Meat Stuffing

Before I met my husband, I thought that all stuffing (or dressing as we referred to it at my house) was just bread that had soaked up broth, butter, and hopefully a little turkey drippings.  It served the same role as mashed potatoes and rolls- a carb rich side that filled up the large number of people you invited to your table.  Don’t get me wrong, I love massive amounts of carbs around the holidays, but I did not realize that stuffing could be so much more!

Enter my mother-in-law and her delicious meat stuffing.  Ground pork and beef form the bulk of this dish, with a few bread crumbs and pretty dried cranberries thrown in.  This stuffing is less of a side than it is a main attraction.  And there is nothing better than meat stuffed with meat (sorry- there are not a lot of vegetarians in our house!).  This stuffing is so good, it may be the reason I fell in love.

Think of this recipe as more of a guide than something you need to follow to the last measure. I try to stick to a 2/3 ground beef to 1/3 ground pork ratio. When I have more RSVP’s than I anticipated, I throw more bread in.  My mother-in-law’s original recipe did not call for poultry seasoning, but I keep it in as an homage to the dressing I grew up with.

I do not usually stuff my turkeys, but bake this up in a casserole dish with some additional broth and/or turkey drippings.  One day I will go into the many reasons why I do not actually ‘stuff’ my turkeys, but for today I will keep the diatribes to a minimum.

Meat Stuffing

2 lbs ground beef
1 lb ground pork
olive oil
6 Tbsp butter (divided)
1 medium to large onion, finely diced
1 cup diced celery
1 cup chicken broth (you may use more or less depending on the amount of bread used)
2 cups dried bread cubes
handful chopped fresh sage leaves and parsely
2 tbsp poultry seasoning
1/2 cup dried cranberries
salt and pepper

Heat a large dutch oven over medium-high heat.  Brown the meat in batches with a little olive oil and salt and pepper to ensure that it browns evenly and does not steam.  Remove the browned meat in between batches and at the end.  Add 2 tbsp of the butter and allow it to melt.  Add the onion and celery and stir occasionally until the vegetables are softened.  Return the meat to the pot.

Heat the remaining butter and chicken broth separately (I usually do this in a measuring cup in the microwave).  The butter should be melted into/on top of the broth.  Add your bread cubes and stir to combine, allowing it to soak up any fat or moisture from the meat.  Slowly add the broth/butter mixture until all of the bread is moist.  Add the seasoning and cranberries and stir to combine.

Place the stuffing in a large casserole dish with some additional broth or turkey drippings and cover with aluminum foil.  Cook in the oven at 350F for 30 minutes, or until heated through.  I usually take the cover off for the last 10 minutes to crisp up the top.

Note: the stuffing can be made in up to 2 days advanced.  Wait to bake the stuffing in the oven just prior to serving.  It will require additional time in the oven if not already warm.