Vegetarian Stuffing

I hope everyone enjoyed Thanksgiving, despite the pandemic that has interfered! This was the first time I've made stuffing from scratch. In the past, I've either made the boxed/bagged kind, or someone else has made it! I researched several recipes, but settled on this one and it was AMAZING. It was the talk of the day, and I think this will now be my go-to every year. It's a little time consuming, but so worth it! I wanted to make this vegetarian, so I modified it to use veggie stock instead of chicken stock, but you could use either. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

nonstick cooking spray, for baking dish

3/4 cup unsalted butter

1 lb day-old, good quality bread, torn into 1 inch pieces (I used french loaves)

2 1/2 cups yellow onion, chopped

1 1/2 cups celery, chopped

1/2 cup fresh parsley, chopped

2 tb fresh sage, chopped

1 tb fresh rosemary, chopped

1 tb fresh thyme, chopped

2 tsp salt

1 tsp pepper

2 1/2 cups vegetable stock or broth (or chicken)

2 large eggs

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 250 degrees. On a baking sheet, spread the bread pieces out evenly and bake for 1 hour to dry out the bread, stirring occasionally. While that's baking, prep all of your veggies and herbs. Take the bread out when done and let cool and set aside in a very large bowl.

Meanwhile, melt 3/4 cup butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat; add onions and celery. Stir often until just beginning to brown, about 10 minutes. Add to bowl with bread; stir in herbs, salt, and pepper. Drizzle in 1 1/4 cups broth and toss gently. Let cool.

Preheat oven to 350°F. Whisk 1 1/4 cups broth and eggs in a small bowl. Add to bread mixture; fold gently until thoroughly combined. Transfer to prepared dish, cover with foil, and bake for 40-45 minutes.