I’m attributing these stuffing muffins totally to an “OMG, I am such an idiot” moment I had yesterday. You know, the ones where you literally smack yourself in the forehead and say out loud, “How did I manage to screw that up?!?”
I had scheduled an appearance on Good Day Columbus several weeks ago, but apparently I failed to pencil it in on my calendar. I’ve been operating under the assumption that I was booked for next Wednesday, so when I got the email yesterday at 5:34pm saying that I needed to arrive at 7:45am for an 8:15am appearance — with a Thanksgiving dinner dish in hand — well, I was in full-blown panic mode.
Luckily, after a quick pantry check, I realized I had all of the ingredients to make a traditional stuffing if I substituted chicken stock for my usual more labor-intensive homemade turkey stock.
But somehow stuffing just seemed kind of blah… How could I jazz it up a bit?
That’s when I hit on the idea of these adorable little stuffing muffins, or “stuffins” as Andy Dominianni, FOX 28 news anchor, dubbed them! Not only do these little preportioned stuffins taste delicious, but you can easily customize them with different ingredients for picky eaters — and what little one wouldn’t rather eat a stuffin than a blob of regular stuffing?
Homemade Stuffing Muffins {Stuffins}
Ingredients
- 3 stalks celery, chopped
- 4 medium yellow onions, chopped
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 loaf bread, toasted
- 3 medium eggs, lightly beaten
- 1/2 cup milk
- 3 tablespoons dried parsley
- 3 cups chicken or turkey stock
- salt
- pepper
Instructions
- Saute the celery and onion in the butter over medium heat until they turn translucent and caramelize. It pays to take your time with this step, because this is what really makes for a flavorful stuffing.
- Meanwhile, toast each piece of bread in a full loaf. I usually use a wheat bread, but you can use whatever your family likes best.
- Chop the toasted bread up into cubes. Add the celery and onion mixture and dried parsley. Salt and pepper the mixture good. Lightly beat the eggs with the milk, and pour over the top. Pour some of the chicken or turkey stock over the top, and start to mix everything together with a large spoon. Keep adding stock until everything is moistened (wet but not soupy) -- you may not need to use it all.
- Give your muffin pans a light misting of non-stick spray, and fill each cup with stuffing.
- Bake at 350 degrees for about 60 minutes. If you prefer a stuffing that's a little more moist, cover with aluminum foil for the first 45 minutes.
Dana
Monday 16th of November 2020
Can these be made a head of time and then warmed up?
Tara Kuczykowski
Monday 16th of November 2020
Hi Dana! Yes, you can absolutely make these ahead of time. I would just recommend covering them with some aluminum foil when reheating them so that they don't dry out.
Robyn
Wednesday 27th of November 2013
Do you have to toast the bread? My regular recipe does not call for toasted bread cubes? Thanks/
Tara @ Unsophisticook
Wednesday 27th of November 2013
I do recommend toasting the bread, Robyn. It keeps them from getting too soggy. Or you can just spread the bread slices out to dry overnight, turning them once.
Jayne
Wednesday 20th of November 2013
I absolutely love this idea! I have included your recipe in my Thanksgiving recipe round up and cant wait to make my own stuffins!
StuffinNewbie
Friday 4th of November 2011
I have never made stuffing but these seem really easy and much more attractive than the usual blob look. :-) I plan to try an experiment and use a huge bag of croutons (thanks Sam's Club) that would take us 2 life times to finish. Thanks for the recipe and wish me luck!
1bigbadmama
Monday 28th of March 2011
I love the recipe I am post bariatric & mini muffins size is perfect for me& my 5 yrs would lov'm too ofcourse teenage would eat loads of them ; )