Slow Cooker Apple Cranberry Stuffing

The stuffing (or dressing as it is sometimes called) is always given a lot of focus in our home at holiday meals! Can you relate?

This year I decided to take it up a level. I created a special recipe that could be made in the slow cooker with a selection of fresh ingredient that come together to bring a perfect combination of sweet and savoury!

Even though our table will have fewer people at it this year for Christmas dinner, I am excited to prepare this and other festive dishes to serve a special meal for our little family. Over the coming week I will be sharing a few of the recipes I plan to serve. I hope that you will enjoy making them too.

The first is this Slow Cooker Apple Cranberry Stuffing. Its sure to be a crowd pleaser!

Ingredients

1 large sweet onion, peeled and diced

2-3 stalks of celery, diced

6-8 mushroom, diced 

2 garlic cloves, peeled and minced 

1/4 cup avocado oil 

1 large apple, diced

1/2 cup dried cranberries 

6 cups Pumpkin Seed and Date Bread

6 cups whole wheat bread

1 tsp. sage 

1 tsp. turmeric 

1 tsp. black pepper 

2 cups low sodium Chicken or Vegetable Broth 

2 eggs, beaten

Directions

1. Wash and dice produce,
2. Sauté the onions, celery, mushrooms, garlic, and apples in the avocado oil on medium heat until tender. About 8-10 minutes 
3. Toss bread in seasoning and the onion mixture. Set aside. 
4. Combine the broth and eggs and then pour on top over top of the bread mixture. 
5. Add in the dried cranberries as you stir everything together. 
6. Transfer to your Hamilton Beach Slow Cooker. Cover and cook on LOW for 4-6 hours, or until the internal temperature is 160 degrees. 

I love that the Hamilton Beach Set and Forget Slow Cooker has a thermometer that can be used to check the internal temperature and know when the food cooking has reached the desired temperature. It also has a great feature that locks the lid in place so if I need to move it to another counter in the kitchen, or deliver a hot meal to another family, I can do so confidently knowing that the lid will stay in place.

While this recipe is a great choice for the holiday season, adding this Slow Cooker to your own Christmas list, or ordering one for someone else, would be an amazing gift that can keeps on giving all year long!

Recipe Variations

A few more recipes notes…

1. If you don’t have time to make bread from scratch, try using 6 cups of raisin or cranberry bread and 6 cups of your favourite whole grain or whole wheat bread.
2. If you don’t have dried cranberries, you could also use raisins, dried cherries, or chopped dates.
3. Looking for more crunch? Try adding slivered almonds or pumpkin seeds to the dressing.

My son Wes loves making this recipe with me. I hope you enjoy making (and eating) it with your family too! Happy holidays and don’t forget to stay tuned for more recipes coming later this week (including cookies for Santa that your little elves can make!)