Bread Stuffing

BecR's Note:

I have used this recipe for over 30 years now (as did my mother)--and everyone loves it! An absolute requirement at our Thanksgiving Holiday table. Recipe makes enough for a 12-pound turkey, and is easily doubled. I have included the optional technique for making stuffing balls. Enjoy! Adapted from Betty Crocker. Note: see tip for freezing.

• Total Time: 1 hrs
• Prep Time: 15 mins
• Cook Time: 45 mins

Ingredients:

Serves: 10

Yield: 9.0 cups st ...

• 3/4 cup finely chopped onion
• 1 1/2 cups chopped celery (with leaves)
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley
• 1 cup butter
• 9 cups soft bread cubes
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1 1/2 teaspoons dried sage
• 1/4 teaspoon ground sage
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
• 1/4 teaspoon poultry seasoning
• 1/2 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper

Directions:

1. Cook and stir onion and celery in butter in 10 to 12 inch skillet until onion is tender. Stir in about 1/3 of the bread cubes. Turn into a deep bowl. Add remaining ingredients; toss. Stuff turkey just before roasting. 9 cups stuffing.
2. STUFFING BALLS: Shape stuffing by 1/2 cupfuls into balls; place in greased baking dish. Cover and cook in 325 degree F oven 30 minutes. Uncover and cook 15 minutes longer. 10 Stuffing Balls.
3. NOTE: To make Corn Bread Stuffing, you can substitute corn bread cubes for the soft bread cubes.
4. Tip for freezing for Thanksgiving/Christmas:.
5. NOTE: The unbaked stuffing mixture will freeze great in containers or freezer bags to serve later. To reheat: Thaw and bake it in a greased dish, (rather than in the bird)at 350°F until golden brown on top (about 30 minutes covered, then uncover and bake for 15 minutes more). Don't overbake!

Reviews

[betsy222]

This recipe is sooo good, my family raved and raved how good my dressing was and I have been cooking for over 50 years. It was by far the best recipe I have ever had!!! Thank you so very much for sharing this.

[Sackville]

Great stuffing recipe! I wanted something very simple and this did the trick. The amount was more than enough our 6kg bird -- I had enough to make 6 stuffing balls for baking on their own as well as filling the turkey. By the way, 9 cups of stuffing worked out to nearly 1 loaf of bread. I think we had about 5 slices left over.

[what-a-kerfuffle]

My husband was raised in a convenience food household, and he's very suspicious of anything that's made from scratch. "Wait...you're putting celery in there? And onions? Won't it taste weird? Why didn't you just use the boxed stuff?"

I made a double batch for Thanksgiving, and when my husband first tasted this, he was shocked. This stuff is absolutely delicious! He even told me that it was "way better than the stuff from a box." which is high praise from him.

I didn't have quite enough butter, so I substituted a little bit of chicken broth for an equal amount of butter. It didn't seem to affect the recipe negatively at all. The butter really makes this recipe, I think.

Thank you for such a delicious recipe!