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Butternut Squash, Date & Apple Stuffing

Sweet meets savory in this irresistibly delicious butternut squash date & apple stuffing

Course Side Dish
Cuisine American, Thanksgiving
Keyword easy stuffing recipe, stuffing, Thanksgiving side dishes, vegetarian stuffing recipe
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour 15 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 45 minutes
Servings 8
Calories 400 kcal
Author Denisse

Ingredients

  • 1- pound loaf sourdough bread
  • 8 tablespoons butter
  • 10 ounces butternut squash cubed (about 2 cups)
  • Salt and freshly ground pepper
  • 1 large apple chopped
  • 3 stalks celery chopped
  • 1 medium onion diced
  • 3/4 cup Natural Delights pitted dates chopped (about 8)
  • 10 sprigs fresh thyme leaves stripped from the stems
  • 10 fresh sage leaves chopped
  • 2 1/2 cups low-sodium vegetable broth
  • 2 eggs lightly beaten
  • 3 tablespoons Italian parsley chopped

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 2-quart baking dish and set aside.
  2. Cut or tear the bread into 1-inch cubes and spread evenly on two baking sheets. Toast the bread in the oven until beginning to crisp and brown, about 20 minutes. Transfer to a large mixing bowl.
  3. Melt 2 tablespoons of the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the squash and a few pinches of salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until golden brown, about 6 to 8 minutes. Add 2 more tablespoons butter, apple, celery, and onion. Cook, stirring frequently, until the vegetables have softened, about 5 minutes. Add dates, thyme, sage and remaining 4 tablespoons butter. Cook for another minute. Add broth to skillet and stir to combine. Season with salt and pepper to taste and remove from heat and let cool slightly.
  4. Pour the broth mixture, eggs and parsley over the bread cubes and toss to combine until the bread cubes absorb the liquid. Pour the mixture into the greased baking dish. Bake in the center of the oven until heated through and the top is golden brown, about 40 minutes. Remove the stuffing from the oven and allow to cool about 15 minutes before serving.

Recipe Notes

  • While you can use any type of bread you'd like for this butternut squash stuffing recipe, I highly recommend sourdough bread. Its naturally tart flavor lends the right amount of balance to the sweeter ingredients.
  • Toasting the bread cubes in the oven first helps prevent a soggy stuffing. If you don't have time (or oven space) to toast the bread, using one or two day old bread is another option.
  • Don't skimp on the fresh herbs! They add lots of savory flavor to this stuffing and brighten up the dish, too. Here I use fresh sage, thyme and parsley, but fresh rosemary or even fresh oregano would be lovely.
  • You can cover the baking dish with aluminum foil while baking if you prefer a more moist stuffing, removing the foil during the last 15 minutes or so to let the top crisp up a bit.