Are you planning a big get-together? Thanksgiving?, Christmas? or another occasion?. Cooking space can be challenging when doing so. Oven space is limited with Turkey, Ham, and other goodies. So why not make crockpot stuffing? Sounds strange, I know. But it is really good. In fact, I prefer crockpot stuffing over stuffing made in the oven. As long as you don’t leave the keep warm on too long it will stay moist.
What Is The Best Bread For Stuffing
You can use just about any kind of bread for stuffing. Many use cornbread, bagels, or buns. But a bread with a neutral flavor with a tendency to be a little on the sweet side such as white bread, challah, or brioche are very good choices.
Bread needs to be stale when making stuffing. If you use fresh bread you will end up with bread soup. Not very appetizing if you ask me. Why does bread need to be stale or dry? you ask. That dry bread will better absorb all that flavorful stock/broth and seasonings.
Stuffing should be moist, not wet with a soggy texture. I know, many like a drier stuffing with a crunchy top. Not me. I like my stuffing moist and fluffy. I want to scoop my stuffing and not be able to cut it into squares. But that’s me.
Is There A Difference Between Dry and Stale Bread?
Stale bread may feel hard like dry bread but the stale bread still contains some moisture. Watch the video below for an explanation.
What Is The Best Way To Dry Out Bread For Stuffing?
If you are going with stale bread, leave your bread out overnight in a warm place and cover it loosely. If you are going with dry bread. Cut your bread into 1-inch cubes and place them on a large baking sheet. Into a 225 degree oven for 30-40 minutes. Don’t let them brown.
3 slices of bread equal approximately 1 cup of bread cubes. I have many times dried out extra bread and buns from a cookout, in the oven. Then I let them cool and placed them into bags and into the freezer until I needed them for making stuffing.
I have also used leftover homemade bread. There are only 2 in my household so when I make homemade bread, there are always some that don’t get eaten.
Eggs In Stuffing? Yea or Nay?
The egg is used as a binder in the stuffing. So adding an egg or not? There is no wrong answer to this question. That is up to personal preference. I have been known to add an egg but there have been times that I have not. But when adding an egg I just add 1 egg. I honestly don’t notice any difference.
Crockpot Stuffing
Ingredients
- 12 cups dry bread cubes
- 1 cup chopped onion
- 1 cup chopped celery
- 1 cup butter
- 1 10.5 oz can cream of mushroom soup
- 3-4 cups chicken broth
- 1 egg, slighty beaten
- 1/2-1 teaspoon sage
- 1/2 teaspoon rosemary
- to taste salt
- to taste pepper
Instructions
- Place bread cubes in a large bowl
- Saute onion and celery in butter just until soft
- Add onion and celery, salt, pepper, sage, and rosemary to bread cubes
- Add cream of mushroom soup
- Add 1 beaten egg
- Add broth 1 cup at a time. Mix lightly. Let the stuffing sit for a few minutes before adding the next cup. Add enough broth until stuffing is moist but not wet.
- Spray crockpot with cooking spray and add stuffing to the pot, lightly. Do not pack it down.
- Cook on high for 30 minutes and then on low for 3 to 4 hours.
- Enjoy!
When adding the broth, let the stuffing sit for a few minutes to absorb the broth before adding more.
Be careful when adding salt. The chicken broth has lots of salt in it so you want to make sure you are not adding too much. Nothing tastes worse than salty stuffing.
Start with 1/2 teaspoon sage and taste the stuffing before adding the egg, you may need to add more sage, depending on how much of a sage taste you want. I want a hint of sage. Some like a stronger sage taste.
My daughter made crockpot stuffing for our annual Thanksgiving Dinner. It was really good. My only complaint: she cut the onion and celery too fine. I want to know there is celery and onion in there and want to bite into them. Why did she cut the celery and onion so fine? For her family. They do not want to know it is in there:)
Final Thoughts
Whether you call it stuffing or dressing, crockpot stuffing is the way to go. Not only does it free up oven space for all the other yummy things you are cooking/baking, but you can also put it on to cook and forget it for a while. Leaving you time to concentrate on other things.
Whether you decide to use stale, dry, or pre-packaged bread cubes is a personal preference as well as whether to use eggs or not. No matter what you use regarding eggs or type of bread cubes it will be yummy. And so easy.
The only thing to really remember when making stuffing is that you need to use stale or dry bread, not fresh. After all, you don’t want bread soup!
Have you made Crockpot stuffing? Please leave me a comment below with your thoughts.
And As Always
Have A Wonderful Day!
