Toasted Sesame Pear and Honey Stuffing (with Häsi Holiday Stuffing Mix)

Stuffing is the Thanksgiving dish everyone claims not to care about, then quietly eats from the baking dish with a spoon at 10pm.

This one has earned the spoon. Herby sourdough, sweet onion and celery cooked down in butter, pears caramelized until golden and jammy at the edges, and a toasted sesame honey poured over the top right before it hits the table. Savory, a little sweet, crisp on top and soft in the middle.

It is also the easiest stuffing you will make this year, because the bakers already did the hard part.

It is part of our Thanksgiving sides, but it deserved its own page. Everything fresh this recipe calls for comes in the Thanksgiving Box.

Meet the Häsi Holiday Stuffing Mix

Häsi, pronounced “hay-zee,” is a Los Angeles artisan bakery founded by Matias Barang. It grew through Los Angeles farmers markets and word of mouth, and its wild-fermented sourdough is made with organic grains.

For the holidays, Häsi turns that sourdough into a stuffing mix. The bread is cubed, dried and seasoned with extra virgin olive oil, organic parsley, rosemary, garlic, onion, thyme, sage, nutmeg and black pepper, plus sea salt. One bag holds about 6 cups.

That means the cubing, drying, toasting and seasoning are done. No bag of sad, pre-sliced cubes from the fluorescent aisle. Just good bread, ready to soak.

How a Stuffing Mix Works

The cubes are dry, so they act like a sponge. Broth soaks back into the bread, and eggs bind it so it bakes into a soft, custardy middle with a crisp, golden top. Our rule of thumb: for every 4 cups of mix, about 1 cup of broth and 1 egg. We use a little less liquid than most boxed stuffings, so it bakes up crisp instead of soggy.

Because the mix already brings the herbs, garlic, salt and pepper, this recipe adds none of them. Everything you add is about texture and sweetness: fresh onion cooked down until soft and sweet, celery for crunch, caramelized pear, and sesame honey for the finish.

Toasted Sesame Pear and Honey Stuffing

Makes one full bag. Serves 8 to 10. Bakes in an 8x8-inch dish.

Ingredients

• 1 bag Häsi Holiday Stuffing Mix (about 6 cups)
• 1 yellow onion (or 2 small), diced
• 2 celery stalks, diced
• About 2 cups diced firm seasonal pear (1/2-inch dice)
• 3 tablespoons organic butter, divided, plus a little for the dish
• 2 farm eggs
• 1 1/2 cups chicken or vegetable broth, ideally low-sodium
• 2 tablespoons organic sesame seeds
• 2 tablespoons Bill’s Bees raw local honey
• Flaky sea salt, optional

Instructions

1. Heat the oven. Heat the oven to 375°F and butter an 8x8-inch baking dish.
2. Cook the onion and celery. Melt 2 tablespoons of the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Cook the onion and celery for 8 to 10 minutes, until the onion is soft and sweet and the celery still has a little crunch. Tip them into a large bowl.
3. Caramelize the pears. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon of butter to the same skillet and turn the heat to medium-high. Spread the pears in a single layer and leave them alone for 3 to 4 minutes, until golden underneath. Stir and cook 1 to 2 minutes more. You want golden edges with pears that still hold their shape, not mush. Add them to the bowl.
4. Combine. Add the stuffing mix to the bowl and toss with the onion, celery and pears.
5. Soak. Whisk the eggs into the broth, pour it over the mix and fold until evenly moistened. Let it sit 5 minutes so the bread can drink it in. Squeeze a handful: it should feel like a damp sponge with no puddle in the bowl. If you find dry spots, add a splash more broth.
6. Bake. Pile the stuffing loosely into the dish. Cover with foil and bake 20 minutes, then uncover and bake 15 to 20 minutes more, until the top is golden and crisp and the center reaches 165°F on an instant-read thermometer.
7. Make the sesame honey. While the stuffing bakes, toast the sesame seeds in a dry skillet over medium heat, shaking often, for 2 to 3 minutes, until golden and fragrant. Take the pan off the heat and stir in the honey. The warm pan loosens it just enough to drizzle. Keep it off the burner, since honey scorches fast.
8. Finish. Taste the stuffing. Right before serving, drizzle the sesame honey over the top, and add a pinch of flaky salt only if it needs it.

