Buttery Herb Stuffing

 Yield:  8 people

Prep Time:  45 mins       Cook Time:  50 mins      Total Time: 1 hr 35 mins 

24 oz bread cubes, preferably toasted or stale

1 cup unsalted butter

3 cups diced sweet onion, roughly 2 large onions

2 cups diced celery

6 garlic cloves, minced

kosher salt and pepper

3 Tbsp chopped fresh sage

3 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley

3 Tbsp chopped fresh rosemary

2 1/2 cups chicken or vegetable stock

2 large eggs

a mixture of fresh herbs for sprinkling

1.  Note about the bread cubes! You have options here.  Stale or toasty bread works best.  The first option is that you can cut 1 1/2 lbs of bread into cubes, place it in a large baking dish, loosely tent with foil and let it sit overnight.  You can also cut the cubes and put them in oven, toasting them at 350 degrees until they are like croutons, about 15 minutes or so.  Finally, you can buy the toasted bread cubes in bags from the store.  It's your choice!  You can also choose the size of your cubes.  They can be small or larger for a mor rustic stuffing.

2.  You can use a mixture of stale and fresh bread.  Also, I like to use different kinds of bread (usually two), like a sourdough and Italian, and mix the cubes.  It provides great texture.

3.  Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Brush a 9x13 baking dish with melted butter, olive oil or spray with nonstick spray.  Place the bread in a large mixing bowl (this may be easier for you to stir) or the 9x13 inch baking dish that you will bake it in.

4.  Heat the butter in a large skillet or dutch oven over medium heat.  Once melted, stir in the onion, celery and garlic with a big pinch of salt and pepper- at least 1/2 to 1 tsp each.  Cook until the onions and celery soften, about 8 to 10 minutes.  Stir in the sage, parsley and rosemary.  Cook for another minute.  Stir  in 1 cup of stock.

5.  Pour the onion celery mixture over the bread crumbs and toss well to coat.

6.  In a small bowl or measuring cup, whisk together the remaining 1 1/2 cups stock and 2 eggs.

7.  Pour that mixture into the bread cubes and stir and fold the bread cubes until thoroughly combined.  Bake the stuffing for 45 to 50 minutes, until the internal temperature registers 160 degrees.  If the stuffing is getting too browned, you can tent it with foil.

8.  You can make this a day ahead of time and reheat it.  It's just as good!  You can also use this mixture to stuff the bird if you wish.

9.  To serve 4:  Cut this recipe in half exactly and bake it in an 8x8 or 9x9 inch dish.  I bake for the same amount of time.

10.  To serve 12 to 16:  Double this recipe exactly.  Bake in a large baking dish, like a 10x15 roasting pan, or baking in two 9x13 baking dishes.  I bake for roughly the same amount of time, or about 15 minutes longer.