Old Fashioned Bread Stuffing

By á-174535

The ultimate comfort food--old fashioned bread stuffing. Whether you stuff a bird, bake it in a casserole dish or make a in a slow cooker, there won't be many leftovers with this recipe.

Ingredients

• 1 cup chopped celery, about 2 stalks
• 1/2 cup chopped onion, about 1 medium
• 1/2 cup chopped carrot, about 1 medium
• 1/4 cup butter
• 1 tablespoon snipped fresh parsley, optional
• 1/2 teaspoon poultry seasoning
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 8 cups dried white bread cubes*
• 1 cups chicken broth

Preparation

Step 1

Preheat oven to 350°F. In a large skillet cook celery, onion, and carrot in hot butter over medium heat for 7 to 10 minutes or until tender, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat; stir in parsley (if desired), poultry seasoning, and pepper.

In a very large bowl combine celery and onion mixture with bread cubes. Drizzle with enough broth to moisten, tossing lightly to combine. Place stuffing in a 2-quart casserole.

Bake, covered, for 30 to 45 minutes or until heated through.

*TIP:
To make dry bread cubes, preheat oven to 300°F. Cut 12 to 14 slices white bread into 1/2-inch cubes to yield 8 cups. Spread into two 15x10x1-inch baking pans; bake for 10 to 15 minutes or until dry, stirring twice; cool. (Cubes will continue to dry and crisp as they cool.) Or let bread cubes stand, loosely covered, at room temperature for 8 to 12 hours.

Slow Cooker Directions:
Prepare as directed, doubling the amounts of all ingredients, except use 1-1/3 cups chicken broth. Omit the 2-quart casserole and lightly coat a 3-1/2- or 4-quart slow cooker with nonstick cooking spray. Spoon stuffing into the slow cooker. Cover and cook on low-heat setting for 3-1/2 to 4 hours. (Stuffing gets very moist as it cooks.)

Make-Ahead Directions:
Prepare as directed through Step 2, except do not preheat oven. Cover casserole tightly with plastic wrap; chill for up to 24 hours. To serve, preheat oven to 350°F. Remove plastic wrap. If desired, drizzle stuffing with an additional 1/4 cup chicken broth to moisten. Bake, covered, for 40 to 45 minutes or until an instant-read thermometer inserted into center of stuffing registers 165°F.