Stuffing is my absolute favorite side dish for Thanksgiving! I got this stuffing muffin recipe idea from a guest on the Rachael Ray show. I loved the idea, but did like the stick of butter in the recipe. I lightened up the recipe and added fresh apples and dried cranberries.

My favorite part of stuffing is the crispy edges! With stuffing muffins everyone gets the crispy edges. If you don’t have time to make the muffins simply put the stuffing in a casserole dish and bake!

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup oil, coconut or grape seed
• 1 1/2 cups onion, diced
• 1 cup celery, chopped
• 2 medium granny smith apples, cored and diced
• 1/2 cup dried cranberries
• 2 tablespoons fresh sage, chopped
• 1 teaspoon poultry seasoning
• 1 loaf bread, cubed, I used marble rye
• 1/2-3/4 cup chicken broth
• 2 eggs, whisked
• Salt and pepper

Directions

1. Pre heat oven to 350 degrees. Lay bread in a single layer on a baking sheet and bake for 5-10 minutes. Remove from oven and set aside.
2. Heat oil over medium high heat and sauté onions and celery for about 10 minutes. Add apples and cranberries and sauté for another 3 minutes.  Remove from heat and add to a large bowl.
3. Add fresh sage, poultry seasoning, bread cubes, chicken broth, eggs, salt, and pepper to large bowl of sautéed onions, celery, apples, and cranberries. Gently mix until coated and bread cubes are wet. Add more chicken broth if needed.
4. Spray muffin pan with cooking spray. Add stuffing mixture to muffin pan, pressing it into the muffin tins.
5. Bake at 350 degrees for about 30-40 minutes or until nice and brown. Let muffins cool for about 15 minutes and remove from pan by going around the edges with a knife.

Happy holidays!