Chestnut, Pear, and Wild Rice Stuffing

This Chestnut, Pear, and Wild Rice Stuffing is one I have made year after year. It brings all the flavors of the holiday season together.

While the turkey gets the pride of place at the Thanksgiving table, the flair for the meal comes from the stuffing. It is in the stuffing (a.k.a. dressing) that one can make that turkey dinner truly unique. For the past several years, I have made this wonderful Chestnut, Pear, and Wild Rice Stuffing which the family really enjoys. Chestnuts and pears are my two must-have ingredients for a delicious stuffing. I added the wild rice to make it “Minnesotan” when we moved here. Wild rice is the state grain of Minnesota and it is easily available at this time of the year.

Roasted Chestnuts

In the past, I would boil or roast raw chestnuts for this stuffing. This is usually done the day before as shelling and peeling chestnuts can be very tedious. Fortunately, I was able to abandon this task when I discovered peeled and ready to eat chestnuts at the Asian market. This is so much easier and has really cut down on the preparation time.

Herbs Used in Making This Chestnut, Pear, and Wild Rice Stuffing

Sage, rosemary, and thyme are added to the stuffing to tie it back to the Roast Turkey using the same herbs. Apple juice provides a little more sweetness on top of the juicy pears. Homemade Rice Bread makes this stuffing gluten free. Please use regular bread if gluten is not an issue for you.

Preparing Ahead

You can cook this stuffing the day before Thanksgiving. Simply allow it to cool after transferring to the baking dish and then refrigerate. Only put it in the oven 30 minutes before you plan to serve dinner. The extra 10 minutes is to compensate for it being cold.

Similar Tools Used in Making This Chestnut, Pear, and Wild Rice Stuffing

This post contains affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy here.

Minnesota Cultivated Wild Rice, 12 Ounces
Pyrex Prepware 1-Cup Measuring Cup
Pyrex 8″ Square Baking Dish with Blue Plastic Lid

Chestnut, Pear, and Wild Rice Stuffing

This Chestnut, Pear, and Wild Rice Stuffing is one I have made year after year. It brings all the flavors of the holiday season together.

Author : Linda Ooi

Course : Side Dish

Cuisine : American

Keyword : chestnut stuffing, turkey stuffing, wild rice stuffing

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Prep Time 20 minutes mins

Cook Time 1 hour hr 20 minutes mins

Total Time 1 hour hr 40 minutes mins

Servings : 8

Calories : 230kcal

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• 3 tbsp vegetable oil
• 1 onion (finely diced)
• 1 carrot (finely diced)
• 1 stick celery (finely diced)
• ½ tsp rubbed sage
• 1 tsp dried rosemary
• ½ tsp dried thyme
• 2 pears (peeled and diced)
• ½ cup wild rice (85g)
• 8 slices bread (cubed)
• 2 cups apple juice (480ml)
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 7 oz chestnuts (roasted and peeled) (200g)

Instructions

 

• Cook wild rice in 2 cups (480ml) of water for 45 minutes or until it fluffs up. Drain any remaining liquid left in the pot. Set aside.
• In a large pan, heat vegetable oil. Saute onion, carrot, and celery for 3 minutes. Stir in rubbed sage, rosemary, and thyme.
• Add pears and cooked wild rice. Cook for 3 minutes.
  
• Add cubed bread and apple juice.
• Give it a stir then add chestnuts. Season with salt and pepper. Stir to get ingredients well mixed. Allow it to cook for another 3 minutes. Turn off heat.
  
• Transfer to a baking dish. Cover with foil and bake at 350°F (180°C) for 20 minutes.

Nutrition

Calories: 230kcal

Tried this recipe?Mention @RotiNRice or tag #RotiNRice

Here are the links to the recipes in the picture below…

1. Roast Turkey
2. Cranberry Sauce
3. Candied Sweet Potatoes
4. Nicoise Salad

NOTE: The original publication of this post was on November 28th, 2013. This republication comes with changes to the writeup but the recipe remains the same.