Need a healthy stuffing recipe for tomorrow’s festivities? I’ve got you covered!
This healthy cornbread stuffing recipe is a favorite, thanks to the flavor from herbs, shallots, celery and apples. For perfect texture—a little soft, a little crispy—bake the cornbread at least a day ahead. To save time, you can use 12 cups (about 2 pounds) of crumbled day-old store-bought cornbread.
What you’ll need:
Cornbread
1 1/2 cups cornmeal
1 cup white-whole wheat flour
3 tablespoons sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons buttermilk
1/2 cup low-fat milk
2 large eggs
1 large egg white
3 tablespoons butter, melted and cooled
3 tablespoons canola oil
Stuffing
8 tablespoons unsalted butter (1 stick), divided
1 1/4 cups chopped celery
1 1/4 cups chopped shallots
2 sweet-tart apples, such as Jonagold, peeled and chopped
3 tablespoons finely chopped fresh sage
1 1/2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh thyme
1/2 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth or turkey stock
3 tablespoons finely chopped flat-leaf parsley
1 teaspoon Old Bay seasoning
1/4 teaspoon salt
Ground pepper to taste
Directions:
- To prepare cornbread: Preheat oven to 375°F. Coat a 9-by-13-inch baking pan with cooking spray.
- Whisk cornmeal, flour, sugar, baking powder and salt in a large bowl. Whisk buttermilk, milk, eggs, egg whites, melted butter and oil in a medium bowl until well combined. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix just until blended.
- Scrape the batter into the prepared pan. Bake until a toothpick in the center comes out clean, 25 to 30 minutes. Let cool completely on a wire rack. If time allows, let stand, uncovered at room temperature, before preparing the stuffing.
- To prepare stuffing: Preheat oven to 350°F. Coat a 9-by-13-inch baking dish with cooking spray.
- Heat 2 tablespoons butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add celery, shallots and apples; cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, 8 to 10 minutes.
- Meanwhile, crumble cornbread into medium pieces in a large bowl.
- Add sage and thyme to the pan; cook, stirring, for 1 minute more. Scrape the mixture into the bowl and toss to combine with the cornbread.
- Melt the remaining 6 tablespoons butter. Add to the stuffing mixture along broth, parsley, Old Bay, salt and pepper. Scrape into the prepared baking dish and cover with foil.
- Bake the stuffing for 30 minutes. Remove foil and continue baking until lightly brown, 20 to 25 minutes more.
Tips & Notes
Make Ahead Tip: Prepare cornbread (Steps 1-3) up to 2 days ahead; store uncovered at room temperature. Or wrap airtight and freeze for up to 3 months. Prepare stuffing through Step 8, cover and refrigerate for up to 1 day. Remove from the refrigerator about 30 minutes before baking.
Nutrition
Per serving: 284 calories; 16 g fat (7 g sat, 6 g mono); 60 mg cholesterol; 32 g carbohydrates; 3 g added sugars; 9 g total sugars; 6 g protein; 3 g fiber; 468 mg sodium; 260 mg potassium.
Nutrition Bonus: Calcium (17% daily value), Vitamin A (16% dv)
Carbohydrate Servings: 2
Exchanges: 1 1/2 starch, 1/2 vegetable, 3 fat
Recipe courtesy of www.eatingwell.com. See the full recipe here.