White Castle stuffing is a savory holiday side dish made from chopped slider burgers, buns and all, tossed with sautéed celery, mushrooms, garlic, sage, thyme and chicken broth and baked until the top is browned. The little onion-steamed burgers take the place of both the bread and the sausage in a classic dressing. It is ready in 45 minutes, and it bakes in its own casserole dish, so it does not need the turkey at all. It is a fun, crowd-pleasing side for Thanksgiving, Christmas or any roast dinner.
How to make White Castle stuffing: Heat the oven to 375°F. Cut 12 sliders, ordered with no pickles, into chunks. Sauté celery, mushrooms and garlic in butter until the celery is slightly soft but still crunchy. Toss the vegetables, sage, thyme and salt with the sliders, pour in 1 cup of chicken broth and mix. Bake in a casserole dish for 30 to 35 minutes, until browned and 165°F in the center.
Why You’ll Love It
- A conversation starter. Everyone wants to know what is in it.
- Meat and bread in one. The sliders bring both.
- Classic stuffing flavor. Sage, thyme, celery and broth.
- Quick to make. Fifteen minutes of chopping, then it bakes.
- No turkey needed. It bakes on its own.
Ingredient Notes
Sliders. Twelve, ordered without pickles and with extra onion. Cut them into chunks, buns and all.
Chicken broth. One cup for the casserole.
Celery. One and a half cups, chopped.
Mushrooms. One cup, diced.
Butter and garlic. Two tablespoons of butter and 2 minced cloves.
Sage and thyme. One and a half teaspoons of dried sage and 1 1/4 teaspoons of dried thyme. Fresh herbs work too: 1 1/2 tablespoons of sage and 1 tablespoon of thyme.
Salt. One teaspoon, or to taste. The burgers are already seasoned.
Ingredients
- 12 White Castle sliders, no pickles, cut into chunks
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 1 1/2 cups celery, chopped
- 1 cup mushrooms, diced
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 1/2 teaspoons sage
- 1 1/4 teaspoons thyme
- 1 teaspoon salt, or to taste
How to Make White Castle Stuffing
1. Heat the oven. Preheat the oven to 375°F.
2. Cut the sliders. Cut the sliders into chunks and put them in a mixing bowl. Chop the celery and dice the mushrooms.
3. Sauté the vegetables. Melt the butter in a skillet. Add the celery, mushrooms and garlic and sauté until the celery is slightly softened but still crunchy.
4. Mix the stuffing. Add the sautéed vegetables, sage, thyme and salt to the slider chunks. Pour in the broth and toss well.
5. Bake. Transfer the mixture to a casserole dish. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until the top is browned and a food thermometer inserted in the center reads 165°F.
Casserole or Inside the Turkey?
This stuffing can be cooked either way, and the one thing that changes is the broth. A casserole bakes in dry oven air, so it needs more liquid. Stuffing inside a bird is surrounded by moist meat and picks up juices as the turkey roasts, so it needs much less.
| How it is cooked | Chicken broth | Done when |
|---|---|---|
| In a casserole dish | 1 cup | The top is browned and the center reads 165°F |
| Inside a turkey | 1/4 cup | The center of the stuffing reads 165°F |
That is a difference of 3/4 cup. If you pour the full cup into stuffing that is going into a bird, it will come out wet and heavy. If you use only the small amount for a casserole, it will come out dry.
The steps and times on this page are for the casserole. Stuffing cooked in a turkey follows the turkey’s own roasting time, not the 30 to 35 minutes given here. Either way, the test is the same: a thermometer pushed into the middle of the stuffing must read 165°F.
Tips for Success
Why order the sliders without pickles?
Pickles turn sharp and soggy when baked. Extra onion, though, adds flavor.
How big should the chunks be?
Bite-size. Cutting each slider into about six pieces gives a good mix of bun and beef in every spoonful.
How soft should the celery be?
Only slightly soft. It keeps cooking in the oven, and a little crunch is welcome in the finished dish.
Can I use fresh herbs?
Yes. Use 1 1/2 tablespoons of fresh sage and 1 tablespoon of fresh thyme.
Should I add more salt?
Taste the mixture before it bakes. The burgers and the broth are both salty, so you may want less.
Make Ahead, Storage and Reheating
Keep the sliders and the assembled stuffing in the refrigerator until you are ready to bake. Do not let the dish sit out on the counter first. Refrigerate leftovers within 2 hours, in shallow, covered containers. They keep for 3 to 4 days in the fridge or 3 to 4 months in the freezer. Thaw in the refrigerator and reheat to 165°F.
What to Serve With It
Serve it next to roast turkey or chicken with gravy and cranberry sauce. For more easy sides, try the 4-ingredient slow cooker potato casserole or the slow cooker scalloped potato casserole. If stuffing is your favorite part of the meal, make the 4-ingredient slow cooker chicken with stuffing. And for more burger-inspired comfort food, there is the Big Mac casserole, the stuffed pepper casserole and the Ritz cracker chicken casserole.
Frequently Asked Questions
How does the broth amount change between a casserole and turkey stuffing?
Use 1 cup of broth for a casserole and 1/4 cup when the stuffing goes inside a turkey.
Do you put stuffing in the turkey before you cook it?
You can, or you can bake it in its own dish. Inside a bird, the center of the stuffing must still reach 165°F.
Can stuffing be made ahead of time and frozen?
Baked leftovers freeze for 3 to 4 months. Thaw them in the refrigerator and reheat to 165°F.
Does White Castle put mustard on its sliders?
I do not have a reliable answer on that. For this dish, the only request that matters is no pickles.
Final Notes
I buy the sliders the day before and keep the bag in the fridge, so they are cold and easy to cut. If you make it, leave a comment to tell me how it turned out or ask a question.
White Castle Stuffing
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Ingredients
- 12 White Castle Sliders ordered without pickles and with extra onion; cut into chunks
- 1 cup chicken broth for the casserole
- 1 1/2 cups celery chopped
- 1 cup mushrooms diced
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 1/2 teaspoons sage or 1 1/2 tablespoons fresh sage
- 1 1/4 teaspoons thyme or 1 tablespoon fresh thyme
- 1 teaspoon salt adjust to taste
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375°F.
- Cut the sliders into chunks and put them in a mixing bowl. Chop the celery and dice the mushrooms.
- Melt the butter in a skillet. Add the celery, mushrooms and garlic and sauté until the celery is slightly softened but still crunchy.
- Add the sautéed vegetables, sage, thyme and salt to the slider chunks. Pour in the broth and toss well.
- Transfer the mixture to a casserole dish. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until the top is browned and a food thermometer inserted in the center reads 165°F.
Notes
Nutrition
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