Hi Eld. I made this last year at Thanksgiving for a change. It makes a LOT. We enjoyed it.

Butternut squash, brussels sprouts stuffing

Jas - that recipe sounds (and looks) great. To address the topic, I typically make a standard bread stuffing with onions and celery but now I add walnuts and raisins. Last year I added dried apricots.

It's pretty easy to make any standard stuffing recipe vegetarian. Just use vegetable broth instead of turkey or chicken broth. And obviously omit any meat :-) Otherwise, it is just bread crumbs or croutons with seasonings and whatever vegetables (and/or fruits) one likes to include.....hard to get more vegetarian than that!! I typically add a beaten egg but that is easy to omit and many recipes do not include an egg anyway.

I never use a recipe for dressing/stuffing but just add whatever I feel like, have on hand and to the consistency required. My dressing is never exactly the same twice :-)

I have been craving stuffing all morning now. :)

I like the Better than Bouillon products too though they tend to be a bit on the salty side. I use the chicken, haven't tried the veggie broth but I'll bet it's good.

I use a recipe that started from Cooks Illustrated that I've changed over the years. It's not substantially different than what others aptly describe as "standard" except for the use of egg bread as the base, for richness. Either it originally or I in ad lib mode now use sauteed mushrooms (some put in oysters for non-vegetarian/vegan eaters too), diced apples, and chopped up dried cherries.

I haven't looked for it lately but the Trader Joe's in my area sells a fantastic egg bread made by a local family bread baker. If not, I'm sure it can be purchased from bakeries or other sources. It makes a big difference.

That's interesting, Elmer. Maybe I'll try the egg bread.

If you can find it, use the same weight of egg bread as called for in whatever recipe you're following. I think with what we were able to get at TJ's, the weight turned out to be 1.5 loaves.

You cut the bread into 1 inch squares, spread it out on baking sheets and bake it carefully in the often to toast/ brown it a bit first. Maybe 350 deg for 10 min or a bit longer, I don't remember. Long enough but not too long, I watch it carefully.

You can add variety to any "standard" stuffing recipe by changing out the bread. Brioche or challah - egg breads - work great but so do other than plain white breads: cornbread obviously is a popular choice, as is sourdough. But so are rye bread, whole wheat, raisin bread, rosemary & garlic flavored rustic loaves or pretty much anything you like that's not too sweet (unless you prefer a less savory and sweeter dressing). I much prefer homemade bread combos than what one can purchase as 'stuffing mixes'.

And you can toast the bread or not. It just needs to be a bit stale and not squishy :-) I just cut up whatever I am using the night before and leave it to sit out and dry. Eliminates the toasting step!!

Maybe I'll try a second version. I always load the guests up with leftovers so I like to make sure there's plenty for us too!