The best not-from-scratch stuffing

We must admit that when it comes to stuffing, we've always been fans of the packaged, seasoned bread cubes. Adding water, butter, sautéed chopped onions, celery, and sautéed sliced mushrooms has yielded stuffing we've all loved--year in and year out.

Therefore, we were interested in an item posted by Jenn Smith on seriouseats.com, a couple of years ago, in which she described a taste test that she and four others did of eight pre-packaged stuffing mixes.

Five people tried the mixes, she explained, "all made according to package instructions with unsalted butter and tap water. All were priced between $2.49 and $4.99.

"When tasting blind we all agreed that Stove Top turkey had the best flavor, with the 365 [Organic, from Whole Foods] entries as close seconds. Considering that the 365 mixes don't contain MSG or corn syrup, they were the overall favorite once we had background information.

"All store-bought mixes benefit from the addition of sautéed celery and onion, and the use of broth in place of water," she pointed out.

As a good rule of thumb. she added, about a cup each of one or two well-chopped add-ins--in addition to onions and celery--will enhance the stuffing mix without overwhelming it. Here are some of her suggestions:

  • Leeks and carrots
  • Pears and walnuts
  • Dried cherries and almonds
  • Blanched broccoli rabe and toasted pine nuts
  • Blanched escarole and golden raisins
  • Crisp bacon and figs
  • Sautéed chicken livers and dried currants
  • Sweet Italian sausage and pecans