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It’s almost that time folks, it’s almost Thanksgiving. Are you ready? Do you have favorite family recipes that you make year after year? This Bacon Pecan Stuffing is one of those recipes for my family. I have made some variation of this stuffing for the past 20 years! I have tried it with cornbread, I have tried it with cornbread and bread cubes, but everyone seems to prefer straight bread stuffing…..
I usually stuff my stuffing into the turkey, isn’t that why it’s called stuffing? Dressing…stuffing…call it what you like, it’s a Thanksgiving staple in just about every household…..
This year I thought I would try something different, and I forgot to take pictures of the stuffing last year. 😉 So I cut the recipe in half, added eggs to make sure it stays moist, and baked it in an 11 x 7 baking dish…..
It worked like a charm!! Well the stuffing worked, the turkey photos turned out worse than last years. 🙁
How to make Bacon Pecan Stuffing:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place the dried bread cubes {homemade or from the grocery store} into an extra-large bowl…..
Okay, those aren’t really cubes, but they work. Set the bowl aside and melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onions, celery, thyme, sage, salt and pepper…..
Cook until softened, about 3 to 5 minutes. Pour over the bread cubes…..
Return skillet to stove and pour in the chicken stock to heat…..
Scrape up all the bits while it’s heating. Add the bacon, pecans, and beaten eggs to the bowl…..
Gently stir to combine. Pour in the chicken stock and again gently stir to combine. Then pour mixture into a baking dish…..
and bake for 30 minutes, until golden brown. Then serve…..
As I mentioned above, I cut the recipe in half. If you are stuffing a turkey you can double the recipe {minus the eggs}, and stuff the cavities of the turkey before cooking. Mix 1 or 2 eggs with the remaining stuffing mixture {depending on how much you have left} and bake following the instructions. The size of your turkey will determine how much stuffing you will need.
You can also double the recipe and bake in a 9 x 13 baking dish if you just want more stuffing. Don’t you just love options?
More delicious side dish recipes:
- Mashed Potatoes
- Chorizo Cornbread Stuffing
- Oven Roasted Sweet Potatoes
- Candied Sweet Potato Stacks
- Hawaiian Potato Salad
Do you stuff your turkey, or do you bake the stuffing on the side?
Enjoy!!
Bacon Pecan Stuffing
Ingredients
- 8 cups dried bread cubes
- 1.5 Tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 cup diced onion
- 2 stalks celery chopped
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 teaspoon dried sage
- 1.5 cups organic chicken stock or homemade
- 2 large eggs lightly beaten
- 4 slices bacon cut into 1/2-inch pieces
- 1 cup toasted, chopped pecans
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place bread cubes in an extra-large bowl, set aside.
- Melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat.
- Add the onions, celery, sage, and thyme. Cook until softened, 3 to 5 minutes.
- Pour vegetable mixture over bread cubes in bowl.
- Return skillet to heat and add the chicken stock to heat.
- Add the bacon, pecans, and beaten eggs to the bowl. Gently stir to combine.
- Pour stock over bread mixture and gently stir to combine.
- Pour mixture into an 11 x 7 baking dish and bake for 30 minutes, until golden brown.
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Stuffing tends to be one of those dishes where everyone wants whatever recipe they grew up with. Trying a new recipe can feel like sacrilege. And yet, there are SO MANY great stuffing recipes out there. A couple of years ago, I decided to stick with the traditional fare on Thanksgiving, but then I made turkey (or even just turkey breast) and tried some other recipes throughout the year. I found some new ones we really liked, and it was a lot of fun. I typically cook my stuffing outside of the bird now. Just seems to yield a more consistent result….
We do tend to be creatures of habit don’t we? Some family members seem to be more resistant than others, but change can be a good thing. I always preferred the stuffing inside the bird, because it seemed so dry when baked in the pan. The eggs definitely make the difference. 🙂
Your turkey looks awesome, Lisa, and this stuffing sounds amazing! I love the addition of bacon — it makes everything better! 🙂
Haha, I totally agree about the bacon!! Thanks so much Marcie, I wish more of those turkey photos had turned out! 😉
I like the way you think Lisa, bacon and pecans in stuffing sounds amazing!
Thank you Emily. 🙂 I sneak bacon in whenever I can, lol
Looks awesome, Lisa! I love all the herbs and the BACON! So delicious!
Lisa, this looks and sounds sooooo good. Bacon and pecans? Oh, heck yeah! We call ours dressing and serve it on the side. Thank you for sharing this with us at Treasure Box Tuesday- pinned!! 🙂
Oh that sounds amazing!! We’re guests at this years thanksgiving, but I may make this anyways. Thanks for sharing on Weekend Bites