Stuffing - Thanksgiving
When Gary and I were going to celebrate our first Thanksgiving together we both insisted that "Our Mom" made the best Thanksgiving stuffing. It turned out we were both right. Our mothers share an eastern European heritage and made the same stuffing! The recipe below is big because we want leftovers. It makes two 9" x 13" pans. The stuffing can be frozen uncooked or cooked. The recipe can easily be halved if you would like less stuffing. But why?
Ingredients
2 lbs ground sausage (I use Jimmy Dean hot)3 lbs Onion - chopped (Approximately 8 cups)
1 big bunch of celery - chopped (Approximately 4 cups = 1 lb/8 stalks)
Four - 20 oz bags of white bread - cubed*
1 bunch fresh parsley - chopped
14 oz chicken stock/broth
Salt & Pepper (We use 1 Tbsp salt, 2 Tbsp pepper)
*To cube the bread, we spread the bread slices over several cookie sheets for several hours to overnight. With the bread a little drier it is easier to cut into cubes. Our personal preference is to have less crust in the stuffing so we cut off and discard one to two sides of the crust. Then cut the bread slices into 12 cubes.
Instructions
Lightly butter two 9x13-inch baking dish. Heat the oven to 350° F.In a large skillet over medium heat, cook the sausage, breaking it up and stirring frequently, until the sausage is no longer pink. Remove sausage.
Add the onion and celery to the sausage grease and cook, stirring, until the vegetables are softened, about 5 to 7 minutes. (You can substitute butter or olive oil for the sausage grease.)
Use a large kitchen garbage bag (13 gallon) instead of a bowl (best tip ever from my mother Sonya). Toss the bread cubes with the parsley, onions, celery, and sausage. Add salt and pepper to taste. While tossing slowly drizzle in the chicken broth until well moistened, but not mushy. Pack gently into the prepared baking dish and cover tightly with foil.
Bake for 45 minutes. Optional - Remove the foil and broil for about 3 to 4 minutes, or just until browned on top. (I do not brown my stuffing.)
Serves 10 to 12.
Tips and Variations
The stuffing may be made a day in advance. Cover and refrigerate overnight. Take it out of the refrigerator about 20 minutes before baking.
The stuffing may be frozen uncooked. Thaw before baking.