Mum’s simple classic turkey stuffing is a must for Thanksgiving and Christmas celebrations. It’s the only stuffing we want and need for our celebration feast. It’s super easy, and quick to prepare, and tastes delicious. What more could you want.
Whether you call it stuffing, dressing or seasoning it boils down to the same with flavour packed strong sourdough bread loaded with fresh herbs, scented with orange zest, sautéed onion and celery bathed in butter, garlic and all held together with good stock and eggs.
The thing about a feast for Thanksgiving, or Christmas is there’s so much choice for our sides menu, but stuffing is one that is a constant on our table….well, maybe the mash and gravy too!
how to make classic turkey stuffing
Bread is the first thing to take care of which needs to be dried somewhat either by leaving it for a couple of days or chopping into cubes and popping in the oven till it dries out a bit.
Throw all of your bread cubes in a large bowl ready for the remaining ingredients.
sauté the celery and onion over medium low heat until soft but not brownedMelt the butter and add finely chopped onion and celery and gently sweat till they are softened but not browned. Next up add the garlic and fresh herbs and give that a little saute for a couple of minutes.
Pour the onion and celery mixture over the bread cubes and season with salt and pepper and give it all a good toss.
when the celery and onion have softened add the vegetables and any butter remaining in the pan to the bread cubes in a large bowl (makes for easier mixing)Now lightly whisk the eggs and add to the stock along with the orange zest and pour it over the bread mix giving it all a good toss.
Tip into your buttered pan and cover the tin with foil and pop it into the oven for around 45 minutes after which you remove the foil and give it a further 25 or so minutes until it’s golden brown and smelling fantastic!
what bread to use
First up you’ll need a good strong bread, and we opt for a sourdough bread because the bread is crusty on the outside and chewy on the inside and it dries out beautifully for soaking up the stock and flavours.
If you can’t get a good sourdough maybe look for a Italian ciabatta, Turkish bread or a good strong crusty baguette will suffice.
The bread needs to be dried out somewhat (think stale bread) to remove moisture which of course will be remoistened with the stock,
can i make the stuffing ahead
You can make this stuffing a day or two ahead of cooking, or freeze it uncooked and bake from frozen adding a further 10-15 minutes to the cooking time.
You can make this stuffing and freeze it for 3 months, but preferably about a month ahead of the big day.
check out another winning stuffing recipe
click on the link for the recipe…..Bacon and Cranberry Stuffing
Bacon and cranberry stuffing is crusty golden brown on the outside and moist and savoury on the inside. Call it stuffing or dressing, either way you’ll end up with individual balls of deliciousness with just enough toasty crunchy bits to satisfy everyone, and let’s face it that’s the best part.
Prepare and freeze these ahead of time for Thanksgiving or Christmas and it’s one off your long list of dishes to prepare.
These savoury balls are super easy to make. You begin by sautéing off the onion, celery and garlic in what seems like way too much butter till they’re on their way to softening and then add your bacon and cook it until the bacon fat has rendered and added its smoky goodness into the mix.
Next up prepare your breadcrumbs and add in all the goodies that will really make this stuffing pop. Moist dried cranberries, toasted pecan nuts, orange zest for its lovely perfume, sage for its sweet citrus notes, and eggs to bind it all together.
Watch How to Make Mum’s Simple Classic Turkey Stuffing
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Mum's Simple Classic Turkey Stuffing
Whether you call it stuffing, dressing or seasoning it all boils down to the same with flavour packed strong sourdough bread loaded with fresh herbs, scented with orange zest, sauteed onion and celery bathed in butter, garlic and all held together with good stock and eggs.
Ingredients
- 8 cups sourdough bread cut into 2cm (3/4 inch) cubes (or other good strong crusty bread)
- 100g (3 1/2 ounces) salted butter
- 1 large onion, cut into small dice
- 2 ribs celery, cut into small dice
- 4 fat cloves of garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
- 1 tablespoon fresh rosemary leaves, chopped
- 2 tablespoons fresh sage leaves, chopped (about 20 large leaves)
- 1/2 cup Italian parsley, chopped
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
- 2 tablespoons orange zest
- 2 cups chicken stock
- 2 large eggs
Instructions
- lightly butter a 25cm x 18cm x 7cm (10 inch x 7 inch x 2 1/2inch) baking dish
- preheat oven to 175c (350f) on bake, not fan
- cut bread into 2cm (3/4 inch) cubes and spread out on a baking sheet then place in the oven for about 15-20 minutes till bread is dry but not browned (you can cube bread a day or two ahead and allow it to dry out and skip the oven step)
- melt butter in a large frypan and add onion and celery
- saute till soft but not browned (about 8 minutes)
- add garlic and herbs and saute for a minute or 2
- season with salt and pepper
- lightly whisk eggs and add to stock with the orange zest and give it a good whisk
- pour half the stock mix over the bread mix and toss
- gradually add some more stock till you think the bread has absorbed enough stock without having a pool of stock sitting in the bottom of the bowl (you may not need all of the stock mix) - see notes
- transfer mix into baking dish and cover with foil (stuffing can be frozen at this point)
- bake on middle shelf for 45 minutes then remove foil a bake for a further 30 minutes till top is golden brown and bread cubes are toasted
- serve and enjoy!
Notes
- depending on the type of bread you use you may not need all of the stock as some breads are softer and more sponge like than other stronger breads
