A Christmas feast wouldn’t be complete without apricot stuffing! This stuffing recipe has the perfect balance of sweet, savoury and rich flavours that make a fantastic accompaniment to roast pork, beef or even your Christmas turkey.
With only a handful of ingredients and a simple, quick process, this recipe is a must-make for the holiday season. So, what are you waiting for? Christmas?!?
Products you need for this recipe
There are a couple of key items you’ll need for this recipe:
- Large frying pan – a large, non-stick frying pan is needed to cook your onions, garlic and apricots in the first part of the cooking process
- Baking dish – after frying your onions, garlic and remaining ingredients, you’ll need a baking tray to cook everything to perfection in the oven
Apricot stuffing recipe
This stuffing mixture is divine! Make using simple ingredients, including ready to eat dried apricots, pistachios, onions, garlic and sage, as well as sourdough for the essential bready texture.
The cooking process is really simple and comes in two parts. The first involves frying up the onion and garlic, then adding the dried apricots, pistachio nuts and lemon zest with a splash of water, to simmer away and solidify the flavour.
Once cooked and left to cool, it’s mixed with the egg and bread. Next, the stuffing mixture is baked in the oven, to get that wonderful rich taste and delicious crisp texture.
Is this stuffing vegetarian?
Yes! This stuffing mixture is 100% vegetarian. If you’re looking for a great alternative to the usual sausage meat stuffing served up at Christmas, this apricot stuffing mixture is perfect.
Can I substitute the pistachios in stuffing?
If pistachios aren’t your thing, feel free to substitute them for other nuts. Pecans, chestnuts or hazelnuts would all work well in this recipe.
What if I’m making stuffing for someone with a nut allergy?
If you have a nut allergy, or you are making this apricot stuffing for a person with a nut allergy, feel free to substitute the pistachios with chopped apple.
Can this apricot stuffing be made in advance?
Yes it can. Make it up to step 7 in the recipe instructions below, then place it in the oven when you’re ready to serve it.
What bread should I use for stuffing?
The choice of bread is important in this recipe. I’ve gone for sourdough, as it needs a bread that has enough flavour to balance with the garlic, apricot and pistachios. Other breads such as cornbread or brioche also work well. If you want to keep it simple, use fresh white breadcrumbs from any type of crusty bread.
What extra ingredients can I use in stuffing?
In terms of herbs, aside from the essential sage flavour, parsley would work, as would thyme or rosemary. As long as it’s an earthy, woody herb, it will add the right flavour balance.
You could also add chopped celery into the mix.
How do I store stuffing?
Your apricot stuffing will stay fresh in the fridge for up to four days. Just be sure to keep it in an airtight container.
If you want to store your apricot stuffing for longer, you can freeze it. Store it in an airtight, freezer-safe container and keep it in the freezer for up to 6 months. When it comes to thawing, defrost it in the fridge overnight.
What to serve with apricot stuffing
Roast pork is definitely the go-to meat when it comes to finding the perfect match for your apricot stuffing. Whether it’s a Sunday roast on the run up to Christmas, a Boxing Day feast or the big Christmas Day dinner itself, the two make a fantastic pair.
Aside from roast pork, you can also serve this apricot stuffing up with roast turkey or beef.
You can either serve your apricot stuffing by stuffing your chosen meat and then cooking it, or you can also roll it into stuffing balls before placing it in the oven.
Wine pairing for apricot stuffing
A picpoul wine would be perfect. It’s produced in France and Catalonia and has peach and apple notes, with a little bit of carbonation.
An off-dry Riesling would also suit this recipe.
More Christmas classics
Once you’ve made the stuffing, check out these recipes and make your Christmas Day feast complete:
- Whole roast turkey
- Dried cranberry sauce
- Turkey stock
- Marmite roast potatoes
- Leftover turkey curry
- Christmas pavlova wreath
Apricot Stuffing Recipe
- Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
- Yield: 10 servings 1x
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
Every Christmas dinner needs a good stuffing. This delicious Apricot Stuffing recipe is has the perfect blend of rich flavours and pairs well with roast turkey or pork.
Ingredients
- 43g (3 tbsp) unsalted butter
- 750g (9 cups) onions, sliced
- 3 large cloves of garlic
- 95g (½ cup) dried apricots, chopped
- 87g (⅔ cup) pistachios
- 1 lemon, zest only
- 5 large eggs
- 500g (2¼ cups) sourdough bread, crusts removed and cubed
- 4g (2 tbsp) sage
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 190°C / fan 170°C / 375°F / gas mark 5.
- Melt butter in a large pan over a medium-high heat.
- Add onions and garlic, cook until soft but not browned, this should take no more than 5 minutes.
- Add the apricots, pistachio nuts and lemon zest with a splash of water and allow to simmer until excess water has evaporated. Remove from the heat and set aside to cool.
- In a large bowl whisk the eggs and then stir in the cubes of bread making sure to coat evenly.
- Pour the cooled apricot mixture and sage into the eggy bread and stir. Season to taste.
- Spoon everything into a large greased baking dish.
- Cover with foil and transfer to the oven.
- Bake for 30 minutes. Remove the foil and cook for a further 20 minutes.
- Leave to cool slightly for 10 minutes before serving. Enjoy!
Notes
- You can prepare the dish up to two days in advance. Allow it to rest in the fridge. Before cooking, remove it from the fridge and let it reach room temperature first before baking.
- You can substitute the pistachios with pecans, chestnuts or hazelnuts. Or, if you are catering for a person with a nut allergy feel free to substitute them with apples.
- I used sourdough bread but it works just as well with other breads such as cornbread or brioche.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 1 hour
- Category: Main Course
- Method: Bake
- Cuisine: British
Keywords: Apricot stuffing, Vegetarian Stuffing, Thanksgiving Stuffing, Christmas stuffing, roast turkey side dish, Pistachio stuffing, stuffing recipe, christmas side dish recipe, thanksgiving side
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