Half the Bag: Serves 4 to 5, Save the Rest for Croutons

Use half the bag (about 3 cups) and halve everything else: 1 small onion, 1 celery stalk, about 1 cup diced pear, 1 1/2 tablespoons butter, 1 egg, 3/4 cup broth, 1 tablespoon sesame seeds and 1 tablespoon honey. Bake in a small dish or loaf pan, covered for 15 minutes, then uncovered for 15. Keep the rest of the mix sealed and toss handfuls over soup or salad all week.

Why the Pears Get Caramelized

Raw pear just goes soft and watery in the oven. A few minutes in a hot pan browns the natural sugars, deepens the sweetness and firms up the edges, so every piece holds its own against the herbs. The onion and celery get the gentler treatment: cooked until the onion turns soft and sweet, with enough crunch left in the celery to remind you it is there.

Why the Sesame Goes in the Honey

Mixed into the stuffing, sesame seeds steam and disappear. Stirred into warm honey and poured over the top, they stay toasty and crunchy, and the honey clings to the crisp crust like a glaze. It does the job toasted pecans usually do, with a sweet, nutty finish against all those savory herbs.

A Note on Food Safety

We bake this stuffing in a dish, not inside the turkey. Because it contains eggs and broth, it is done when the center reaches 165°F. Baking it separately is safer, easier to time and gives you far more crisp top.

Make-Ahead Tips

• Cook the onion and celery the day before and keep them in the fridge.
• Toast the sesame seeds up to a week ahead and keep them in a jar. Stir them into the honey on the day.
• Caramelize the pears on the day so they keep their texture.
• Do not soak it too far ahead. Once the eggs and broth go in, refrigerate and bake within 24 hours, adding about 10 minutes to the covered bake.

Variations

Apple Instead of Pear

Swap in about 2 cups diced crisp apple and caramelize it the same way.

With Sausage

Brown 1/2 pound of organic bulk pork or chicken sausage until fully cooked, drain and fold it in with the onion and celery. Skip the flaky salt at the end.

Vegetarian

Use a low-sodium vegetable broth. For something heartier, brown 1/2 pound of mushrooms in butter and add them with the onion and celery.

Stuffing FAQ

How many people does one bag serve?

About 8 to 10 at a standard holiday portion. One bag bakes into roughly 8 to 9 cups of stuffing, enough to fill an 8x8 dish. Half the bag serves 4 to 5.

Why low-sodium broth?

The mix is already seasoned with sea salt. A salty broth on top can tip it over, so start low and adjust at the end.

The mix already has onion. Why add more?

The mix has dried onion for flavor. Fresh onion cooked down in butter adds sweetness and a soft, jammy texture that dried onion can't.

Do I need the eggs?

They give it that soft, custardy middle that holds together when you scoop it. You can skip them and add an extra 1/4 cup of broth. It will be looser, but still very good.

Which pears work best?

Any pear that is still firm, whatever looks best at the market that week. Go by the cup: you want about 2 cups diced for the full bag. Firm pears caramelize and hold their shape; very soft, ripe pears turn to mush.

What else can I do with the mix?

Häsi notes it is also great as croutons. Bake half the bag as stuffing and keep the rest for crunchy croutons over soup or a salad.

Bring It Home

We deliver throughout Los Angeles every Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday, and our Wednesday delivery lands the day before Thanksgiving.

Brown the pears. Pour the honey. Hide the spoon.

Get the Thanksgiving Box

Add Bill’s Bees Raw Local Honey

Shop Farm Eggs

Bring Market Mama Home