Best recipe for baked stuffing ?

December 23, 2023 1:03 PM

For (Canadian) Thanksgiving I made a recipe similar to this one for baked stuffing and it was fine but suuuuuper bland. What's a good recipe for baked stuffing that isn't bland? I can't figure out what the recipe was missing, but it was missing... something.
posted by VirginiaPlain to Food & Drink (21 answers total)

The recipe looks like a solid start. I would
- add tons of sage (I use dried, but I double, triple, or quadruple the amounts in my tried and true recipe)
- add about 1/2 cup to 3/4 cup of chopped water chestnuts towards the end of cooking the onion and celery (adds a nice texture),
- add a prepared sachet of Uncle Ben's Wild Rice when I add the bread crumbs.

I eat turkey only because it is a side dish to stuffing!
posted by Sauter Vaguely at 1:12 PM on December 23, 2023

I do not say this lightly, but consider the oyster. (Dressing, here, is stuffing.) This recipe is close to what my family uses, although we don't use bell peppers or egg. A grocery store with a good seafood counter or a seafood specialist will probably have fresh oysters pre-shucked, which is both cheaper and easier than buying them and shucking them yourself. Even as a child, I liked this recipe although I did not understand that what made it different was the oysters. It is IMO superior to any other stuffing, and would be superior in texture and general construction even if you made it without oysters and just used broth and butter.
posted by Frowner at 1:29 PM on December 23, 2023 [2 favorites]

In Maryland, sauerkraut is typically served as a separate dish for Thanksgiving, but I'll bet that adding some coarsely chopped kraut to your stuffing recipe would add some great texture and flavor.
posted by Faint of Butt at 1:38 PM on December 23, 2023

This is our go-to recipe. The game changer this year is I picked up a rosemary sourdough at the market and it made the stuffing soooo flavorful.
posted by inevitability at 1:39 PM on December 23, 2023 [2 favorites]

I would not use this recipe as a jumping off point; critically missing are eggs or other binder. Stuffing is on the bread-pudding continuum, just less on the soggy end of the spectrum.

Several years in a row, I've used something similar to this, but omitted the sausage and used a bunch of mushrooms (a mix of reconstituted porcini, and fresh white button + oyster mushrooms sauteed in batches in butter).

Also, using sourdough bread, and a dusting of MSG before it's baked off.
posted by furnace.heart at 1:40 PM on December 23, 2023 [1 favorite]

Best answer: Your linked recipe is very very similar to my own (Western Canadian) family's recipe but what is - in my opinion - crucially missing is winter savoury. I would omit the poultry seasoning that recipe writer links and put in a few of teaspoons of savoury and a teaspoon or two of dried sage (or a few fresh torn leaves. Also make sure you have enough salt in there; to taste is hard to judge when you're not able to actually taste it while preparing, but can also be adjusted after cooking if needed. In my experience the scent of the wet stuffing should make your mouth water on its own, before cooking. Mmmm, stuffing....
posted by urbanlenny at 2:02 PM on December 23, 2023 [1 favorite]

Response by poster: Some interesting suggestions so far! I'm just going to add a location note: I live in the Canadian Prairies. Ingredients like oysters or sage sausage in casing isn't something common I can just pick up at grocery store, especially a the day before Christmas Eve. I'm leaning towards more classic stuffing recipes, too. I just didn't grow up eating stuffing with meat in it, so it seems super bizarre to me. I'm sure it's tasty, but that's not what I'm after.
posted by VirginiaPlain at 2:03 PM on December 23, 2023

Best answer: The amount of dried herbs in the recipe is criminally small (1.5 tsp to 12 cups of bread?) so I’d start by adding WAY more herbs, both dried and fresh. Plenty of salt, depending on how salty the broth is. Also, the type of bread you’re using matters, try starting with something with its own flavor like the rosemary sourdough suggested upthread. I’d add some garlic as well, personally, but that’s probably less of a classic flavor profile.
posted by music for skeletons at 2:12 PM on December 23, 2023 [6 favorites]

This may be an impossible suggestion depending on what is actually sold at your grocery store, but a regional variation in the US is to add some Hatch green chile to stuffing. In much (but not all) of the western US, you can usually find it either jarred or in the frozen section. Here's a pretty typical recipe, but I've seen people add it to instant/box stuffing as well -- basically, it's an add-on to whatever stuffing recipe you would use.

