Here’s another frugal and easy food choices for prepping, camping, and survival on a budget: Pan Fried Stuffing.
Learning how to cook some simple, hearty dishes is an important part of learning to be self-sufficient. It can also help you learn to utilize some items from your survival food list.
My daughter, Montana Storm, actually came up with how to make stuffing from leftover bread in a frying pan one day (she may have stumbled on this because all the pans were dirty!). I don’t know how, but became quite a hit in our family. And now I always have a bowl sitting on the back of the counter to catch the heels of bread, and leftover rolls and buns that will mold if not frozen or dried, for stuffing and meatloaf, meatballs, croutons, whatever.
Frying pan stuffing takes about five minutes to make and can be (depends on how you dress it up) oh so good! It will fill the stomach, can be eaten alone (I like it with leftover gravy) or as part of a meal.
This is the basic recipe, from here it is all what you have available and your own personal taste palette.
Pan Fried Stuffing Recipe
Ingredients:
- 9-10 bread end pieces (white, wheat, French, rolls, buns, garlic)
- 3 tbsp. butter
- 1 c. boiling water
- 1/2 med. onion, finely chopped½ tsp. sage
- Salt and pepper to taste
Other optional ingredients I have used:
- 2 cloves garlic, minced or garlic salt
- 2 tbsp. freshly chopped parsley or dried
- More sage
- Marjoram
- Rosemary
- Italian seasoning
- 1 stalk celery, chopped
- Chives
- Raisins
- Walnuts
- Apples diced
- Cranberries
- Cooked potatoes, makes almost a hash
- Add bouillon to the water for more flavor
I also keep ice cubes of “drippings” from roasts, etc. to create a good soup stock, broth or gravy. Nuke a couple of these and it will make your stuffing oh so much more delicious!
- Dice (or tear) bread ends and measure about 4 1/2 cups.
- Melt butter in a large frying pan (or pot).
- Add onion and whatever else you’ve decided to add.
- Sauté over medium heat about 3 minutes.
- Add whatever you’ve decided to add in the way of spices and stir.
- Add boiling water or broth—yes, you can simmer this to make it even more savory and bring out the flavors in the spices.
- Stir and bring mix to a boil.
- Fork in the bread, turn off the stove (if using gas, move to another burner if using electric), stir and cover for about five minutes before serving.
Serves 4-6. Or two if this is the meal. ENJOY!
I would love to publish a series of “basic” recipes that people can add to, to taste. Just good frugal recipes, especially those with an eye toward using rice and beans.
Bev,
This sounds good and it is similar to my own dressing, Great minds think alike…. LOL :o)
Suni, you are GREAT! Got any basic recipes that can be dressed up? When my home burned, I lost all my recipes and recipe books! Very Frustrating!
Bev :)
Bev,
My dressing recipe came by way of my great grandmother so not sure how to measure anything in it.
I am so sorry about the fire. My sister also lost everything due to a fire a few years ago so I do understand.
Okay, that being said
Take giblets out of turkey or chicken (neck, liver, gizzard, heart) or buy them separate from your local market.
Place into pan covering with water. Throw in some
chopped celery, chopped onion, sage, salt, pepper and cook over med heat about 2 or 3 hours.
While the giblets are cooking get your turkey ready for the oven and start cooking it.
In a med. to large size bowl crumble up some cornbread made the day or two before about 4 cups and 4 or 5 slices of stale bread (crumbled) chop a very large onion put in with cornbread and bread Chop about 2 or 3 stalks of celery also ad this to the mixture 6 boiled eggs chopped and add this to the mix as well
Sage
Salt
Pepper
No liquid yet, mix this all together by hand and let it sit, the breads will absorb the flavors of the other ingredients
After your giblets are done and cooled strip and chop all the meat and place into the dry mixture and then add the remainder of the giblet water into your large bowel. If you don’t have enough liquid add some stock from home canned chicken stock or you could use store bought. This mixture will be very loose. Let sit an additional hour or so and the breading will adsorb the liquid.
Pour into a baking pan, put into 350 degree oven for about 1 hr to 1 hr 45 minutes.
If you like a runnier dressing (like I do) about an hour will usually do it, for a firmer dressing cook for about 1 hr and 45 min. at 350.
We have never stuffed a chicken or turkey but always served dressing as a side dish.
I love sage so I tend to have a heavy hand using it both in the cooking of the giblets and the dressing,
For those who read this and decide to try it don’t think you have done anything wrong if there is a green scum around the giblets that is just the sage…………..:o)
My husband never liked his mothers dressing but he loves mine……..
Sounds absolutely delicious!
Mine is just a “quickie” gettum fed recipe :)
LOL – I just realized that I probably just sent a recipe file via email to Rourke, not Bev – OOPS. It must be Friday, or something.
Please forward it to her, if possible, my friend, and, both of you, please feel free to use/share anything in it. (except for my real name, which I forgot to cut out. Just OPSEC re: my unemployed neighbors here – it’s not a common last name, and rather not let them know I’m prepping.)