Yahoo Lifestyle We Tried Martha Stewart's Classic Stuffing Recipe and We Wish We’d It Discovered Years Ago
With Thanksgiving quickly approaching, the last thing you want is to run to the store for a last-minute menu item only to find that the ingredient you needed to bring that dish together is no longer available. While substitutions might work on any other day, hours before Thanksgiving simply is not the time for improvisating or experimenting. This is the time to stick with tried-and-true classics. Your guests are counting on staples like turkey, ham, sweet potatoes, mac and cheese and pecan pie.
If you’re running low on ingredients and your menu is looking a little shaky, one of the queens of the kitchen has a simple recipe for a classic dish that will put you back in the game. Martha Stewart’s Classic Stuffing calls for a loose list of ingredients that promise to come together in no time. Intrigued, I headed to the kitchen to get cooking. Here's what happened.
Get the recipe: Martha Stewart's Classic Stuffing
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Courtesy of Dante Parker
Ingredients for Martha Stewart’s Classic Stuffing
The list of ingredients isn’t elaborate at all, and Martha Stewart goes so far as to break them down into categories so you can use what you have. For the “bread,” you’ll want two loaves of stale bread cut into one-inch pieces. For the “aromatics,” you’ll need celery and onions. For the “herbs,” we went with a classic combination of sage and parsley. And lastly for the “stock,” you’ll want chicken stock or broth, preferably low-sodium broth.
Now depending on how fancy you want your stuffing, there is the option to add some “mix-ins.” In this case, Ms. Stewart calls for dried tart cherries and chopped pecans.
Related: The Martha Stewart-Approved Method to Getting the Juiciest Turkey Ever
Courtesy of Dante Parker
How to Make Martha Stewart’s Classic Stuffing
Butter a large baking dish and preheat the oven to 400°. In a skillet, melt butter over medium heat, then cook onions and celery for 10 minutes until translucent. Stir in parsley and sage, cooking for another 3 to 4 minutes. Add ½ cup of stock, simmer for 5 minutes until reduced, then transfer the veggie mixture to a large bowl. Mix in the bread plus the optional pecans and dried cherries ensuring the bread is just moistened.
Transfer the mixture to the baking dish, cover with foil, and bake for 20 minutes. Uncover and bake until golden brown, 25 to 30 minutes. Let the stuffing rest for 10 minutes before serving.
Related: Martha Stewart's Super-Simple Tip Will Give You the Fluffiest Baked Potato Ever
Courtesy of Dante Parker
What I Thought of Martha Stewart’s Classic Stuffing
My family is a dressing family, so the idea of eating stuffing is foreign to me. What's more, whether it was a stuffing or a dressing, I'm not one to add cherries, nuts, or apricots to either stuffing or dressing. And lastly, why are there so many onions!? You can say I was skeptical—that is until I gave Martha's stuffing a taste.
This stuffing was stellar, even with a tiny error I made (more on that later). It was buttery and full of flavor. Martha nailed it with the parsley and sage combo, which provided a big, bold one-two punch of savory aromatics. I'm definitely willing to give this stuffing another shot and might even go so far as introducing it to my family on Thanksgiving.
Related: The Store-Bought Item Martha Stewart Admits to Using for Her Thanksgiving Menu
Tips for Making Martha Stewart’s Classic Stuffing.
• If you fail to plan, you plan to fail. Prep your bread a day or two before cooking to allow it to get stale naturally. Take it from me, I chose to bake my bread because I forgot to leave the bread out for a few days. And while my stuffing was good, it could have been even better with dry bread. Toasting your bread before making the stuffing also means you run the risk of over-baking the bread and drying out the dish.
• Rip, don't cut, the bread. For a more rustic look and those nice craggy edges that get crispy in the oven, you can rip the bread instead of cutting it into pieces.
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