I was having a conversation with a friend today who said that Thanksgiving is her least favorite holiday. She doesn’t love all the pressure of cooking the perfect meal and the time that goes into it, only for it to be gobbled up in 10 minutes. It’s funny how different people think about things. I, on the other hand, LOVE Thanksgiving mainly for the prep and time that goes into getting the perfect meal ready. Now, in all fairness I love to cook, so if you don’t love to cook…I get it! But for me, the chance to make all these delicious family favorites and share them with friends and family is wonderful! Stuffing is one of my FAVORITE parts of Thanksgiving dinner. What’s your favorite? If you are a Thanksgiving stuffing lover like me, then this is the recipe for you! It’s sweet and tart and savory and delicious. This is the best Thanksgiving stuffing recipe with apples. I mixed a few things together over the years to create this and now I get requests for a double batch every year so there are left overs. 😉

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When it comes to making Thanksgiving stuffing I’m kind of a more is more girl. 😉 I like my stuffing recipe to have all kinds of good stuff in it, and this Thanksgiving stuffing recipe with apples is FULL of all kinds of yummy things. 

The apples in this stuffing give it great texture and sweetness. The onions are so flavorful, the celery adds great crunch and the cranberries add a great tart element. I threw mushrooms in there too because we love them.

Usually I am prepping all the things, so the idea of cutting and drying my own bread for stuffing is a step I skip. I buy the boxes of pre-seasoned bread cubes to work with. You can always make your own stuffing bread if you prefer, and I’m sure it would be delicious.

I’m also always looking to cut my prep time in any way I can, so I’ll splurge and buy the pre-diced onions and celery from the produce section at the grocery store. Dried cranberries are an easy addition and when it comes to the apples in the stuffing, I don’t even peel them. I chop them into chunks and toss them in!

Here’s what you’ll need for the best Thanksgiving stuffing recipe with apples….

(I like to use this pan)

16 cups 1-inch bread cubes (the equivalent of about 2 baguettes if you want to make your own bread cubes)

6 tablespoons butter (1/2 stick)

2 cups medium-diced yellow onion (about 2 large onions)

2 cups of diced celery (about 2-3 stalks)

2 Granny Smith apples (peel on) cored and cut into bite sized chunks

1 cup of dried cranberries

1 1/2 cups of sliced mushrooms

1 teaspoon minced fresh sage leaves

1 teaspoon minced fresh thyme

1 1/2 teaspoons minced fresh rosemary leaves

2 teaspoons kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1-2 cups chicken stock (only add as much as it takes to moisten the bread)

This is such an easy and delicious Thanksgiving stuffing recipe with apples…you are going to love it! As a bonus, you can even prepare it up to the point of putting it in the oven a day ahead and then cook it before you eat. 

I get questions about these dishes all the time. They are my favorite and SO pretty. They are like an art piece. 

Yield: 9x13

Print

The most delicious sweet and savory stuffing with tart cranberries.

Prep Time 30 minutes

Cook Time 45 minutes

Total Time 1 hour 15 minutes

Ingredients

• 16 cups 1-inch bread cubes (the equivalent of about 2 baguettes if you want to make your own bread cubes)
• 6 tablespoons butter
• 2 cups medium-diced yellow onion (about 2 large onions)
• 2 cups of diced celery (about 2-3 stalks)
• 2 Granny Smith apples (peel on) cored and cut into bite sized chunks
• 1 cup of dried cranberries
• 1 1/2 cups of sliced mushrooms
• 1 teaspoon minced fresh sage leaves
• 1 teaspoon minced fresh thyme
• 1 1/2 teaspoons minced fresh rosemary leaves
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1-2 cups chicken stock (only add as much as it takes to moisten the bread)

Instructions

1. Heat the oven to 375°F. Lightly butter a 9x13 baking dish.
2. Heat 4 tbs of the butter in a 3-quart saucepan over medium heat. Add the celery, onion, apples, mushrooms, cranberries and herbs and cook until just tender, stirring occasionally. Stir in 1.5 cups of the broth. Remove the saucepan from the heat. Add the stuffing and mix lightly. You just want the bread to all be moistened...not mushy. If you need more chicken stock, add enough until all the bread is moistened. Spoon the stuffing mixture into the baking pan. Add slices of remaining 2 TBS of butter to the top of the stuffing.
3. Bake for 35-45 minutes until golden brown on top and stuffing is warmed through.

There can’t be a Thanksgiving in our house without Homemade Orange Rolls. Be sure to check out this family favorite recipe here. 

Looking for more delicious recipes?  You can find even more in our recipe library.

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Happy cooking!

Tammy