Fruit and Nut Stuffing (Mushrooms)

This stuffing is full of sweet cranberries and apricots, crunchy walnuts, mushrooms, onion and celery. The veggies keep this stuffing perfectly moist without ever becoming soggy. It's the perfect Christmas and Thanksgiving stuffing recipe.

4 cups white bread, cut into bite sized cubes
1 onion, chopped
2 stalks celery, roughly chopped
1½ cups mushrooms, sliced
1 cup dried apricots, roughly chopped
½ cup dried cranberries
1 cup walnuts, chopped
½ cup pecans, chopped
¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
1-2 Tbsp. poultry seasoning

For the Bread Cubes:
Lay bread cubes on 2 large baking sheets and set aside for 2 days. Gently toss after the first day to make sure they are drying evenly. Or, to speed up the drying process, put the bread cubes on baking sheets in your oven at the lowest temp. This will take about an hour. Watch them closely though, you don't want to make toast.

Preheat your oven to 350°F (180°C/160°C fan, Gas Mark 4). Lightly butter an ovenproof baking dish.

Make the Stuffing:
Combine all ingredients in a large bowl and toss to combine.

Place stuffing in the prepared baking dish and cover it tightly with aluminum foil. Bake in the oven for 30 minutes. remove the foil and continue cooking for another 10 minutes, or until the bread is soft and the veggies are cooked.

Makes 6 servings.

Make-Ahead: Bake the stuffing for 30 minutes then remove it from the oven. Leave the stuffing on your counter and once the turkey comes out of the oven, put the stuffing back in for 15 minutes.

Nutritional Information:
Serving: 1 serving = ⅛ of the recipe, Calories: 363kcal, Carbohydrates: 36g, Protein: 8g, Fat: 23g, Saturated Fat: 3g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 11g, Monounsaturated Fat: 8g, Trans Fat: 1g, Sodium: 157mg, Potassium: 464mg, Fiber: 5g, Sugar: 17g, Vitamin A: 650IU, Vitamin C: 2mg, Calcium: 77mg, Iron: 3mg