Traditional Stuffing with Mushrooms

One of my favorite parts of the Thanksgiving meal has always been the stuffing.  Whether cooked inside the bird or separately in a casserole dish, it doesn’t feel quite like Thanksgiving to me without it.  Here is a traditional bread stuffing recipe, with the addition of mushrooms, because of course, mushrooms make anything better.

Ingredients

1 loaf white bread, cut into approx. 1” pieces (8 cups)

2 T butter, divided

1 onion, finely chopped

2 celery stalks, finely chopped

12 oz mushroom, diced small

2 T fresh sage, finely chopped, or 2 t dried sage

2 cups chicken stock

2 eggs

Salt and pepper

Toast the bread cubes and leave out overnight to dry out.

Preheat oven to 400ºF.  Lightly grease a 2 quart baking dish.

Melt 1 tablespoon butter in large skillet over medium high heat.  Add onion and celery to skillet, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and cook until soft, 5 to 7 minutes.  Transfer to a large bowl.

Melt the other tablespoon of butter in same skillet.  Add mushrooms and sage, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and cook until mushrooms are browned, about 5 minutes.  Add ¼ cup chicken stock, scraping up any browned bits.  Transfer to bowl with onion and celery.  Add bread cubes to mixture in bowl.

In a small bowl, whisk together remaining chicken stock and eggs.  Pour enough over bread mixture to make it moist, but not mushy.  Add salt and pepper to taste, then toss to combine.  Spoon into prepared baking dish.  Bake for 30 minutes, until golden brown and crisp on top.