My absolute favorite part of the Thanksgiving meal is the homemade dressing. It literally taste like comfort. And, the best part is, you can always adjust the recipe to make it your own or serve it the classic way.
Classic Thanksgiving Dressing
Ingredients:
Loaf of white bread, cut into 1-inch cubes, about 10 cups
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, plus an additional 2 tablespoons melted
2 yellow onions, diced
4 large stalks celery, diced
4 large carrots, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbs poultry seasoning
2 large eggs, beaten
2 cups turkey or chicken broth
1 teaspoon salt and black pepper
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 225°F. Spread the bread cubes on a large baking sheet and bake for 90 minutes or until quite crisp, stirring every half hour.
Heat the butter in a heavy skillet set over medium-high heat. Add the onions, celery, and garlic and cook, stirring frequently, for 10 minutes or the vegetables are very soft. Stir in the poultry seasoning and cook for 2 more minutes, then turn off the heat.
Beat the eggs with the broth, salt, and a generous quantity of black pepper. In a large bowl, fold together the toasted bread cubes with the cooked vegetables, then stir in the egg-broth mixture.
Spread in a lightly greased 3-quart baking dish and drizzle with the additional 2 tablespoons 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°F. Bake covered for 25 minutes. Remove foil and bake for 15 more minutes or until top is lightly browned. If you are baking the dressing directly from the refrigerator, expect to add 10 extra minutes baking time. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.
*For extra flavor you can add chopped apple, cranberries or even crumbled sausage.