It gives a really nice flavor, without much heat.
posted by Dip Flash at 2:22 PM on December 23, 2023

I came in here to recommend summer savoury, but I see urbanlenny (kind of) beat me to it! It's melds very well with other poultry seasonings like thyme and sage so you won't notice anything distinct, just a nice herby flavour.

My mother put fried turkey giblets into the stuffing and it was delicious, but I know that's not everyone's cup of tea.
posted by Stoof at 2:40 PM on December 23, 2023

Best answer: Absolute agree with music for skeletons about the bread:herb ratio, but my other question concerns the quality of broth you're using. Is it a nice strong chickeny bone broth, or little more than salty water? I hate to sing the praises of Galen Weston, but the the PC bone broth is the best I've ever bought.
posted by kate4914 at 2:43 PM on December 23, 2023 [3 favorites]

Best answer: I always add some of the drippings from the turkey to the stuffing when I bake it on the side.
posted by fimbulvetr at 2:51 PM on December 23, 2023 [6 favorites]

The recipe you linked is pretty close to what we make in the southern US and call “dressing” since we don’t stuff it into anything. Key differences: we make a pan of cornbread and crumble it instead of using sandwich bread and there’s an egg and only one onion. The sweet cornbread makes a good contrast with the savory herbs and broth. Maybe try it next year.
posted by erloteiel at 3:12 PM on December 23, 2023

Sage, Sage, SAGE!!!

More salt.

Turkey drippings if you've got them, richer stock if not.

(I'm pretty basic in my stuffings/dressings, as I grew up eating StoveTop more than actual real stuffing...)
posted by Windopaene at 3:15 PM on December 23, 2023 [2 favorites]

Add marjoram if it wasn't in the recipe. If it was, add more.
posted by jgirl at 3:21 PM on December 23, 2023

I use Pepperidge Farm or similar stuffing and use their recipe as a guideline. I don't add eggs. I usually use boxed broth and add Better Than Bouillon to make it more deeply flavored. I use at least 50% more onion and celery than the recipe says and a little more butter. I like poultry seasoning, I add fresh sage & thyme because they're in the garden, and garnish with parsley. Herbs are easy to grow, so I may try some winter savoury.
posted by theora55 at 3:31 PM on December 23, 2023 [2 favorites]

Celery seed adds a little extra base and hasn't been called out yet, but yes overall you just need more herbs and/or spices. A bit of milk and cornstarch (add milk to cornstarch) is good if you want a bit more binding but don't want eggs.
posted by SaltySalticid at 5:35 PM on December 23, 2023

I’ve made this vegetarian stuffing the past two years for American Thanksgiving and love it so much. It has been a big hit at family dinner. I think the apples and dried cranberries really enhance the flavor.
posted by hilaryjade at 7:10 PM on December 23, 2023

You're missing an element that will offset those savory flavors in order to complement them. I make a fairly similar stuffing but add a whole finely chopped Granny Smith apple. It makes a big difference! I also consider the stuffing the base for the other flavors that go onto the plate, so it's meant to have a fairly mild flavor. I always eat it with at least some cranberry sauce, as well as the other sides. I don't eat meat, so I'm all about the starches and veggies made these kinds of meals.
posted by Molasses808 at 8:44 PM on December 23, 2023 [2 favorites]

googling says cloverleaf brand in Canada has canned and smoked oysters
posted by brujita at 9:01 PM on December 23, 2023

I always use A LOT more sage than stuffing recipes call for. Agree with the chopped apple plus I like some chopped walnuts for texture.
posted by morchella at 1:47 AM on December 24, 2023 [2 favorites]