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Home » Recipes » Side Dish Recipes

November 17, 2015 · 6 Comments

Butternut Squash & Asian Pear Cornbread Stuffing

Side Dish Recipes· Thanksgiving

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Butternut Squash & Asian Pear Cornbread Stuffing
collage photo of stuffing
This Cornbread Stuffing made with butternut squash and diced Asian pears is a must have on your Thanksgiving table.

Butternut Squash & Asian Pear Cornbread Stuffing is a must have on your Thanksgiving table, but also makes a tasty side dish any day of the year. 

Butternut Squash & Asian Pear Cornbread Stuffing | This Butternut Squash & Asian Pear Cornbread Stuffing is a must try this Thanksgiving.

On Thanksgiving, we always make our standard favorite side dishes and one of those is Portuguese Stuffing. It's a definite "must have" similar to the feelings I shared recently about green bean casserole.

But I also like to make another type of bread stuffing just to have variety. Since I had some butternut squash and a lone Asian pear I decided to combine the two to create this new Butternut Squash & Asian Pear Cornbread Stuffing.

Butternut.Squash & Asian Pear Cornbread Stuffing-horizontal 2

What does Butternut Squash Taste Like?

Butternut squash on it's own tastes like a cross between a sweet potato and pumpkin so the flavor is pretty mild. However, roast the squash in the oven and the flavor is even sweeter.

Combine that with the Asian pear, crunchy water chestnuts, celery, onions and cornbread stuffing mix and you have a new side dish that is sure to please every palate.

I prefer to make my stuffing (or dressing...I don't want to offend anyone here) on the side rather than stuff it into the bird. It's probably because I like my stuffing to be more on the drier side rather than soggy and mushy as what tends to happen when you stuff the turkey with it.

Butternut Squash & Asian Pear Cornbread Stuffing-horizontal

How do you make Butternut Squash and Asian Pear Cornbread Stuffing?

The first thing you want to do is peel the squash, scoop out the inside seeds and pulp; then dice into 1-inch pieces. Or, you could cheat and purchase the squash already peeled and diced.

I opted for the middle road and got one that was peeled, but not diced already to save some time.Once you have your diced squash, place on a baking sheet then lightly coat with cooking spray.

Place in a preheated oven and allow to roast for about 10 minutes. The pieces of squash are small so they shouldn't take longer than that to soften.

While the squash is roasting, you're going to multi-task. Honestly, it's the only way I ever get anything done in the kitchen. If you wait around for one thing to be done in order to start another, you'd be in there for hours! 🙂 You're going to heat the stock and butter together.

Butternut.Squash & Asian Pear Cornbread Stuffing

It has to be hot/warm when you add it to the stuffing mixture or it won't mix properly. I used vegetable broth, but you can use chicken if that's all you have.

While the broth is coming to a boil, combine all of the rest of the ingredients in a bowl; including the squash. Add the broth, mix well; then place in an oven safe baking dish.

Bake for about 20 minutes until a light brown crust forms. If you would like to save some time on Thanksgiving, prepare this the night before and save the baking part until Thanksgiving day. While the turkey is resting, you can heat this in the oven.

This Butternut Squash & Asian Pear Cornbread Stuffing was delicious and my family really enjoyed it. They did think it was a bit odd to have a Thanksgiving meal in October as a trial run, but after almost 5 years of doing this blog they're kind of getting used to it. ~Enjoy!

Visit the recipe index to search for more recipes by category.

collage photo of stuffing

More Stuffing Recipes

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  • Harvest Apple Cranberry and Sage Sausage Stuffing
  • Sausage & Herb Stuffing with Butternut Squash and Cranberries
  • Homemade Portuguese Stuffing
  • Apple Cranberry Stuffing
  • Savory Cremini Mushroom Dressing
  • Southwest Cornbread Stuffing
  • Vegetarian Barley Stuffing with Cranberries and Pecans
  • Italian Sausage Bread Stuffing

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Butternut Squash & Asian Pear Cornbread Stuffing

Butternut Squash and Asian Pear Cornbread Stuffing

Carrie's Experimental Kitchen
This Cornbread Stuffing made with butternut squash and diced Asian pears is a must have on your Thanksgiving table.
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 15 minutes mins
Cook Time 30 minutes mins
Total Time 45 minutes mins
Course Side Dish
Cuisine American
Servings 8

Ingredients
  

  • 2 cups peeled and diced butternut squash
  • 2 cups vegetable broth
  • 1 tablespoon butter
  • 14 ounces cornbread stuffing mix
  • 1 peeled, cored and diced asian pear
  • ¼ cup chopped onion
  • 1- (5-ounce)can chopped water chestnuts
  • 3 stalks chopped celery,
  • 2 tablespoons chopped fresh sage
  • ½ teaspoon kosher salt
  • ¼ teaspoon black pepper
  • Cooking Spray

Instructions
 

  • Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
  • Place the diced butternut squash on a baking sheet, spray with cooking spray and roast for 10 minutes until they start to soften. Remove from oven.
  • While the squash is roasting, heat your broth and butter in a small saucepan until boiling; then turn off heat.
  • Add the stuffing mix, pears, onion, water chestnuts, celery and sage to a large bowl; then add the roasted squash.
  • Gradually add the broth to the stuffing mixture; mix well. Season with salt and pepper.
  • Add the stuffing to an oven safe baking dish and bake for 20 minutes until the stuffing is heated through and the top gets a light brown crust.

Nutrition

Calories: 243kcalCarbohydrates: 47gProtein: 6gFat: 3gSaturated Fat: 1gPolyunsaturated Fat: 0.5gMonounsaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0.1gCholesterol: 4mgSodium: 868mgPotassium: 325mgFiber: 4gSugar: 8gVitamin A: 3839IUVitamin C: 9mgCalcium: 85mgIron: 2mg
Keyword squash, stuffing, thanksgiving
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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Sandra Watts says

    November 18, 2015 at 2:07 pm

    5 stars
    I would not have thought to combine these but it sounds and looks really good.

    Reply
    • Carrie's Experimental Kitchen says

      November 19, 2015 at 6:30 am

      Thank you Sandra, it was really good!

      Reply
  2. Sara Zielinski says

    November 18, 2015 at 1:19 pm

    5 stars
    I love cornbread stuffing.

    Reply
  3. Sara Zielinski says

    November 17, 2015 at 1:12 pm

    5 stars
    This looks like a great cornbread stuffing.

    Reply
  4. alicia szemon says

    November 17, 2015 at 8:33 am

    5 stars
    i have never seen a recipe like this!! very interesting twist. i will have to try it!

    Reply
    • Carrie's Experimental Kitchen says

      November 17, 2015 at 10:20 am

      Thank you Alicia

      Reply

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