease in this recipe. You will need about 7-8 pieces of bacon, of course more if you want.
Butter: Doesn’t butter make everything better? Yes, yes it does. The butter sautés the onions, celery and apples and helps keep the inside of the apple stuffing nice and soft, it also helps crisp up the tops of the bread.
Onions & Celery: This is the base of almost all stuffing recipes. It adds flavor and texture.
Golden Raisins: Trust! I know not everyone likes raisins, but you won’t really notice they are in there and the golden raisins are more mild than traditional brown ones. They just add the perfect amount of sweetness that balances the saltiness. If you are really opposed to raisins you can swap in dried sweetened cranberries.
Seasonings: Kosher salt, black pepper, marjoram, and poultry seasoning are all you need from your spice cabinet to season up your stuffing.
Fresh Herbs: Using fresh sage and parsley make a huge difference in your Apple Stuffing. It really punches up the holiday flavors!!
Egg: Just 2 eggs helps bind your stuffing together while baking.
Chicken Stock: Mixing the chicken stock with the eggs helps keep your stuffing buttery and moist on the inside. Not to mention it adds flavor, so pick a quality chicken stock. And as always, stock is more flavorful than broth.
Drying Bread Cubes
You will need really stale/dry bread cubes for your stuffing. They should be almost crispy so when they soak up the liquid they don’t get mushy.
There are two options for drying your bread cubes; the overnight or oven method.
How to Make Stale Bread Cubes for Stuffing
Choose one method to make your stale bread cubes for your Apple Stuffing:
- Overnight– Cut the bread into 1 inch cubes and let it sit on a sheet pan or two, on the counter for 24 hours (overnight). Tossing them occasionally helps dry all sides.
- Quick Oven Method– Cut the bread into 1 inch cubes and spread on a large sheet pan or two. Dry in a 250 degree oven for 30 minutes, tossing every 5-10 minutes so the cubes don’t brown.
Step by Step Picture Instructions
- Dry Bread Cubes
- Crisp Bacon in Oven, Stove Top, or Microwave.
- Mix Bread Cubes and Bacon
- Sauté Onions and Celery
- Add Apples & Garlic
- Stir in Herbs and Seasonings
- Add Apple Mixture to Bread Mixture
- Pour Into Buttered 9×9 Dish.
- Dot The Top With Butter
- Bake
Making Ahead
Since stuffing is a traditional Holiday side dish, and we all know at the holidays there are A LOT of dishes to make, you can make this Apple Stuffing Recipe a day ahead. Saving you time and dishes!
Simply prep the stuffing completely, cover with foil and pop in the fridge overnight. Bake as directed the following day. You may need to add a few minutes when baking straight out of the fridge.
Traditional Holiday Menu and Recipes
We have ALLLLLLL the holiday recipes you need to make your table the MOST delicious! These recipes are tested and tested again or are family recipes that are tried and true. And if you are hosting a house full of guests check out this post for Menu Planning for House Guests.
Holiday Menu
- Appetizer: Deviled Egg (can also be served as a Side Dish)
- Protein: Roasted Turkey Breast or Whole Turkey Roasted in Pieces
- Stuffing: Traditional Stuffing, Sausage Stuffing OR Apple Stuffing (recipe below)
- Mashed Potatoes: Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes Or Yukon Gold Mashed Potatoes
- Gravy: No Dripping Gravy or Instant Pot Gravy
- Side Dish: Corn Casserole or Green Bean Casserole
- Side Dish: Broccoli Bacon Salad
- Side Dish: Oven Roasted Carrots
- Rolls and Butter: store bought!
- Dessert: Thanksgiving Trifle or Christmas Trifle
- Drinks: Pomegranate Martinis, Apple Cider Margaritas, Tequila Hot Toddy and/or Christmas Punch
More Stuffing Recipes
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Savory Bacon and Apple Stuffing Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
- 24 oz loaf of hearty white bread – - cut into 1 inch cubes and dried until stale see instructions. (I like Pepperidge Farm Hearty White)
- 8 oz bacon - – fried crisp and crumbled
- ¾ cup plus 2 Tbsp. butter - divided
- 1 Tbsp. butter - softened
- 1 large onion - – diced
- 1 cup celery - – diced
- 3 large garlic cloves - – minced
- 1 ½ cup Granny Smith apple - – cut into ¼ inch cubes (do not need to peel)
- 1 cup golden raisins
- 2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon poultry seasoning
- ½ tsp. marjoram
- 3 Tbsp. (heaping) fresh sage - – chopped
- ⅓ cup fresh parsley - – chopped
- 2 eggs
- 1 ½ cups chicken stock
Instructions
Making Stale Bread Cubes
- Choose one of the two options to make your bread cubes nice and stale.
- Overnight– Cut the bread into 1 inch cubes and let it sit on a sheet pan or two, on the counter for 24 hours (overnight). Tossing them occasionally helps dry all sides. Quick Oven Method– Cut the bread into 1 inch cubes and spread on a large sheet pan or two. Dry in a 250 degree oven for 30 minutes, tossing every 5-10 minutes so the cubes don't brown.
Apple Stuffing Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees and prep a 9×9 baking dish by generously greasing with 1 Tbsp. softened butter. Set aside.1 Tbsp. butter
- In a large sauté pan over medium low heat, melt ¾ cup butter. Add the chopped celery and onion and sauté for 15 minutes until the celery starts to soften.1 large onion, 1 cup celery
- Add in the apple and minced garlic and sauté over low heat for an additional 5 minutes. Remove from the heat.1 ½ cup Granny Smith apple, 3 large garlic cloves
- Off the heat add in the raisins, salt, pepper, poultry seasoning, marjoram, sage and parsley and stir to combine.1 cup golden raisins, 2 teaspoon kosher salt, 1 teaspoon black pepper, 1 teaspoon poultry seasoning, ½ tsp. marjoram, 3 Tbsp. (heaping) fresh sage, ⅓ cup fresh parsley
- Add the stale bread cubes and the cooked crumbled bacon to a very large mixing bowl.24 oz loaf of hearty white bread –, 8 oz bacon
- Pour the apple/onion/herb mixture over the bread cubes and toss to thoroughly incorporate the ingredients.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the eggs and the chicken stock.2 eggs, 1 ½ cups chicken stock
- Slowly add the stock mixture to the bread cubes while tossing to evenly distribute the mixture.
- Pour the stuffing mixture into the prepared 9×9 baking dish. Cube the remaining 2 tablespoon butter and dot the top of the stuffing.
- Cover the dish with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for an additional 15 minutes.For an extra crispy topping turn the broiler on for a minute or 2 at the end of the cooking time.
- Serve immediately! Delish!
Make Ahead
- This can be made a day ahead. Simply prepare until it is time to bake. Cover with foil and pop in the fridge.
- The next day bake as directed above. You may need to add 5 minutes to the covered baking time when baking straight out of the fridge.
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