Simple Stuffing Recipe that will be making an appearance at every holiday dinner. This stuffing is made with Italian bread, apples, celery, onions, and herbs. Don’t miss the tips on how to make bread stale quickly.
Stuffing Recipe
Ah, stuffing, a wonderful bread side dish that is a must for many holiday dinners. What started out as a way to cook the turkey moist and juicy, evolved into a delicious bread side dish.
There is much debate among family members and friends whether to call this dish “stuffing” or “dressing,” but either way you call it, we all know that is a delicious addition to Thanksgiving and Christmas dinner.
This is a simple stuffing recipe made with celery, onions, and herbs. To add another layer of flavor and a little sweetness, I saute fresh apples along with onions and celery and mix a little apple juice with broth.
Addition of apple is a delightful sweet surprise in every bite and pairs perfectly with turkey and many other side dishes.
How to make stale bread:
It’s a silly question isn’t it, “how to make Stale Bread?”
Simple answer might be, “leave it on a counter for a week and it becomes a weapon.” But, there are actually two ways to stale bread for recipes. There is a slow way and a fast way.
One way to stale bread is to leave it to air-dry for about 24 hours.
Tip: Buy Italian bread that is already thinly sliced and leave it in the fridge for a couple of hours. It just makes it easier to cut when it’s cold.
Cut bread slices into small cubes that are about 1/2-inch in size. Use serrated bread knife to cut bread.
Spread bread cubes in two large baking sheets evenly and leave them to get stale for about 24 hours.
To stale the bread fast:
Preheat oven to 200.
After spreading the bread cubes in two large baking sheets, place the trays in the oven.
Let them harden for about 2 hours.
Take them out and you can prepare the stuffing right away.
More holiday side dish recipes to check out:
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Simple Stuffing Recipe
This stuffing is made with Italian bread, apples, celery, onions, and herbs. Don't miss the tips on how to make bread stale quickly.
Ingredients
- 1 lb Italian bread sliced
- 2 tbsp canola oil
- 1 yellow onion
- 12 oz celery stalk (1 small stalk)
- 12 oz sweet apples (2 medium apples)
- 1/2 tbsp thyme
- 1 tbsp minced parsley
- 2 1/2 cups chicken or vegetable broth
- 1/2 cup apple juice
- 3 eggs
- salt
- fresh cracked black pepper
Instructions
Make stale bread:
Preheat oven to 200.
Cut bread slices into small cubes that are about 1/2-inch in size. Use serrated bread knife to cut easier.
Spread bread in two large, rimmed baking sheets evenly and place the trays in the oven.
Let them bake and harden for about 2 hours.
Take them out and you can prepare the stuffing right away.
Stuffing:
Preheat oven to 375. Grease a 9x13 casserole dish. (You can also use a deep 9x9 baking dish).
Dice onion and celery. Peel, core, and dice the apple. Try to get all the cuts as equal as possibly.
Preheat a medium cooking pan over medium heat. Add oil.
Add onion and celery and saute until onions are transparent.
Add apples and cook until veggies are softened. Take off heat.
In a large mixing bowl (and I mean large), combine stale bread cubes, cooked veggies, thyme, parsley, salt and pepper. Gently mix everything until evenly incorporated.
In a separate bowl, whisk the eggs. Whisk in broth and apple juice. Season with some salt and stir well.
Pour the liquid into the bowl with bread and veggies and quickly mix everything together as evenly as possible.
Transfer into prepared baking dish and bake for 40-45 minutes.
Recipe Notes
All images and text ©Lyubov Brooke for ©Will Cook For Smiles. Please do not use my images without prior permission. If using my posts in collections and features, please link back to this post for the recipe. Disclaimer: Nutrition information shown is not guaranteed to be 100% accurate as most ingredients and brands have a slight variation.
DIANA TAYLOR
looks good I will give it try thanks for the share
lyuba
Thank you, Diana! I hope you will like it.
Brenda
You didn’t say what temperature to bake the stuffing.
lyuba
Hi Brenda! Yes, I noticed that today, fixed it, and I am so sorry! It’s 375 🙂
Brenda T
What type of apples do you use? And can I make it the day before and reheat it?
lyuba
Hi Brenda!
I used sweeter apples, like Gala or Pink Lady. Technically, you can make it and reheat in the day before but I find this particular side dish best fresh from the oven. Things like sweet potatoes and mashed potatoes, I made the day before, but stuffing, I make the day of. You can definitely bake it and then reheat it though if you wish 🙂
Just cover it with foil so it doesn’t burn on top and reheat until warm throughout.
Miranda
Can you use packaged bread cubes with this recipe
lyuba
Hi Miranda!
Sure can! Just use the unflavored ones and the same amount 🙂
Tina Sawmiller
Can I bake the bread the day before?
LyubaB
Hi Tina! Sorry for my late response! You could bake the the night before or just leave the bread out overnight and you wont have to bake it. It is to make the bread a little stale. Hope that helps!