Homemade stuffing with liver pâté

Homemade stuffing is absolutely the best you will ever make. Full of flavors, herbs and incredibly easy to make. It can be used to stuff the bird; chicken or turkey, or baked on the side as a dressing.

For more homemade Thanksgiving dishes for this Holiday season, please check out these recipes for Tangy Cranberry sauce with Port wine, FOUR WAYS HOW TO PREPARE BUTTERNUT SQUASH, Pumpkin mac & cheese, Roasted Brussels sprouts, CREAMY MASHED POTATOES RECIPE, try also these Thanksgiving desserts PUMPKIN PIE SPICE CHEESECAKE BARS or THE BEST PUMPKIN PIE RECIPE.

Why this recipe is better than classic stuffing recipe

Thanksgiving is around the corner and our whole family can’t wait to sit around the table and dig into the deliciously roasted turkey with cranberry sauce, mashed potatoes, golden brussels sprouts and all the yummy sides that come with this holiday. Of course, one thing that can’t miss is this homemade stuffing.

For this Thanksgiving stuffing recipe I am using one secret ingredient, that you will definitely fall in love with, when you will take a first bite!

The secret recipe is pork liver pâté and it is sold in a can in most grocery stores. I have chosen pork liver, because it brings more pronounce flavor of pork. The rest of the ingredients are simple and should already be in your pantry and refrigerator.

This stuffing doesn’t require any special tools, nor too much time. It can be baked in the oven in the baking pan, but works perfectly fine also when stuffed in the cavity of the bird. Whenever you are using it to stuff turkey or chicken, both works very well.

What ingredients are used in this homemade stuffing

When it comes to stuffing, you want to choose the ingredients you and your family likes, and you know they will eat. This is why I am using ingredients that we love, and hopefully this will be ingredients you are familiar with. This stuffing is simple, yet full of flavor and crunchy texture.

Bread / White Toast / Breadcrumbs: Use thick toast or sourdough bread for best results. With toast, the stuffing will be light and fluffed. With sourdough bread, the stuffing might tend to be a little denser, so I would suggest letting the sourdough bread sit a little longer in the milk/egg bath. If you feel, that the sourdough is dry, add 1 more egg to the milk. Breadcrumbs are more for the flavor, as I am using Italian seasoned breadcrumbs and for holding the toast together.

Eggs / Milk / Butter : Eggs must be well whisked into the warm milk and then poured over the toast. This will moisten the toast. Butter brings more flavor to the stuffing.

Seasoning / Fresh Herbs : For this stuffing, I use simple seasoning and herbs, such as salt, pepper and parsley not to overwhelm the flavor of pork liver pâté. Pork liver pâté is already seasoned and will bring plenty of amazing flavor.

Nuts : Will bring crunchiness and texture in stuffing. I am using non-salty roasted peanuts. The reason for the non-salty version is, that salty peanuts would be way too salty in this stuffing. As for the nuts, you can use walnuts or almonds, both works well in the stuffing.

Pork liver pâté : The main flavor of this stuffing is pork liver pâté. It makes the stuffing more tasteful and the flavor of the stuffing is well-balanced. The reason why I don’t use much salt in this recipe, because liver pâté is already seasoned.

Sauté brown mushrooms with onion: Mushrooms will bring even more texture to the stuffing. When the onion is sauté long enough that it becomes caramelized, it becomes the best combo with soft & tender mushrooms. You can use different kind of mushrooms, such as Shitake mushrooms or Oyster mushrooms.

How to make the best homemade stuffing recipe

This stuffing is fairly simple and with just a few ingredients. Gather first all the ingredients. First, we have to prepare the mushrooms with onion. I prefer having caramelized onions in this stuffing. It brings more flavor to the stuffing. If you don’t like caramelized onions, you can skip this step and sauté onions directly with mushrooms.

Caramelized onions takes some little time, to make. You will need to keep close eye on onions not to burn the onions. Preheat large skillet over medium heat and add butter. Wait until it melts and add chopped onions. Sauté the onions until translucent and then add the sliced mushrooms. It will take about 7-10 minutes until onions are well caramelized and mushrooms browned. Then set aside to cool it down to room temperature.

