Egg Free Fruited Turkey Dressing (With VegAN Option)

Every family has that one holiday dish that feels like home. For us, it’s this Egg Free Fruited Turkey Dressing. It’s sweet, savoury, comforting, and a little magical, and it has been on our table for more than two decades.

I first found the original version in Food and Hospitality Magazine back in 1999. I placed it in my recipe binder and since then have been making it every Thanksgiving and Christams. Every holiday I would tweak something. A little more sage. A touch more fruit. A splash of rum for depth. Fresh herbs from the garden instead of dried.
Slowly, it became ours.
And now it’s the only stuffing or dressing I make because nothing else ever compares to it. People ask for it. They expect it. 

This recipe originally included egg but my son in law and grandkids have an egg allergy so removing the egg from the original recipe made it even better.  For others it is easily made vegetarian with a simple swap of olive oil and vegetable broth. It’s the kind of dish that holds warmth, nostalgia, and the smell of a holiday kitchen.

Ingredients

• 1 large loaf sourdough bread
• 1 handful fresh sage, chopped
• 1 handful fresh thyme, chopped
• 1 handful fresh parsley, chopped
• 2 medium onions, diced
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 3 celery ribs, diced
• 2 large apples, diced
• 2 large pears, diced
• 1 half cup butter
  or 1 quarter cup olive oil for vegetarian
• 1 quarter cup rum
• 2 cups turkey broth
  or chicken broth or vegetable broth for vegetarian
• 1 half teaspoon ground cloves
• Salt and white pepper to taste
  Salt and pepper for croutons

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Instructions
Prepare the Bread - make your croutons
​Cut the sourdough into small cubes.
Lay them on a baking sheet and toast under the broiler. Watch closely because they colour fast.
Flip and toast the other side.
When they’re lightly golden, move them into a large bowl. This step gives the dressing structure and that perfect texture.

Build the Flavour
Warm the butter or olive oil in a deep pan.
Add onions, celery, and garlic and cook until they soften and smell like the beginning of something comforting.
Add apples and pears and let them cook down. They should soften and release their natural sweetness.

Bring in the Warmth
​Pour in the rum and let it cook off.
Add the fresh sage, thyme, parsley, ground cloves, salt, and white pepper.
Taste and adjust. This is where the dressing comes alive.

Combine Everything
Stir in the broth.
Pour the mixture over the toasted bread cubes and gently fold until everything is coated and fragrant.
BakeSpoon the mixture into an oven safe dish with a lid.
Bake at 325 to 350 degrees F for about 30 minutes until warmed through and aromatic.
It’s even better made the day before, giving the flavours time to settle in and mingle beautifully.
Final Step
​As always.  Add love. 

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Notes
​Fresh herbs are ideal but dried herbs will still give wonderful flavour.
This recipe becomes vegetarian by using olive oil and vegetable broth.
It reheats beautifully and has a way of tasting even better the next day.