Grandma's Old Fashioned Stuffing
A classic, old fashioned stuffing recipe that's been handed down by my Grandmother and my mother.
Equipment
- large mixing bowl
- 9x13 baking dish
- Electric knife (optional)
- Meat thermometer
Ingredients
- 1 quart celery diced
- 1 cup onion finely chopped
- 1 cup butter
- 4 quarts white bread, cut into cubes firmly packed (slightly dry - **see note below)
- 1 Tablespoon salt
- 2 teaspoon poultry seasoning
- 1 teaspoon sage
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- 1-2 cups chicken or turkey broth as needed
Instructions
- Cook celery and onion in butter in a skillet over low heat, stirring occasionally, until onion is tender but not browned. Take off the heat and cool.
- Blend bread cubes and seasonings in a large mixing bowl.
- Add celery, onion, and butter to the bread cubes; toss lightly to blend.
- To moisten the stuffing, pour the broth over the surface of the bread mixture, a small amount at a time, again tossing lightly. Stuffing should be moist but not soggy.
- Bake in a 325 degree F., preheated oven for about 45 minutes or until the stuffing is heated through and reaches 165 degrees F. You'll want to cover the stuffing with foil for the first 30 minutes and then remove the foil for the last 15 minutes of baking time.
- When baking the stuffing separately, spoon some of the drippings from the turkey roasting pan over the stuffing, if desired.
- If you decide to stuff your turkey with this stuffing, the recipe makes enough for the neck and body of a 14-18 pound turkey. (Stuff the turkey first and then follow the cooking instructions for the turkey. Make sure the turkey AND the stuffing cook to 165 degrees F. as shown on a meat thermometer.)
Notes
Today's turkey roasting recommendations often recommend baking the stuffing separately from the turkey for optimum food safety.
You can bake this stuffing in a glass baking dish for about 45 minutes. Cover with foil for the first 30 minutes and then remove foil for the remaining 15 minutes.
When baking the stuffing separately, spoon some of the drippings from the turkey roasting pan over the stuffing, if desired.
** Cube the bread a day in advance and let it sit out on the counter so that it becomes slightly dry to the touch. (An electric knife makes easy work of cutting the cubes.) Give it a stir once a while too so that all the cubes get equal access to the air! (You can use white bread, French bread, sourdough bread, or a combination of any of these.) If you forget to do this the day before, you can put the cubes in the oven on low heat for a short time to dry them out.
Photo credits go to my Mom - thanks! :)
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