Bacon & Pear Slow Cooker Stuffing

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Fall pears are the star of this delicious stuffing made in your slow cooker

Thank goodness for a slow cooker. You have to love a device that cooks a delicious side dish quietly on the countertop all day while you are running around making all the other stuff. Then as a bonus, it keeps it warm while all my guests get ready to settle down to eat… I’m hugging my slow cooker right now…

Everyone has a recipe for dressing or stuffing. Some like a “stuffing” that’s pressed into the cavity of the bird and cooks away, absorbing all the moist juices of the bird. Others believe it should be a “dressing” that is cooked separately and tends to be a bit more fluffy or crispy. I like a bit of both. I like to make dressing outside the bird (as my mom did), but I like it to be really moist and flavourful.

I can’t emphasize enough the need for you to try this Bacon & Pear Slow Cooker Stuffing. IT IS AMAZING!!! Once you’ve tried it you’ll never make your old stuffing again. I usually make a traditional stuffing that consists of bread, onions, celery and spices. It’s great with the turkey and lots of gravy – love it. This dressing however takes dressing to a whole new level. The smoky flavour of the bacon combined with the sweetness of the pears and cranberries results in a side-dish I could eat as a meal, just amazing.

Let me take you through the process:

First, these gorgeous fall bosc pears were stilling on my countertop calling out to be made into something.

Bacon & Pear Slow Cooker Stuffing step one – chop up the pears

Bacon & Pear Slow Cooker Stuffing step two – chop up all the other stuff. Easy so far, right?

I don’t have stale, dry, crisp bread cubes on hand (if you do, skip this step), so I baked some off…

Then all you do is cook up some bacon, mix all the ingredients (follow recipe below) onto a slow cooker and let it cook away on low…

Lift the lid after 4 hours and look… the most amazing stuffing ever! Moist, but not rubbery. Really fluffy and packed with flavour.

Look at all the bacon, pears, cranberries, celery and stuffing goodness… Happy Holidays!

Bacon & Pear Slow Cooker Stuffing

5 from 1 vote

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Servings 8 -10 servings

Ingredients

  

• 12 cups bread, cut into 1” cubes (whole wheat or sourdough)
• 1 500 g package of bacon, cut into 1/2 “ pieces (I used maple bacon… yum!)
• 4 Tbsp butter
• 1 cup red onion, chopped
• 5 celery ribs, chopped
• 3 eggs
• 2 cups chicken broth
• 1 tsp dried sage leaves
• 1 tsp poultry seasoning
• ½ tsp salt
• ½ tsp pepper
• 4 Bosc pears, cored and diced
• 1 cup dried cranberries

Instructions

 

• Spread bread cubes over two baking sheets and bake at 400ºF for 15 minutes. Bread should be crispy and dry.
• In a large skillet, brown bacon until cooked. Remove from pan and set aside. Drain off bacon fat and clean pan.
• Add butter and over medium high heat cook onions and celery for 10 minutes until soft. Return bacon to pan and heat through.
• In a small bowl, whisk eggs and chicken broth, set aside
• To a slow cooker, add bread cubes, sage, poultry seasoning, salt, pepper, pears and cranberries. Stir. Add bacon mixture, stir again. Pour egg mixture overtop and stir to combine.
• Cover and cook on low for 3-4 hours until moist and spongy, stirring half way through..

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