This is a classic side dish with no frills about it. If you only need one Thanksgiving stuffing recipe, then this is it! It’s golden and crunchy on the outside and moist on the inside. It’s so rich and savory! Filled with fresh herbs, this stuffing is beyond flavorful and goes with everything, as it’s neutral enough not to overpower your main dish.
This classic stuffing recipe is a family favorite and way better than anything you’ll make out of a box. Even better, it doesn’t take that much more effort to make from scratch which will make your Thanksgiving dinner that much easier to plan. This good old-fashioned stuffing is full of buttery, herb flavor that will make everyone reach for seconds. Serve this up with my roast turkey recipe, mashed potatoes recipe, and green bean casserole recipe for a holiday spread that no one will forget.
What You Need to Make This Recipe
Bread cubes — I prefer buying a couple of baguettes (french bread) or a large loaf of sourdough bread from a local bakery and then cutting or tearing the bread into ½-inch cubes. You can use a different kind of bread, such as white bread or sandwich bread, but a crusty loaf will give a better texture to the stuffing.
Herbs — I love using a mixture of fresh herbs. I use sage, fresh parsley, thyme, and rosemary for a mix of fresh and savory flavors. Fresh herbs taste much more robust than dried herbs, so I recommend sticking to fresh herbs for the best tasting stuffing.
Aromatics — onion, celery, and garlic add so much to the stuffing. Make sure you take the time to cook the aromatics until they’ve softened, as they don’t soften much in the oven.
Broth — the chicken broth adds moisture to the bread. If you want this recipe to be vegetarian-friendly, swap the chicken broth for vegetable broth.
Eggs — eggs help hold everything together. On top of being the binder, the eggs add richness and moisture.
How to Make Stuffing
1. Dry out the bread cubes by spreading them out onto a large baking dish or sheet. You can let them sit for 12-24 hours and air dry or toast them in the oven. Meanwhile, in a large skillet, melt the unsalted butter over medium-high heat. Add the sage and cook until dark green and then add the onion, celery, garlic, parsley, thyme, rosemary, ½ teaspoon of salt, and ½ teaspoon of pepper. Remove from the heat.
2. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the chicken broth, eggs, and the remaining 1 teaspoon salt and ½ teaspoon pepper.
3. Add the bread cubes and onion mixture. Stir until well combined. Let the mixture sit for a few minutes allowing the bread to absorb liquid.
4. Pour the bread mixture into a greased 9×13-inch baking dish. Cover with foil and bake for 45 minutes. Remove the foil and continue baking until the top is golden brown. Let cool for a few minutes before serving.
Pro Tips for Making This Recipe
- If the top of the stuffing is not as golden as you prefer, the best way to fix that is to turn on the broiler for a few minutes to brown the top.
- The amount of liquid you need varies with what type of bread you use. If the bread seems dry, drizzle a little extra broth over the top before baking.
- If you need to keep your stuffing warm before serving, loosely cover it with aluminum foil and keep it in the oven set at 200F.
- If you are feeding a crowd, you can double the recipe. Simply bake it in two casserole dishes.
- The stuffing should be moist but not wet. Add more bread to soak up the excess moisture if your mixture is too wet.
- For crispier stuffing and the best results, use a larger casserole dish so there is more surface area for the bread to crisp up.
- Don’t stir the bread too vigorously with the onion mixture. You do not want the bread to turn into mush before you start baking it.
Frequently Asked Questions
Traditionally, you bake stuffing inside of the cavity of a turkey, hence the name stuffing. Dressing, on the other hand, is baked outside the bird, usually in a casserole dish. However, over time, the two terms have become interchangeable.
I highly recommend using fresh herbs for this homemade stuffing recipe. However, if you do not have access to fresh herbs, you can swap the fresh herbs for their dried counterpart. Use at least 1 teaspoon of dried herbs for every tablespoon.
Place leftover stuffing in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. To reheat stuffing, you can microwave it or pop it in the oven at 350F for about 20 minutes until warm throughout. For both methods, reheating with a bit of broth splashed on top to keep the bread from drying out.
You can freeze baked stuffing in a freezer-safe container for up to 1 month. Thaw in the fridge for 24 to 48 hours before reheating.
If you love this recipe try these out!
If you’ve tried this Stuffing recipe, then don’t forget to rate the recipe and let me know how you got on in the comments below, I love hearing from you!
Stuffing
Video
Equipment
- 9×13″ casserole or baking dish
- Large mixing bowl
- Large skillet
- Aluminum foil
Ingredients
- 12 cups bread cubes (475g)
- ¾ cup unsalted butter (170g)
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh sage
- 1 sweet onion chopped
- 3 celery stalks chopped
- 6 garlic cloves minced
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary
- 1½ teaspoons salt
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 4 cups low-sodium chicken broth (960ml)
- 2 large eggs
Instructions
- Dry out the bread cubes by spreading them out onto a large baking dish or sheet. You can let them sit for 12-24 hours and air dry or toast them in the oven. To oven dry, place them in a 350F oven, stirring every 5 minutes until dry and crouton-like, about 15 minutes. Let cool completely.
- Preheat the oven to 350F when you’re ready to assemble the stuffing. Lightly butter a 9×13-inch baking dish.
- In a large skillet, melt the butter over medium-high heat. Add the sage and cook until dark green, about 30 seconds. Add the onion. Cook, stirring frequently, about starting to soften, about 5 minutes.
- Stir in the celery and garlic. Continue cooking until the celery starts to soften, about 5 minutes. Stir in the parsley, thyme, rosemary, ½ teaspoon of salt, and ½ teaspoon of pepper. Remove from the heat.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the chicken broth, eggs, and the remaining 1 teaspoon salt and ½ teaspoon pepper. Add the bread cubes and onion mixture. Stir until well combined. Let the mixture sit for a few minutes allowing the bread to absorb liquid. Stir again, then pour the bread mixture into the greased casserole dish.
- Cover with foil and bake for 45 minutes. Remove the foil and continue baking until the top is golden brown, about 15 minutes more. Let cool for a few minutes before serving. Baked stuffing can be frozen in a freezer-safe container for up to 1 month. Thaw in the fridge for 24 to 48 hours before reheating.
Notes
- If the top of the stuffing is not as golden as you prefer, you can turn on the broiler for a few minutes to brown the top.
- The amount of liquid you need varies with what type of bread you use. If the bread seems dry, drizzle a little extra broth over the top before baking.
- If you need to keep your stuffing warm before serving, loosely cover it with aluminum foil and keep it in the oven set at 200F.
- If you are feeding a crowd, you can double the recipe. Simply bake it in two casserole dishes.
- The stuffing should be moist but not wet. Add more bread to soak up the excess moisture if your mixture is too wet.
- For crispier stuffing, use a larger casserole dish so there is more surface area for the bread to crisp up.
- Don’t stir the bread too vigorously with the onion mixture. You do not want the bread to turn into mush before you start baking it.
Laurie Borle says
Ok I made it!
It’s yummy but a little more sage than I like.
Next time I will mix the onion mixture with the breadcrumbs before I add it all to the broth. I will also bake it in a wider pan as it was just a bit more wet than I had expected. I should have read the notes first
Patty A. says
Jon, I am SHOCKED you do not use homemade TURKEY stock! It’s so easy to make are so far superior in taste to store bought! Great for stuffing and gravy!
Mariela says
Recipe was perfection. I dont know how you manage to get it just right. My family and I thank you for the deliciousness!!