Thanksgiving Stuffing with Mushrooms, Cranberries, Pine Nuts, and Parmesan

There is something cozy about stuffing, don’t you think? Although Stovetop stuffing is good, I thought I would try my hand at my own stuffing. The science of stuffing is pretty easy. You start with butter, celery, and onions. Add some chicken or turkey stock. Mix it all together with a bunch of stale bread and mix in whatever yummy add-ins you can think of.

Personally, I don’t like to put the stuffing inside the turkey to cook. You can read why on my turkey page. Safety reasons and culinary reasons.  I feel like it is just as good baked in a separate dish. If you like the presentation of it coming out of the bird, stuff it afterwards. If you like the yummy toasted bits coming out of the bird, use a kitchen blow-torch to crisp up the top.

PRINTABLE RECIPE

Ingredients:

• 16 C. cubed bread ( I used sourdough)
• 1 stick butter
• 2 C. chopped onions
• 2 C. chopped celery
• 1 TBSP minced fresh sage
• 1 TBSP minced fresh thyme
• 1 bay leaf
• 3 C. chicken or turkey stock
• 2 eggs
• 1/4 C. chopped fresh parsley
• 1 1/4 lbs. mushrooms
• 3/4 C. grated parmesan cheese
• 1/4 C. cranberries
• 1/8 C. pine nuts
• 2 TBSP butter for dotting

Any other mix in’s like:

• Italian sausage
• ham
• wild rice
• chopped apples or pears
• bacon
• butternut squash
• any other vegetables
• any other cheeses

Directions:

1. Chop the bread into 1/4 inch cubes.

Stale bread works best, so either set it out ahead of time to get stale or toast it in the oven spread out on baking sheets for about 15 minutes at 300 F.

2. Melt 1 stick of butter in a large skillet on medium heat.

3.Add the celery, onions, sage, thyme, bay leaf, and salt and pepper to taste. I chopped my veggies a day early and saved in a Ziploc bag to save time on Thanksgiving. Cook for about 5 minutes or until the veggies are tender. Add the stock and let simmer for a couple of minutes. Remove bay leaf and remove from heat.

4. In a separate skillet, sauté the mushrooms in a little bit of olive oil.

5. In a very large bowl, whisk the eggs and fresh parsley. Add the bread cubes, veggie-broth mixture, mushrooms, cranberries, pine nuts, parmesan cheese, and any other mix ins you like.

6. Toss until well combined. I found it was easiest to just toss with my hands until all the bread was moist and mix- in’s were evenly distributed.

7. Transfer the mixture to a 3- 4 quart baking dish. Dot with about 2 TBSP. butter. Cover with foil and bake at 375 F for 30 minutes. Uncover and bake for 20 more minutes or until it is golden brown on top. You can put it in the oven with the turkey if you need to, but it might need more time to cook.

Tomorrow= Roasted garlic cheddar mashed potatoes

Recipe by Edible Experiments