Stuffing is my favorite part of Thanksgiving. Several years ago, I hunted for a no-frills stuffing recipe. I didn’t want meat, apples, or anything like that in it. I found this old-fashioned style bread and celery stuffing recipe, modified it, made it multiple times since, and still get loads of compliments on it. I’ve even made whole wheat bread stuffing using the same ingredients (that recipe is also below).
So, here’s what you do. Dry a loaf of store-bought white bread (or wheat bread as you’ll see below). Some people like to use a nice fresh loaf of French bread instead, which is of course, fine.
Cut the dried bread into cubes. Saute onions and celery in butter and add in poultry seasoning. Stir in the dried bread, pour chicken stock over the mixture. Put in a baking pan and bake for about 40 minutes. That’s it.
What I love about it is that nothing needs to be exact. If you have more bread, use it. If you like more crunch, add more celery. If it feels dry, add more chicken stock. You name it!
Easy Bread and Celery Stuffing Recipe
This easy stuffing recipe can be customized based on taste and how much stale bread you have.
Ingredients
- 1lb loaf of sliced white bread (or some people use French bread)
- 1 cup of butter
- 4 stalks of celery, chopped
- 1 onion, chopped
- 2 teaspoons Poultry Seasoning
- 1 cup chicken broth
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Let the bread slices dry until a little bit rough on the outside. If you don't have time to dry the bread, turn your oven on to 200 degrees, spread the bread slices on a cookie sheet, and bake for a few minutes until the side facing up is dry.
- Flip the bread over and bake the other side until dry. Then cut the bread into cubes.
- Melt the butter in a stock pot or Dutch oven. Cook the onion and celery until barely soft. If you cook them for too long, they will be soggy in the stuffing. It needs a little texture. Season with Poultry Seasoning, salt, and pepper.
- Stir in bread crumbs until most are coated. Pour in chicken broth. Chill and then stuff turkey or bake in a casserole pan at 350 degrees for 30-40 minutes. I like it a bit crispy on top so do it for almost the full 40. Up to you.
Notes
You can use cheap loaves of white bread, ends and all. It's a very inexpensive side dish. The drier the bread, the better. I thought I didn't have enough stuffing once, so I just took a frozen loaf of white bread and put it straight in the oven to dry it out. It was totally fine.
The other thing I do is save the ends of bread that no one wants to eat and make a quarter version of this recipe to serve outside of Thanksgiving. Even if they are wheat, I’ll toss them into this stuffing. No one has any idea they are there.
Easy Whole Wheat Stuffing Recipe
Speaking of wheat bread… guess what? The same recipe above works well with a loaf of whole wheat bread. Does it taste better? It depends on your preferences, but gravy goes on top either way! But I put it in a recipe card so that you can print it if you like.
Easy Whole Wheat Bread, Celery and Onion Stuffing Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 1lb loaf of sliced whole wheat bread
- 1 cup of butter
- 4 stalks of celery, chopped
- 1 onion, chopped
- 2 teaspoons Poultry Seasoning
- 1 cup chicken broth
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Let the bread slices dry until rough on the outside. If you don't have time to dry the bread, turn your oven to 200 degrees, spread the bread slices on a cookie sheet, and bake for a few minutes until the side up is dry. Flip the bread over and bake the other side until dry. Whole wheat bread takes a little bit longer to dry out than white bread does.
- Cut bread into 1-2 inch cubes.
- Melt the butter in a stock pot or dutch oven. Cook the onion and celery in the butter until barely soft. Season the mixture with Poultry Seasoning, salt, and pepper.
- Stir in bread crumbs until coated. Pour in chicken broth.
- Chill and then stuff turkey or bake in a casserole pan at 350 degrees for 40 minutes.
Roasted Brussels Sprouts With Grapes
Here’s another recipe to enjoy at home or as a Thanksgiving side dish. I didn’t like brussels sprouts until I was in my 30s. My mom made them for my daughter once, and, to our complete surprise, she loved them. So, we had to up our brussels sprout intake.
When the November issue of Whole Living Magazine (a former Martha Stewart publication) landed in my mailbox, I knew I had to make the roasted brussels sprout recipe on the cover. Because I have a habit of not thoroughly reading recipes before starting them, I accidentally omitted a few steps. I’ll give you my version, which is a little easier than Martha’s, is still delicious, and you can wing it a little bit too.
Roasted Brussels Sprouts With Grapes And Walnuts
Ingredients
- 1 - 2 lbs Brussels sprouts
- Red grapes
- Whole walnuts
- Olive oil
- Balsamic vinegar (1 or 2 tablespoons)
- A few sprigs of fresh thyme (don't worry if you don't have it)
- Salt
- Pepper
- I am not giving exact measurements because this recipe can and should be adapted to your taste. And, my mom took the magazine from my house so I can't even tell you what the exact measurements are supposed to be. This recipe works because the grapes add sweetness to counterbalance the bitterness of the brussels sprouts. Trust me, it's delish.
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
- Slice the brussels sprouts in half and spread them out on a half sheet pan.
- Grab a handful or two (personal preference) of grapes and toss them on.
- Grab a handful or two or whole walnuts and add them too. (FYI - Martha does not roast the walnuts on the pan. She adds them in at the end. I personally think they taste better roasted.)
- Drizzle enough olive oil on the above to just cover all of it.
- Sprinkle the thyme over everything.
- Roast for about 20 minutes, or until the brussels sprouts brown slightly.
- If you can remember (which I usually don't), toss the mixture half way.
- Remove from the oven and toss with 1-2 tbsp of balsamic vinegar.
- Add salt and pepper to taste.
- Serve warm.
I realize the combination of brussels sprouts and grapes is odd, but trust me on this one. My daughter loves it and think about all the antioxidants and health benefits that are lurking in this dish.
Enjoy!
Katie Dillon is the managing editor of La Jolla Mom. She helps readers plan San Diego vacations through her hotel expertise (that stems from living in a Four Seasons hotel) and local connections. Readers have access to exclusive discounts on theme park tickets (like Disneyland and San Diego Zoo) and perks at luxury hotels worldwide through her. She also shares insider tips for visiting major cities worldwide, like Hong Kong, London, Paris, and Shanghai, that her family has either lived in or visits regularly (or both).
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