Holiday Bread Stuffing

Deb Wolf's Note:

This simple stuffing is traditional in America's midwest. Some calll it stuffing, some call it filling, some call it dressing. It is best cooked in a casserole dish. Cooking it in a bird increases both the cooking time and the likelihood of a food-borne illness. Nothing festive in that! This recipe is easily halved or doubled. Be sure to buy stuffing cubes. The crumb type will turn to mush. Use your largest pot. I use my stockpot. You need room to stir the stuffing cubes. Vegetables come in many sizes; you want 2 parts onion, 1 part celery and 1 part carrot. Using a food processor makes quick work of all the chopping. Chop the carrot finer than the onion and celery or it will take too long to cook.

• Total Time: 1 hrs 5 mins
• Prep Time: 20 mins
• Cook Time: 45 mins

Ingredients:

Serves: 15-20

Yield: 2.0 2 quart ...

• 1/2 cup butter
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 cup carrot, peeled, trimmed and finely chopped (about 4)
• 2 cups yellow onions, peeled, trimmed and finely chopped (about 2 to 3)
• 1 cup celery, trimmed and finely chopped (about 4 ribs)
• 1 bay leaf
• 2 tablespoons poultry seasoning
• 2 (12 ounce) bags stuffing cubes, Pepperidge Farm recommended
• 4 -5 cups chicken broth (3 cans or 1 quart box)
• 4 tablespoons butter, melted (optional)

Directions:

1. Melt butter with oil over medium high heat.
2. Add carrots, onion and celery. Sauté 5 – 10 minutes until the onion is translucent.
3. Add bay leaf and poultry seasoning. Cook a few minutes longer, until you can smell the seasonings.
4. Add 3 cups chicken broth. (Hold back the last cup until you see how much liquid the bread cubes take up).
5. Bring the broth and vegetables to a simmer. Turn off the heat, fish out and discard the bay leaf, and dump in both bags of stuffing cubes. Stir to coat stuffing cubes evenly with the broth mixture. If it’s too dry, add some of the reserved broth.
6. Spoon into 2 - two quart greased casserole dishes (they will be very full).
7. Cover and bake 45 minutes to 1 hour at 325F on a rack in the middle or upper third of oven (cooking on the bottom third of the oven will burn the bottom of the casseroles).
8. Check at 30 minutes to be sure it isn’t drying out; if it looks too dry, add HOT broth (adding room temperature broth may break your dish).
9. Remove cover last 15 minutes and drizzle with melted butter to brown the top if you like.

Reviews

[kkroyer]

Excellent recipie, used this to serve a large group on Thanksgiving day and Christmas day and it was well liked on both events.
Ken Kroyer