Thanksgiving Stuffing with Apricots Celery and Pecans

Apricot Celery and Pecan Thanksgiving Stuffing is full of crisp celery, plump dried apricots and crunchy pecans, perfect for any holiday meal.

Whether you call it dressing or stuffing, and whenever you celebrate Thanksgiving, one of the most important side dishes has to be this one. Thanksgiving stuffing is also one of the sides I used to find the most intimidating. The seemingly endless variations on this classic dish meant I never knew quite where to start . Bread based stuffing or rice? Moist or crunchy? Also – and it’s confession time here – my favourite stuffing used to come from a box. That is, until I tasted Apricot and Celery Stuffing. Now I serve it at Thanksgiving, Christmas and just about any celebration meal.

Apricot, Celery and Pecan Stuffing – perfect for Thanksgiving or Christmas

I grew up in Canada so we celebrate Thanksgiving the first Monday in October – or in our case, the first Sunday as Thanksgiving isn’t a holiday in the UK. We are also lucky to be able to celebrate US Thanksgiving in November with a dear American friend and her family who live nearby. I do wish the UK had its own Thanksgiving holiday.

The Story Behind My Thanksgiving Stuffing

I first had Apricot and Celery Stuffing at my late mother in law’s house one Christmas. I loved it so much I asked for the recipe. Of course, I can never leave a recipe alone, and every year I experimented a little bit more. When I first blogged this recipe back in 2013, it had become Celery, Apricot and Pecan Thanksgiving Stuffing made with French bread and savoury seasonings. It’s now simply referred to as ‘that delicious stuffing you make’ and I’m frequently asked to make it or bring it along to celebration dinners.

Insider Tips For Making My Thanksgiving Stuffing

Even if you have never made stuffing or dressing  before, this recipe is easy. The recipe makes enough to serve 6, but I often double it and make two pans full.

Because we like a bit of crunch to our stuffing the only moisture I use in this recipe is melted butter. However if you prefer a stuffing that is more moist, simply stir in a quarter to a half cup of chicken or vegetable stock with the bread cubes before baking. With this recipe, you really can please everyone. In fact, my Thanksgiving stuffing is so delicious, I make it every Christmas too!

Be sure to mix the bread cubes in really well, so they take up the butter and seasonings before baking.

Why Aren’t Your Apricots Orange?

You may notice that the apricots in these photographs are darker in colour. I discovered that some apricots are treated with sulphur dioxide before being dried to keep them orange. While the orange colour is a lot prettier, I wasn’t super comfortable with this. So I’ve started to use organic apricots, which naturally go a darker colour as they are dried. Both work equally well in this recipe.

Is This Recipe Gluten-Free?

You can make this recipe gluten free by using gluten free bread. Be sure to check that your celery salt, onion salt and stock (if using) are gluten free too.

Making Thanksgiving Stuffing in Advance

You can make this recipe up to 24 hours in advance. Simply prepare it up to the point where you would put it in the oven. Then cover it tightly and keep it in the fridge until you need it.

Bake the stuffing right before serving. Cool any leftovers to room temperature promptly and store in the fridge.

Thanksgiving Stuffing – Printable Recipe

Created by: April J Harris

Celery Apricot and Pecan Stuffing

Course Side Dish

Cuisine British

An easy to make, full of flavour stuffing perfect for any holiday meal.

Print

Pin

Prep Time 20 minutes mins

Cook Time 30 minutes mins

Ingredients

 

US CustomaryMetric

 

• ¼ cup butter
• 1 large onion, peeled and finely chopped
• 1 cup finely chopped celery
• 1 cup ready to eat dried apricots, cut in quarters
• ½ cup pecan halves, roughly chopped
• ½ teaspoon celery salt
• ½ teaspoon onion salt
• ¼ teaspoon freshly ground pepper
• ¼ teaspoon nutmeg, freshly ground if possible
• 2 cups cubed day old French bread, do not cut off the crusts
• ½ cup chicken stock optional – you may want more or less

Instructions

• Prepare and chop all the ingredients as directed above.
• Preheat the oven to 350°F (170°C).
• Melt the butter in a large saucepan over medium heat.
• Add the chopped onion and sauté gently until it begins to soften but not brown.
• Add the celery, apricots, pecans, celery salt, onion salt and pepper.
• Stir everything together thoroughly and cook gently until the celery begins to soften.
• Grate in the nutmeg and stir.
• Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the bread cubes.
• If using the stock to make the stuffing more moist, add between ¼ and ½ cup (65 to 125 ml) now. I leave this out as we like our stuffing with more texture.
• Transfer the mixture to a casserole pan (approximately 11 x 7 inches).
• Bake for 30 minutes or until crisp and golden on top.
• Serve warm.

Notes

If you prefer a stuffing that is more moist, simply stir in a quarter to a half cup of chicken or vegetable stock with the bread cubes before baking. 

did you make this recipe?

Make sure to tag #apriljharris on Instagram and follow @apriljharris for more.

Share on Twitter Pin Recipe Share on Facebook

More Seasonal Recipes

Thanksgiving Desserts the Whole Family Will Love

Old Fashioned Lemon and Ginger Crinkle Cookies

Orange Gingerbread Crinkle Cookies

Traditional British Christmas Pudding