Can you believe it’s October already? I took the girls to karate class yesterday, and on our way home the streetlights came on and all of a sudden I realized I had to turn on my headlights. That was a depressing moment, I tell you. I’m sad that the days are getting shorter and cooler (and wetter for all of us living on the West Coast), but there is a silver lining.
Those shorter days mean the holidays are on the way! Canadian Thanksgiving is coming up in just a few days, American Thanksgiving a month after, and then the big granddaddy of them all – Christmas! And with the holidays, come holiday dinners. Out of all our holiday favourite foods when I was a kid, stuffing was definitely in the top three. I remember piling on as much savoury seasoned breadcrumbs as I could on the good china plate, leaving just a little room for the roasted turkey, cranberry sauce, dollop of mashed potatoes, and that one obligatory Brussel sprout I had to eat before I was allowed to have dessert.
But now that we don’t eat wheat, we’ve had to look for alternatives. My mother-in-law makes a version of her delicious stuffing with gluten-free bread, but gluten-free breadcrumbs just don’t have the same texture as wheat bread. There’s no getting around it; gluten-free bread stuffing is mushy. I really appreciate that she makes an alternative for us, but what if we changed the game entirely? What if we let go of the need for bread stuffing?
That’s where this idea comes from. Forget the breadcrumb stuffing and use apples instead! That’s right, apples are fantastic for stuffing poultry or as a side dish, and of course they’re naturally gluten-free. For a classic roast turkey, I season the apples very simply with sage, thyme, black pepper, and nutmeg.
The apples can be cooked inside your turkey like regular stuffing, or you can bake a big batch of apple stuffing separately in an oven-safe baking dish and serve like a side dish. My kids adore apple stuffing, which is why I make it both inside the bird and extra on the side so everyone gets as much as they want. Try apple stuffing for your next turkey dinner!
Gluten-Free Apple Stuffing
Ingredients
- 6 firm apples e.g., Jazz, Pink Lady, Ambrosia, Braeburn, etc.
- 1 teaspoon sage
- 1/2 teaspoon thyme
- 1/2 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
- pinch nutmeg
Instructions
- Wash, core, and chop apples into bite-sized pieces.
- Add seasonings and mix until apples are evenly coated.
- Roast inside turkey or cook in an oven-safe baking dish for 45 minutes at 350 degrees.
Thanks for the great recipe!
Thanks it sure sounds delicious,thanks for sharing the recipe !!
This sounds really good …and a departure from my same old same old. I’m going to try it!
This sounds really good and am going to coo a whole chicken today so will be trying this recipe.Thank you for the post.
Hope you liked it! 🙂
This sounds delicious! I’d love to do this, and not for gluten-free, just for sheer yumminess!
Made this last evening its so delicious !
what a clever idea! i absolutely love this. My daughter is very picky but loves her apples. this is a new way i can serve them to her 🙂
My kids LOVE this! They’d eat it all if I let them.
I will try this recipe when I make the holiday dinner. Sounds delicious!
Hope you like it!
What a wonderful and quick recipe…but how badly would it be destroyed if you added bacon and garlic sausage as my dad used to do…it was great
That sounds fantastic! I don’t believe you can ruin anything by adding bacon to it!
This looks and sounds great!
I have never heard of stuffing with apples I bet it is delish!
My sister is gluten intolerant so this is helpful thanks!
I don’t think I have ever made or tasted an apple stuffing, I would love to give this a tasting. Its also nice to see that there are bloggers putting out delicious! recipes for people who do not want gluten in there foods.
@tisonlyme143
This is a really nice alternative to traditional stuffing. Thank you!
This looks simple and great thanks for the post
That Apple Stuffing looks soooo YUMMY, I simple Have to try it..KUDOS for posting the step by step instruction on how to make it.
This stuffing recipe is so delicous.It really compliments the poultry.
Yummo!! Im a huge apple fan already so I LOVE this idea!! Deelish!! We will have to give it a test run this easter with our ham!!
Looks like a delicious recipe. I love stuffing and apples.
An interesting stuffing alternative, but I don’t think the boys would let me get away with it.