While the mushrooms with onions are cooling down, start cutting the toast on cubes. Toast cubes can be a size of your thumb or if you prefer bigger, you can cut them larger. I recommend thick, fluffy white toast. The best way to cut fresh white toast is with a bread knife. Don’t worry if you squeeze some toast while cutting it. It’s perfectly normal that this will happen, especially if you choose the heavenly fluffy toast. To prevent squishing the toast, you can roast the toast in the oven before cutting it. The toast will be a firmer, but easier to cut.

Place the toast cubes (or dried bread cubes if you are using sourdough bread) in a large bowl. In another medium bowl, reheat the milk to room temperature 22 C/ 71 F. Crack the eggs into the milk and whisk well until milk and eggs are combined. Pour the milk with eggs over the toast. Add the remaining ingredients: pork liver pâté, seasoned breadcrumbs, chopped parsley, salt and pepper, soft butter, roasted peanuts and sauté mushrooms with onion. Mix all these ingredients together with spatula or spoon.

Take a large baking dish of approximate measurements of 12 inches by 10 inches, and butter the bottom and the sides of the baking pan. Pour the mixture inside the baking pan and place it in the preheated oven 355 F / 180 C and bake for 40 minutes. At the end of baking, cut a few slices of butter and place it on the top of the stuffing. Let it melt and remove from the oven. Let the stuffing stand in room temperature for 10 minutes and serve by cutting squares of 4 inches by 4 inches.

FAQ & substitutes

How to store stuffing ?

The amazing thing about stuffing leftovers is that it’s very easy to reheat and used the other day. Actually, the stuffing baked in the baking dish is very easy to store. You cut all pieces and place it in airtight container, and use within 3-4 days.

You can also freeze it, in a freezer-safe container, for up to 3 months. To reheat the stuffing, let it defrost in the refrigerator overnight. Place it on a baking sheet, filed with parchment paper, and reheat 355 F / 177 C for 15-20 minutes, straight from the refrigerator. In a microwave, place it on a microwavable plate and, on full power, reheat for 1-2 minutes / per piece.

Can you make stuffing ahead of time ?

Yes, you surely can make stuffing ahead of time! It will save you time and space in the oven when you really need it. And it’s time to serve it, you will just simply reheat it directly in the baking dish you baked it previously. I recommend preparing the homemade stuffing maximum one day in advance to preserve the freshness of the dish. Actually, stuffing is easier to cut when cold. Then you just have to reheat it in the oven.

Can I make this stuffing gluten-free ?

Yes, you can! It’s super easy. Use gluten-free toast or bread instead of white toast. Also apply this to gluten-free breadcrumbs used in this recipe.

How to use homemade stuffing in turkey’s cavity

This homemade stuffing recipe is excellent, when cooked directly in the cavity of the turkey. It comes out moist, and it adds more flavor to the roasted turkey itself. To stuff the turkey with stuffing, first clean the turkey cavity by removing the turkey giblets and place the stuffing inside. Once the stuffing is inside the cavity of the turkey, cross the turkey legs and use a cooking string to tie them up.

Substitutes

If you can’t use peanuts in the stuffing, try toasted almonds or pumpkin seeds. It’s better when the stuffing has an extra crunch from nuts.

If you prefer scented stuffing, you can use sage to add into the stuffing. Use about 2-3 leaves, chop them finely and add to the stuffing mixture.

Liver pâté might be hard to be found in some remote areas. Use instead the chicken or turkey livers. Trim the livers with a paring knife to get smooth consistency. Don’t forget to remove the connective tissue in the liver, so you don’t chew on it while enjoying the stuffing.

More recipes you may like for Thanksgiving

• CREAMY MASHED POTATOES RECIPE
• CREAMY MUSHROOM RISOTTO
• PUMPKIN BUNDT CAKE WITH CREAM CHEESE GLAZE
• ROASTED BRUSSELS SPROUTS WITH BACON
• PUMPKIN MACARONI AND CHEESE