I grew up on Stovetop stuffing, which certainly isn’t bad but think about what it is – over-seasoned bread cubes in a box. Boring. For the longest time I’ve been loyal to a cornbread stuffing with dried cranberries from Cooking Light that I’ve adapted so much that the original recipe developer probably wouldn’t recognize it.

This year I realized that there is a world beyond cornbread stuffing, however delicious it might be, and opted to experiment with a whole wheat baguette and the various ingredients I had in my fridge: apples, chestnuts and sour cherries.

Homemade stuffing is a little bit time-consuming, but if you’re making it on Thanksgiving day, this recipe’s saving grace is that you can cook it on the stovetop, leaving your oven free for more important things, like a big fat turkey.

Whole Wheat Stuffing with Apples, Chestnuts & Sour Cherries

What you need:

1 day-old loaf whole wheat baguette, cubed
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
4 1/4 cups homemade vegetable stock
1 cup celery, medium dice
1 cup white onion, medium dice
1 clove garlic, mince
2 small Granny Smith apples, medium dice
1 cup dried cherries
1 tablespoon fresh sage
1 Tablespoon fresh thyme
1 healthy pinch of ground cinnamon Salt and pepper, to taste

What you do:

Melt 2 tablespoons of butter in a sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add the onion, celery, garlic and leeks. Stir occasionally. Season with salt.

When onions are translucent and celery is tender, add the apples, chestnuts, thyme, sage and cinnamon and check the seasoning. Sauté for 5 more minutes; stir to incorporate all of the ingredients.

Add the toasted bread to the skillet and add vegetable stock, until bread is completely moistened. Reduce heat to medium-low and stir to combine so that flavors are evenly distributed.

Let cook about 20 minutes more, stirring and adding stock as needed every 5 minutes. Put stuffing inside of the turkey or serve in a large bowl. Makes about 12 healthy servings if you don’t stuff the turkey or 8 servings if you do stuff the turkey.

NOTE: If you can’t purchase your bread in advance you can cut it into cubes and toast them on a rimmed baking sheet in a 350 degree F oven for 20-25 minutes. They should be crunchy, like croutons, but not browned.

Want to swap recipes with a group of fab food bloggers? Come join the fun at the My Baking Addiction and GoodLife Eats Holiday Recipe Swap sponsored by Swanson Broth.

Winner: Congratulations to Courtney from Courtney’s Sweets on being lucky commenter #136 and winning a Kitchen Classic Knife set from Cutco. Courtney said:

Tagged as: apple stuffing, chestnut stuffing. thanksgiving stuffing, holiday recipe exchange, stuffing, turkey stuffing, whole wheat stuffing