Herb Butter Holiday Stuffing

Chunks of stale bread are tossed with an onion and garlic-infused butter with fresh herbs like thyme, summer savoury, parsley, and sage. Moistened with vegetable stock and whisked eggs, this Herb Butter Holiday Stuffing just might be the most favoured side dish! Bake it in a pan on its own or stuff the turkey with it – this stuffing is delicious both ways!

It seems like a lifetime ago now when I first faced the reality of preparing a vegetarian thanksgiving dinner. At the time, it was the cause of much stress, but as it turns out, it wasn’t difficult at all! My entire life before meeting Johne., celebratory dinners always included a turkey or a ham – some large-scale, impressive meat of sorts. Preparing an entire thanksgiving without it was easier than I thought, and it was probably because it forced me to become familiar with dishes like this Herb Butter Holiday Stuffing!

In years past, my vegetarian would pull up a chair and feast (not so happily!) on mashed potatoes. He couldn’t eat the turkey, obviously. The green beans probably had bacon, as did the brussels sprouts. You know the gravy was made from turkey drippings, so that was out. And lastly, most of us have a go-to stuffing recipe that has sausage as a main ingredient. What was a vegetarian to do but sit patiently and wait for the pumpkin pie?

Thanksgiving is my second favourite time of the year. You all know that Christmas wins for first place – hands down! But when it comes to food, Thanksgiving has to be the best! What other time of the year can you eat five different types of roasted root vegetables, a generous helping of stuffing, nap-inducing turkey, all smothered in salty gravy? And not one person will judge you for overeating so much that you have to unbutton your pants. It’s a food lover’s dream!

THANKSGIVING DOES NOT NEED TO BE STRESSFUL!

Many times holiday meals can be stressful. Personally, I think those stresses are brought on by two things. First, we overthink and over plan the meal. If you roast a turkey and prepare just two sides with a good gravy, that’s all you need. Don’t go making five or more side dishes. There’s absolutely no need for it, unless, of course, you thrive on stress like I do!

Secondly, we invite people we don’t really want around our table. We all have one or two family members who cause our blood pressure to rise. I say invite your chosen family! After all, it’s your home and your turkey! Do whatever makes you happy!

FOOD, FAMILY (CHOOSEN OR OTHERWISE!) AND MEMORIES – THEY ALL TIE TOGETHER NICELY

Looking back, all holidays were the same for me as a child.  I grew up in Newfoundland where eating is a religious practice.  We all know that eating brings family and friends together. But, when referring to traditional Newfoundland culture, preparing meals for holiday time was a big ordeal.  And nearly every household celebrated with food the same way.

Christmas, Easter, Thanksgiving, and even New Year’s Day, were all days when my mom would prepare a traditional Newfoundland meal.  And depending on the season and what was readily available, the meal was always the same.

She would cook a huge turkey and stuff it with bread-based stuffing. The stuffing is prepared with savoury, which is a traditional Newfoundland spice.  (Many people will suggest that summer savoury is the same thing. But, a true Newfoundlander will argue that it is not!  You can get the real stuff here if you want to try it: Savoury.)

The turkey was served with boiled potatoes, turnips, cabbage, carrots, etc., which were all cooked in the same pot with salt beef.  I’m getting off-topic… The point here is that traditional holiday flavours are what you make it. And, in our home, that involves stuffing baked in a pan without meat, just like this Herb Butter Holiday Stuffing!

INGREDIENTS NEEDED FOR THIS RECIPE

The following is a list of the ingredients needed to prepare this recipe. For exact amounts and measurements, refer to the printable recipe card located near the bottom of this post.

• Baguette – I usually buy the bread a few days in advance so that it has time to get a little stale.
• Olive Oil
• Butter – I like to use unsalted butter to keep the sodium low.
• Onions – White or yellow onions work well. I have used shallots too.
• Salt and Ground Black Pepper
• Garlic – Freshly minced garlic will give you more flavour.
• Fresh Herbs – Fresh herbs are important to this stuffing recipe, so I encourage you to not use dried herbs here. You will need fresh rosemary, sage, thyme, summer savoury, and parsley.
• Vegetable Stock – Use low sodium stock if possible.
• Eggs
• Non-Stick Cooking Spray

HOW TO MAKE HERB BUTTER HOLIDAY STUFFING

Heat the olive oil and butter in a large skillet over medium-low heat. Add the onions, salt and pepper. Saute until the onions are caramelized, stirring occasionally at first and more frequently as onions begin to brown. Once the onions are cooked, add the garlic. Stir into the onions and cook for 2-3 minutes more. Next, stir in the sage, thyme, summer savoury, rosemary, and parsley. Cook for 1 minute. Turn off the heat and set the onion and herb mixture aside to cool.

In the meantime, preheat your oven to 375 degrees F. Once the onions are cooled, pour in the vegetable stock and stir to combine. Next, stir in the whisked eggs. Transfer the prepared baguette to a large mixing bowl. Pour in the onion and egg mixture. Gently toss until all of the bread pieces are well coated and the liquid has been almost fully absorbed.

Transfer the mixture to large baking dish which has been well greased with non-stick cooking spray. Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 30 minutes. Remove the boil and spray the surface of the stuffing with cooking spray. Bake for 15-20 minutes more until stuffing is golden brown. Cover with foil to keep warm until ready to serve. Enjoy!

WHAT IS THANKSGIVING WITHOUT LOTS OF SIDES?

For me, Thanksgiving dinner is all about a perfectly roasted turkey with all of the fixings. I always prepare Sauteed Green Beans with Caramelized Shallots and Rosemary Roasted Radishes. And, of course, my favourite side, stuffing! If I’m not preparing this herb butter version, I’m certainly making this Baguette Stuffing with Swiss Chard and Caramelized Onions.

Of course, there must be mashed potatoes, roasted carrots, and gravy too! So, here we have all of this food and I would always feel guilty that John.e could not completely indulge. In recent years, I’ve prepared a Tofurkey too so that he’s not left out.

QUESTIONS?

If I have not answered all of your questions in the text above, don’t hesitate to reach out to me! You can contact me by sending me a message in the comments section further down the page. I will try my best to answer as soon as possible! You might reach me even faster by following me on Facebook and sending me a private message. Scroll down below the recipe card to find my Follow Me on Social Media box and never miss another recipe!