Name: Simple Holiday Stuffing
Total time: 3 h 5 min
Yield: Serves 10 to 12
Ingredients: 11/2 pounds hearty white sandwich bread, cut into 1/2-inch pieces (16 cups); 12 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 12 pieces; 2 onions, chopped fine; 2 celery ribs, chopped fine; 1 tablespoon poultry seasoning; 11/2 teaspoons salt; 3/4 teaspoon pepper; 21/2 cups chicken broth

Simple Holiday Stuffing

By Katie Leaird

Published on August 14, 2017

Time

2¾ hours, plus 20 minutes cooling

Yield

Serves 10 to 12

Featured Comment

"I thought 'simple' might indicate bland/boring, but I took a chance and WOW, this was great!" —Amanda P.

Stuffing in a roasting pan with serving spoon

Ingredients

1½ pounds hearty white sandwich bread, cut into ½-inch pieces (16 cups)12 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 12 pieces2 onions, chopped fine2 celery ribs, chopped fine1 tablespoon poultry seasoning1½ teaspoons salt¾ teaspoon pepper2½ cups chicken broth

Before You Begin

We developed this recipe using Bell’s Poultry Seasoning.

Make Ahead: Before drizzling butter over stuffing in step 4, cover dish with aluminum foil. Refrigerate stuffing and reserved butter for up to 24 hours. To serve, microwave reserved butter until melted. Remove foil, drizzle butter over stuffing, re-cover dish with foil, and bake for 15 minutes. Uncover and continue to bake until stuffing is heated through and top is golden brown, 30 to 35 minutes longer.

Instructions

Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 300 degrees. Arrange 1½ pounds hearty white sandwich bread, cut into ½-inch pieces, evenly on rimmed baking sheet. Bake for 25 minutes. Remove sheet from oven and stir bread to redistribute. Return sheet to oven and continue to bake until bread is light golden brown, 25 to 30 minutes longer. Let cool completely, then transfer to large bowl. (Cooled bread can be stored in zipper-lock bag for up to 2 days.) Increase oven temperature to 375 degrees.

Melt 12 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 12 pieces, in 12-inch skillet over medium-low heat. Continue to cook, swirling pan occasionally, until butter is dark golden brown and has nutty aroma, 5 to 7 minutes. Transfer 3 tablespoons browned butter to small bowl and set aside.

Add 2 finely chopped onions and 2 finely chopped celery ribs to skillet, increase heat to medium, and cook until vegetables are soft and beginning to brown, 10 to 13 minutes. Stir in 1 tablespoon poultry seasoning, 1½ teaspoons table salt, and ¾ teaspoon pepper and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add vegetable mixture to bowl with bread.

Add 2½ cups chicken broth to bread mixture and fold to combine. Let sit for 10 minutes. Fold again until broth is fully absorbed. Transfer stuffing to 13 by 9-inch baking dish and distribute evenly but do not pack down. Drizzle reserved butter evenly over top. Bake until golden brown and crisp on top, 30 to 35 minutes. Transfer dish to wire rack and let cool for 15 minutes. Serve.

TO MAKE AHEAD: Before drizzling butter over stuffing in step 4, cover dish with aluminum foil. Refrigerate stuffing and reserved butter for up to 24 hours. To serve, microwave reserved butter until melted. Remove foil, drizzle butter over stuffing, re-cover dish with foil, and bake for 15 minutes. Uncover and continue to bake until stuffing is heated through and top is golden brown, 30 to 35 minutes longer.