Every year for Christmas and Easter dinner, my mom makes stuffing balls. I only recently began eating them. I am not a huge stuffing fan…I know some people who live for stuffing during holiday meals!
When I lived at home with my parents, many times I would help my mom make the stuffing balls. I enjoyed chopping vegetables, so I oftentimes got the task of chopping up the celery and onion. It was always a toss-up whether the onions would make me cry or not!
My husband and I have been cutting up stale bread and hotdog/hamburger buns throughout the past couple years and freezing bread cubes, rather than just throwing them away. But we rarely have opportunity to use them, so I offered to make the stuffing for our family Christmas dinner this year.
My mom is about the only person I know who makes stuffing balls instead of one big pan of stuffing. So she gave me her recipe and I made the stuffing…and now I am going to share it with you! It is tasty!
I made these stuffing balls on Christmas Eve (but did not bake them) and they kept until Christmas easily. I just kept them cold in the refrigerator. (If it is cold enough outside, they could stay on the porch too, as long as they are covered well.)
This recipe begins with chopped up onion and celery, which gets cooked in butter…a lot of butter! Once the veggies are softened, some spices and herbs get added and cooked for about 5 minutes.
The mixture is then poured over 12 cups of bread cubes. If you buy them at the grocery store, it should be about one bag. The last ingredients are milk and eggs, which get beaten together lightly and poured over the bread cube mixture.
I used a spatula to stir up the stuffing, but if you are feeling adventurous, you can use your hands!
Once all of the ingredients are combined, roll the stuffing into 2 1/2 inch balls and place them in a buttered 9X12 baking dish. Fifteen stuffing balls should fit exactly in the bottom of the dish.
Before we baked the stuffing, my dad poured some ham broth over the top of each stuffing ball.
Then they were placed in the oven at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for about 20 minutes, or until browned on top.
This stuffing recipe is rather simple and traditional, but delicious all the same!
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup unsalted butter
- 2 cups chopped onions
- 1 cup chopped celery
- 1 Tbsp dried parsley
- 1/2 Tbsp poultry seasoning
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp pepper
- 12 cups bread cubes (1 bag)
- 1 cup milk
- 2 eggs (beaten)
- Broth (whatever meat you are preparing)
Instructions
- Mix onion and celery in butter and cook until tender.
- Add seasonings, stir, and cook for about 5 minutes.
- Remove from heat. Pour over bread cubes. Mix well.
- Combine milk and eggs. Pour over bread cubes. Mix well.
- Form into 2 1/2 inch balls and place in buttered baking dish.
- Pour broth over balls (about 1-2 Tbsp per ball).
- Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 20 minutes (until golden brown on top).
This sounds delicious!
They really are! I like that they are individual portions, so that makes it a little easier for me to not eat too much!