Better-Than-Basic Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme Stuffing

Are you going to Scarborough Fair?  Parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme?  These lyrics, to the very old, 16th century English ballad, inspired the name and the ingredients of my herb stuffing recipe, Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme Stuffing.

You see, I’m the product of The Sixties and The Seventies.  The hippy, dippy era that changed our world in many significant ways – Civil Rights, Women’s Liberation and feminism, the Vietnam War and the anti-war movement, the sexual revolution, the gay rights movement, space exploration, heart transplants, environmentalism, the birth of technology and Star Trek and Star Wars.

And music.

The song Scarborough Fair was released by Simon and Garfunkel in 1966 as a track on their album Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme.  An instant success, the song also appeared in a highly popular movie at the time, The Graduate.

So, while the song and my youth inspired this herb stuffing recipe, these four classic herbs meld together making a deliciously satisfying herb stuffing to accompany many meals.  The freshness and aroma of these herbs make preparing it a pleasure.  And, once finished and ready-to-serve, the flavors permeating this herb stuffing do not disappoint – the fresh herbs, the decadent richness of the butter, the tartness of the apples and the savory vegetables – yum!

We didn’t have Thanksgiving dinner at our home this year.  We had Thanksgiving with a crowd of strangers in my mother’s assisted living facility.  While we were all together (the important thing at holidays), if was not the same as all of our Thanksgiving’s past.  So, I wanted to make a turkey, stuffing and gravy so that we could enjoy the spirit of Thanksgiving at our home afterwards.

So, while I’m Late to the Party in sharing an herb stuffing recipe with readers, some families have turkey and stuffing at Christmas time, too!

Here’s what you do:

Chop your vegetables and apples – seed and chop one green bell pepper, peel and chop one yellow onion, clean and chop 3 stalks of celery, clean, seed and chop 2 small (or one large) Granny Smith apples.  Try to make all around the same size.

Next, sauté your vegetables:

1. Heat canola oil in a small skillet.  Oops!  My frying pan has a black spot on it!
2. Add the chopped green pepper, onion and celery.
3. Sauté for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until onions and celery are translucent.  Remove from heat and set aside.

In the meantime, prepare your herbs:

1. A bunch of parsley.  I used about 12 sprigs.
2. Rough chop the parsley.
3. A bunch of sage.  This sage had quite large leaves, so I chose to use the smaller leaves in the bunch and save the rest for my herb bouquet!
4. Finely chop the sage.  You’ll need about 1 and 1/2 teaspoons.
5. A sprig of rosemary.  I have a large rosemary bush growing in my garden.  This is just one normal size sprig.
6. Remove the rosemary from the sprig and finely chop.  You’ll need about 1/3 teaspoon.
7. A thyme sprig.
8. Remove the thyme leaves from the sprig and finely chop.  You’ll need about 1/2 teaspoon.

1. Seasoned bread cubes that I purchased from my local grocery store.  This package was 11 ounces.  Any package of your favorite seasoned bread cubes will do!
2. I put the seasoned bread cubes in my extra-large bowl.  This is a salad bowl for food service.  I love using this bowl as a mixing bowl for large amounts of ingredients.  It’s wide and shallow and I make less of a mess because while mixing, there’s plenty of room to move the ingredients around without slopping out of the bowl!
3. Add the fresh chopped herbs and mix to combine.
4. Add the sautéed vegetables and the chopped Granny Smith apples.
5. Mix to combine.
6. Melt one stick of  butter in the microwave.  I use a measuring cup just because it’s easy to pour.  Add the butter to the dry stuffing ingredients and stir to combine.
7. Measure out 1 and 1/2 cups of chicken stock and pour over stuffing.  Still well to combine.

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.  Spray a 9″ x 13″ casserole dish with cooking spray.  I used my Misto.
2. Add the prepared stuffing to the casserole dish.
3. Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes in the preheated oven.  Carefully remove foil after 30 minutes (I use my kitchen tongs) and return to oven for another 15 minutes for a nice crispy top.
4. Remove from oven.  Transfer to serving dish and serve!

Here’s the Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme Stuffing recipe:

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Try this recipe at your next holiday gathering!  Delicious!

This recipe is featured on All Free Casserole Recipes’ site!  Check it out:  Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme Stuffing.

Tootles,

Related Posts:

(other holiday recipes)

• Baked Sweet Potatoes with Warm Maple Drizzle and Toasted Pecans
• Christmas Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars
• Cornbread Stuffing
• Creamy Mashed Potatoes
• Gail’s Potato Chip Cookies
• Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes and Cauliflower with Parmesan
• Roasted Turkey
• Sour Apple Cranberry Sauce
• Spinach Casserole
• Thyme Roasted Carrots with Toasted Walnuts
• Turkey Gravy