Holiday Recipe Exchange: Leek + Bacon Stuffing

Holiday Recipes, Recipe Exchange, Side Dish, Thanksgiving Recipes | 22 comments

Thanksgiving just wouldn’t be the same without stuffing, don’t you agree? Stuffing seems to often be the big debate this time of year. Everyone has their own family recipe and thinks that their family’s recipe is THE BEST. Growing up we usually had cornbread stuffing with pork sausage. It was our family’s tradition.

Eric has never particularly liked stuffing but I just can’t bring myself to not have it on the table. It’s traditional! I don’t like my stuffing cooked inside the bird. The risk of bacteria makes me nervous and I don’t like the end result in the consistency.

Instead, I assemble my stuffing a day or two in advance and bake it in a casserole dish the day of. This year I am going to experiment by serving leftover stuffing stuffed in Roasted Acorn Squash (related: Healthy Holiday: Apple Pecan Stuffed Squash). Even though I still enjoy my family’s traditional stuffing recipe, I’ve created a new recipe that’s also well loved (well, except for by Eric). This year I tweaked my recipe just a tad and instead of Italian Sausage I am using Bacon and I’ve swapped out onion for leek.

Are you looking forward to stuffing on your Holiday table this year? Come share your favorite recipe! Check out Jamie’s Sausage and Cranberry Stuffing!

Herbed Stuffing with Bacon and Leeks

goodLife{eats} creation
serves 4

Ingredients:

6 ounces Applewood bacon strips
1 1/2 ribs celery, diced
1 1/4 cup leeks, chopped and cleaned
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/3 cup white wine
1-2 pears (ripe but firm), peeled and chopped
1 heaping tablespoon fresh sage, minced
2 tablespoons fresh rosemary, minced
1 heaping tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
2 teaspoons fresh parsley, minced
3 cups dried stuffing cubes
8 ounces Swanson Certified Organic Chicken Broth
Extra broth or water to reach desired consistency
2 tablespoons melted butter
3 tablespoons dried cranberries
3 tablespoons golden raisins
1/4 cup chopped pecans
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

In a large skillet, cook the bacon until crisp. Remove and crumble, then set aside. If there is excessive grease in the pan, remove extra leaving about 1 tablespoon in the pan. If necessary, add olive oil or canola oil. Saute the celery in the bacon grease until bright green and tender, about 3 minutes. Add the leeks and garlic and saute and additional 2-3 minutes.

Deglaze the pan with the white wine, making sure to scrape up any browned bits. Add the pear, sage, rosemary, thyme, and parsley. Stir until well combined. Transfer to a large bowl and gently stir in the stuffing cubes.

Pour in the broth, adding additional broth or water until your desired moistness and consistency is reached. Gently stir in the melted butter, cranberries, raisins, and pecans. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Bake at 350 degrees F in a covered casserole dish until stuffing is heated through, about 20-30 minutes. Remove the cover half way through baking.

Stuffing does well assembled but not baked 1-2 days in advance and stored in the refrigerator. Then, just bake before serving.

How To Participate

For a chance to win a $150 Visa Gift Card:

1. Write and post a recipe on your blog featuring Stuffing or Thanksgiving sides that use Swanson broth.
2. Include “Come join the fun at the My Baking Addiction and GoodLife Eats Holiday Recipe Swap sponsored by Swanson Broth.” in your blog post.
3. Add your link to the widget on either GoodLife Eats or My Baking Addiction (we have the same widget code, so only add it on one site).
4. Submit your post before Nov. 26, 4:59 AM. On Nov. 27, 12:00 AM the widget will switch to voting mode. Be sure to encourage your readers to vote for you and/or vote for your favorites.
5. Anyone can participate in the link up, but the prize will ship to US residents only.
6. More detailed info, including buttons for your posts are available here.

Link Up Your Recipes:

This Week’s Prize:

$150 Visa Gift Card (2 winners), provided by Swanson.

Recipe Theme Schedule:

We still have three weeks open for this Holiday season. If you would like to discuss scheduling a sponsored recipe exchange please contact Katie or Jamie to discuss availability and themes.

click image to enlarge

How To Promote:

Help us spread the word by letting your friends, family, and followers know about the contest. Email, Facebook, Tweet, Stumble…anything you want to do to promote this post is welcome.

• Sample Tweet 1: Join @GoodLifeEats and @BakingAddiction for a Holiday Recipe Exchange. See how you can participate (and WIN) here: http://bit.ly/9YCFgA Pls RT
• Sample Tweet 2: Enter your Stuffing recipe in @GoodLifeEats & @BakingAddiction Holiday Recipe Exchange 4 chance @ $150 http://bit.ly/9a6RvJ Pls RT
• Sample Tweet 3: Have a winning Stuffing recipe? Share it in the @GoodLifeEats & @BakingAddiction Holiday Recipe Exch 4 chance at $150 http://bit.ly/9a6RvJ
• Sample Tweet 4: Vote for my stuffing recipe in the @GoodLifeEats & @BakingAddiction Holiday Recipe Exch so I can win $150 http://bit.ly/9a6RvJ

More Thanksgiving Recipes:

• Apple Pecan Stuffed Squash
• Apple Cider Roasted Squash
• Cinnamon Pear Crostata with Almond Oat Crust
• Cranberry Crumb Bars
• Easy Pumpkin Custard from Pam Anderson
• Flat Cranberry Apple Pie
• Pumpkin Pecan Cheesecake Pots
• Pumpkin Pie with Caramel Pecan Topping
• Pumpkin Soup with Toasted Walnuts
• Spinach and Clementine Salad with Cherries

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