Basic Bread Stuffing

This is the American classic. There are endless variations. Try it with sausage and apple, mushrooms, chestnuts or oysters. This recipe is adapted from Thanksgiving 101 by Rick Rodgers (Broadway Books, 1998). He recommends trying to use homemade turkey stock.

8 tablespoons (1 stick) butter

1 large onion, chopped

3 medium celery ribs with leaves, chopped

One 15-ounce bag cubed seasoned stuffing or 1 pound firm white sandwich bread, cut into 1/2-inch cubes (10 cups) and dried overnight*

1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

3 cups homemade turkey stock or canned reduced-sodium chicken broth, or as needed

2 teaspoons poultry seasoning, preferably homemade** (optional)

Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

*You also can bake the bread cubes in a 350-degree oven, stirring occasionally, until they are dry and beginning to crisp, 20 to 30 minutes. 

**To make homemade poultry seasoning, combine 1 teaspoon each: crumbled dried rosemary, crumbled dried sage, dried thyme, dried marjoram and celery salt. Ad 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper. Crush all ingredients together in a mortar and pestle, minifood processor or spice grinder.