By ALISON LADMAN
Associated Press
Stop fussing over whether to prepare your Thanksgiving stuffing inside or alongside the turkey. Your life will be so much easier if you just embrace the wonder that is casserole dish stuffing.
And to help get you over that hump, we created a stuffing with big, bold flavors and plenty of texture. We kept the classic add-ins like celery, onions, thyme and sage, but sweetened them up with diced apples and golden raisins. Add a generous stick of butter and hearty wild rice, and you have a stuffing that will leave you delightfully stuffed.
By the way, the easiest way to cook wild rice is to treat it like pasta. Bring a medium saucepan of water to a boil, add about 1/3 cup of uncooked wild rice and cook for 45 to 55 minutes, then drain.
MULTIGRAIN AND WILD RICE
STUFFING WITH APPLES AND HERBS
Start to finish: 1 hour (15 minutes active)
Servings: 8
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
2 medium yellow onions, chopped
4 stalks celery, diced
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 bunch scallions, finely chopped
1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley
1/4 cup chopped fresh sage
1/4 cup chopped fresh tarragon
1 cup cooked wild rice
3 medium apples, peeled and diced
1 cup golden raisins
1 loaf multigrain bread, cubed and toasted
2 1/2 cups low-sodium turkey or chicken broth or stock
Heat the oven to 400 F. Coat a large casserole or 9-by-13-inch baking pan with cooking spray.
In a large skillet over medium-high, melt the butter. Add the onions and celery and cook until tender, 7 to 8 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the salt, pepper, scallions, parsley, sage and tarragon.
In a large bowl, combine the onion mixture with the cooked rice, apples, raisins and bread cubes. Stir in the broth. Spoon into the prepared pan and cook, uncovered, for 30 minutes.
Nutrition information per serving: 330 calories; 120 calories from fat (36 percent of total calories); 13 g fat (8 g saturated; 0 g trans fats); 30 mg cholesterol; 48 g carbohydrate; 7 g fiber; 22 g sugar; 8 g protein; 440 mg sodium.
