Simply Superb Stuffing Recipe

Lisa

If you’re looking for an easy stuffing recipe that does NOT come from a box, look no further. My family asks me to bring this stuffing every year for Thanksgiving and Christmas, because it is so full of flavour–soft on the inside with a crispy, buttery edge. I hope you enjoy it and perhaps it will soon become one of your family favourites as well!

Let’s talk about the ingredients

Dried Bread Cubes

There are several ways you can attain dried bread cubes. In the past, I have slowly collected the last sad pieces of bread left in the bag and frozen them until I have a good collection. If I need more bread I’ll take the remaining amount from a fresh loaf. 

Other times, I have purchased all the bread and cut it up myself (this is where you get family members involved). Then I leave them on large baking sheets on my counter for a day or two to let them dry out. This method is reasonably simple, but it does take time and patience. Also, your bread crumbs probably won’t be as dry as bread cubes bought at the store, so YOU WILL NEED TO REDUCE THE AMOUNT OF BROTH YOU ADD. 

So if you have time on your hands and want a truly “from scratch” recipe, these are some great options. But if you’re in the stage I’m at in life where it usually feels like there aren’t enough hours in the day and you want to keep it simple, you can find already dried, cubed bread in most grocery store bakeries. If you can’t find it, just ask someone in the bakery section. I can almost guarantee you they will have it.

Chicken Broth

You can use your own homemade chicken broth or you can pick up a carton from the store. It can be bone broth or not. In fact, if you wanted to make this vegetarian, you could use vegetable broth. The broth is for reconstituting the dried bread cubes. Take note of whether your broth is salted or not. That will determine if you want to ease up on the added salt later in the recipe.

Celery and Onions

If everyone you’re serving this stuffing to loves celery and onions, then keep them big and chunky. If not, chopping them fine helps to disguise them a bit. However, they do cook for a long time in the butter and poultry season. This should make them very soft and flavourful. I think that most people will forgive you for putting in vegetables.

Poultry Seasoning

I’m sure there is a recipe out there for poultry seasoning. But again, I usually just pick up the generic brand at my local grocery store. Double check the ingredients list though. I recently discovered that one brand I found has salt as its first ingredient. Look for one that doesn’t include salt (especially if you are using salted broth and butter). In a pinch, you probably would have most of the ingredients to create your own blend though. The seasonings in poultry seasoning are typically sage, thyme, rosemary, marjoram, nutmeg, and black pepper.

Salt and Pepper

Add more or less of these ingredients based on your own taste. If you have already added salted chicken broth, the poultry seasoning is salted, or you’re using salted butter, you may want to ease up or omit the salt called for in the recipe.

Butter!

Ok, butter! I’m not sure anyone can truthfully say they don’t like butter. But butter (or a non-dairy option) is essential. When you spread butter on bread and then toast it–it’s giving (as some of my kids like to say). It is different from spreading butter on an already toasted piece of bread. It gives it a fuller, almost fried taste. This is why you need lots of butter for this recipe. When you bake it, the bread cubes at the bottom of the pan are practically frying in the butter. I think this is one of the things about this stuffing recipe that takes it up a notch. So when in doubt, just add a bit more butter! 

Simply Superb Stuffing

Prep time: 30 minutes

Bake time: 50 minutes

Total time: 1 hour 20 minutes

Serves approximately: 12

Ingredients

450g OR approx. 16 cups, OR approx. 2 loaves Dried bread cubes

946 mL OR 4 cups Chicken broth

3 – 4 Celery ribs

1 large Onion

¼ cup Poultry Seasoning

¾ cup Butter, divided

1 tsp Salt

¼ tsp Pepper

Instructions

1. Begin by putting 1 cup of butter in a saute or frying pan. Turn on your stovetop to medium-low heat and allow the butter to begin melting. 

2. Meanwhile, chop your onions. Then, add them to the frying pan and give it a stir. Chop your celery and add it to the pan as well. Stir again.

3. Let the vegetables cook in the butter, stirring every few minutes. You may want to turn your heat down. You want the butter to bubble a little, but not boil. Cook vegetables until they are soft–approximately 15 – 20 minutes.

4. Meanwhile, preheat your oven to 350°F. Then, butter a 9×13-inch pan with the remaining ¼ cup of butter (I mean smear with thick gobs of butter).

5. In a very large bowl, add dried bread cubes.

6. By now, the vegetables should be well cooked. Turn off the heat and add the sautéed vegetable/butter mixture in with the bread cubes. With a large spoon or spatula fold the vegetable/butter mixture into the bread cubes so the bread is well coated. 

7. Once satisfied, drizzle the chicken broth all over. Try to allow all the bread cubes to be almost saturated in liquid. You may need to turn the bread crumbs a bit as you add the broth so as many pieces as possible get moisture.

8. Finally, put the whole bread cube mixture into the 9×13-inch pan. Press it down. 

9. Place in the preheated oven and bake for 45 to 50 minutes. Check the stuffing 30 minutes into baking time. If the stuffing is getting too brown on top, you can tent a sheet of tinfoil over it for the last 15-20 minutes of baking.  As all elements of this dish are already cooked and went into the oven warm, it won’t take long. The main goals in baking the stuffing are to crisp the bottom and sides and to evaporate some of the moisture that was previously added. When you have achieved these goals, your stuffing is ready. 

10. Remove from the oven and serve!

Notes:

Make ahead

If you want to make this stuffing ahead of time, there are some options.

Option 1: Bake, cool, cover, and refrigerate. Before serving, preheat the oven to 350°F and reheat for about 20 minutes–covered. Check the middle of the stuffing to see if it’s heated through.

Option 2: Bake, cool, cover and freeze. Take out of the freezer a day or two before you plan to serve it so it has time to thaw and then follow heating instructions in Option 1.

Option 3: If you want to bake it fresh on the day you plan to serve this dish, but don’t want all the prep, simply follow steps 1-3 for cooking the vegetables and butter, allow to cool and store in a container in the fridge for up to a week. Then when you’re ready to make your dish, reheat the vegetables and follow steps 4-10.