Hazelnut Cranberry Quinoa Stuffing with Apples and Sweet Potato
Truly an "everything but the kitchen sink" stuffing, this recipe contains a plethora of delicious ingredients making this stuffing the perfect accompaniment to your next turkey dinner.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Then, on a lined baking sheet place cubed sweet potato and drizzle with 2 tablespoons of extra virgin oil. Toss to coat in oil and then sprinkle with a little chopped fresh rosemary, sage and thyme. Roast sweet potatoes for 15-20 minuted until golden and fork tender.Meanwhile, in an extra large pot over medium heat, add olive oil, diced onion and minced garlic. Cook until onions are translucent and garlic is fragrant—about 4 minutes. Next, add diced apples and cook for 1-2 minutes until starting to soften. Add rosemary, sage, thyme and maple syrup and stir to combine. Remove from heat.When sweet potatoes are done, remove from oven and decrease your oven temperature to 350 degrees. Then, transfer the sweet potatoes to the onion/apple mixture. Add cooked quinoa, hazelnuts and whole cranberries and gently fold to incorporate into the mixture. Take care not to mush the sweet potatoes too much!Then, begin to fold in the stuffing cubes. As you fold, gradually pour in the chicken broth—about 1/4 cup at a time. Continue to add broth until all the stuffing cubes have been hydrated. You may or may not use all of your broth.This is where personal preference comes into play. If you like a dryer stuffing where the bread cubes hold their shape when served, just add enough chicken broth to moisten all the cubes (closer to 2 cups). If you like a mushier stuffing, then add more broth to the mixture (closer to 3 cups).Transfer stuffing to a large and deep casserole dish that has been sprayed with olive or coconut oil. Cover with foil and bake for 15-20 minutes and then uncover. Return to oven uncovered for 10 minutes and bake until the top layer of stuffing begins to turn golden and get nice and toasted. Remove and serve warm alongside roasted chicken or turkey. This stuffing is especially delicious drizzled with a little gravy. Enjoy!
Notes
If you don't want to spring for hazelnuts, roasted walnuts are also great in this stuffing. I've also swapped the roasted sweet potato for butternut squash too or done a combination of the two.