Originally published on November 3, 2009
I had only made turkey stuffing once before making it this time for Thanksgiving. And that first time I made it, it was a total flop. Needless to say, I was holding my breath every step of the way with this one.
But, when I pulled it out of the oven and taste tested it, it was fantastic! I didn’t think it would be so good because it was simple to pull together, and things that are easy to cook just can’t taste any good, right? I did dry out the bread crumbs and cook the vegetables the day before which made it a bit easier. Next time I will make sure to tear up the bread into much smaller pieces. I will also cover the dish with buttered foil before baking, as so many people have suggested to me since then.
Ingredients:
2 loaves Italian bread, torn into bite-sized pieces
4 tablespoons butter, room temperature, plus more for baking dish
4 celery stalks, thinly sliced
4 shallots, minced
2 garlic cloves, minced
Coarse salt and ground pepper
1/2 cup dry white wine
1/2 cup fresh parsley leaves, chopped OR 1/4 cup dried parsley flakes
3 large eggs, lightly beaten
2 cups chicken broth
Directions:
1.) Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Arrange bread in a single layer on two rimmed baking sheets. Bake until crisp but not browned, about 10 minutes, rotating sheets halfway through.
2.) In a large saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Add celery, shallots, and garlic; season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are softened, about 5 to 7 minutes. Add wine until evaporated, 3 to 5 minutes. Transfer to a large bowl. At this point, you can keep the dried bread out and the vegetables in the fridge after cooking to pull the dish together easily the next day.
3.) To vegetables in bowl, add bread, parsley, and eggs. Season with 1 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper and stir to combine. Mix in half of the broth. Continue adding broth just until the bread is moistened but not wet. There should be just enough liquid in the bowl as there is bread to soak it up, with none of the broth sitting in the bottom of the bowl.
4.) Just before roasting turkey, stuff the cavity with 4 cups of stuffing. Spoon remaining stuffing into a casserole dish. Cover with buttered aluminum foil and refrigerate. When turkey is taken out of oven to rest, place covered dish in oven, and bake until it is warmed through, 25 to 30 minutes. Uncover and bake another 10 minutes until crisp and golden.
5.) Serve and enjoy!