Recipe(tried): Sage Bread Dressing for Turkey

This is the original dressing my mother used to make with a few modifications.. I do not use homemade soups but canned.

Sage TURKEY DRESSING

3 to 4 loaves of bread cut into bread crumbs a little larger than salad croutons
3 to 4 medium to large yellow onions chopped
4 to 6 stalks of celery chopped finely
2 to 4 sticks of BUTTER 1/2 to 1 LB. (do not use margarine)
4 tsp of salt
2 to 4 tsp of freshly ground pepper
2 cans of cream of mushroom soup
2 cans of cream of chicken soup
1 to 2 cups of chicken or turkey stock/broth
4 tsp of poultry seasoning
2 to 5 tsp of sage
2 large turkey roasting pans (for bread crumbs)

You can prepare the bread crumbs and onions and celery the night before if you want to get a head start in the morning.(I usually do)

Take a large skillet or wok and melt butter adding onions and celery to pan. You will be cooking the onions and celery mix on medium heat. Cook until onions are translucent. Remove from heat and cool until able to touch the mixture without burning yourself.

To bread crumbs that will occupy both roasting pans you will want to add your seasonings evenly mixing the bread crumbs to distribute it evenly.

Next add onion/celery mixture to bread crumbs and let sit for 3-5 minutes. Mix onions and bread together well using your hands squeezing the mixture compacting the bread crumbs somewhat.

Next add the soups to the mixture. (At this point you may be able to combine everything into one pan) Mix soups evenly with bread crumbs if still in two pans. Squishing the bread crumbs into your hands and working the soups into the crumbs with the onion butter mixture.

Add 1 cup of broth at this point to all the bread crumbs that should be in one pan at this point mixing well. If the bread stuffing is not moist enough for your tastes add more broth mixing well.

Now is the time to taste the bread mixture.. Basically you are tasting now to adjust seasonings.. You may have to add more poultry seasoning and or sage. First add any poultry seasoning you need then add sage sparingly as for some it can cause a very upset stomach after eating. Bad indigestion from too much sage. Err on the side of caution.

Once you are happy with the taste of the dressing you can stuff your bird with this. You may also have about a bread pan of stuffing leftover. With this you can either form it into a loaf pan or into muffin tins.

If cooking the stuffing separately you need to bake it at 375 degrees for no less than 30 minutes if doing it as muffins and 45 to 60 minutes if in a loaf pan.

Be sure to reference text on how long to roast your turkey if it is stuffed as it will increase the roasting time somewhat. But there is nothing like pulling fresh stuffing from the turkey and spooning it onto your plate. It has such a great taste..

If cooking the dressing in loaf pans with turkey I would use some of the turkey drippings to baste over the dressing in the pans to give it that unique turkey flavoring. It is so good. Enjoy
charlie