Cooked outside of the turkey, your classic stuffing becomes what’s called “dressing.” The rules are almost the same though, and this Classic Sage Turkey Dressing is hearty and delicious served with poultry.
Author:Bill Dugan
Prep Time:1 hour 45 minutes
Cook Time:50 minutes
Total Time:2 hours 35 minutes
Yield:Serves 6 to 8 1x
Category:Entrées
Ingredients
Scale
16– to 18-ounce loaf of rustic white bread cut into 1-inch cubes, about 10 cups
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, plus 2 additional tablespoons melted
1 pound yellow onions, diced
4 large celery stalks, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup finely chopped, fresh sage leaves
Leaves from 4 stalks of thyme
2 large eggs, beaten
2 cups turkey, chicken, or vegetable stock
1 teaspoon sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 225 degrees. Spread the bread cubes in a single layer on a large baking sheet and bake for 90 minutes, or until crisp, stirring every 30 minutes.
Heat the 4 tablespoons of butter in a skillet. Add the onions, celery, and garlic and cook, stirring frequently, for 10 minutes, until the vegetables are very soft. Stir in the sage and thyme and cook for 2 more minutes, then turn off the heat.
Beat the eggs with the broth, salt, and a generous amount of pepper. In a large bowl, fold together the toasted breadcrumbs with the cooked onion and celery mixture, then stir in the egg-broth mixture.
Spread the dressing into a lightly greased 3-quart baking dish and drizzle with melted butter.
At this point, the dressing can be covered with foil and refrigerated overnight or up to 24 hours.
When ready to bake, heat the oven to 375 degrees and bake, covered with foil, for 25 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for an additional 15 minutes.
Let the dressing stand for 10 minutes before serving.
Notes
If you’re baking the dressing from the refrigerator, allow an additional 10 minutes of baking time.
