This is not your mom’s Thanksgiving stuffing recipe. Thanksgiving stuffing, even when you don’t stuff the bird, is a must for your holiday meal. This easy recipe is versatile and can accommodate anyone in your family, from the meat-lovers to the health nuts and the vegetarians. You can divide the stuffing before adding in any extras, to make vegetarian or meat-happy stuffing. Even the kids won’t be able to resist at least trying your unstuffed turkey day stuffing.
Step 1
Peel the onion and dice it. Close your mouth, chew on bread or use any of your other favorite tricks to avoid crying while dicing up the onion. Wash and dice the celery stalks. Celery is a rich source of Vitamin K, which can help your aging relatives maintain strong bones.
Step 2
Melt the butter in a large frying pan on medium heat. Leave the pan uncovered and keep an eye on it, as you don’t want it to brown. If you want to skip the butter, sneak 3 tbsp. of beer and saute the vegetables in it. Another butter substitute is olive oil. Add the chopped vegetables once the butter is melted, and cook them until they are tender.
Step 3
Pour in the broth, and turn up the heat. Add freshly ground pepper and
a dash of ground sage. Chop up walnuts and apples if you want extra crunch in your stuffing. Walnuts are a great source of omega-3 fatty acids. The good fat in walnuts may fill you up and give you enough strength to avoid that second piece of Thanksgiving pumpkin pie.
Step 4
Stir in the bread cubes until they are moist, and the vegetables are mixed in well. Taste the stuffing, and add more spices to taste. Add the walnuts, raisins or apples to the stuffing for texture, or leave the stuffing as it is.
Step 5
Transfer the stuffing to a casserole baking dish. Add cooked, ground sausage for a meatier stuffing. Cover the dish and place in the oven to allow the stuffing to heat thoroughly, which will take about 30 minutes in a hot oven.
Warnings
- Use cubed bread, not bread crumbs, for a Thanksgiving stuffing with a texture that does not resemble baby food.
- Do not start the butter too early or with too much heat, or it will burn.
