Pomegranate and Pecan Stuffing

Add a sweet and colorful touch to your Thanksgiving stuffing with pomegranates. This recipe takes traditional flavors and dresses them up for the holiday. A combination of bread cubes, such as French bread and sourdough, creates an inviting mix of flavors and textures. For 16 cups of cubes, you’ll need about 1 ½ loaves of bread. If not using pre-made cubes, cut the bread the day before making the stuffing and leave the cubes on the counter to dry out overnight.

Instructions

Grease a 2-quart casserole dish with oil.

Heat the 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high. Add the celery, onion, and garlic. Cook until the vegetables begin to brown slightly and soften, 5 to 7 minutes.

Stir in the rosemary and thyme. Add the sage, salt, and pepper. Cook for 1 more minute. Add the pecans and cook an additional 1 minute to lightly toast the nuts. Turn off the heat and set aside.

Preheat the oven to 350°F.

Add the stock to a large bowl (large enough to hold all of the bread cubes). Add the egg to the stock and lightly whisk to blend them. Add half the bread cubes and stir until they are soaked with stock. Add the remaining bread cubes and continue to stir until the bread has absorbed all of the liquid.

Transfer the cooked vegetables from the skillet to the bowl and stir them into the stuffing. Reserve ¼ cup of the arils and then stir the remaining arils into the stuffing being careful not to burst them.

Transfer the stuffing to the prepared casserole dish. Press it into the dish with the back of your spoon so that the top is flat, and the stuffing is packed in tightly. Sprinkle the reserved pomegranate arils over the top.

Cover with a sheet of foil and bake for 30 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for 25 more minutes, until the edges of the cubes on top are lightly browned and toasted. Serve warm.