Stuffing Recipe

Overhead view of a casserole dish of stuffing topped with a bundle of fresh herbs.

My classic homemade stuffing recipe combines seasonal herbs (fresh or dried) with buttery bread cubes and chopped veggies. It's a traditional Thanksgiving side dish that's almost as famous as the turkey! Vegetarian and make-ahead friendly!

Course Dinner, Side Dish

Cuisine American

Prep Time 30

Cook Time 40

Total Time 1 10

Servings servings

Calories 239kcal

Author Sam Merritt

Equipment

Ingredients

10 cups (425 g) dried bread cubes plain/unseasoned, see note
10 Tablespoons (140 g) unsalted butter plus additional for greasing pan
2 cups (260 g) small-chopped yellow onion about 2 medium-sized onions
2 cups (240 g) small-chopped celery about 5-6 celery ribs
2 teaspoons minced garlic
¼ cup finely chopped fresh parsley
2 teaspoons dried thyme leaves or 2 Tablespoons fresh thyme leaves (see note)
2 teaspoons dried rubbed sage or 2 Tablespoons chopped fresh sage
1 teaspoon crushed rosemary or 1 Tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary
⅛ teaspoon ground nutmeg
¾ teaspoon table salt
½ teaspoon ground black pepper
2-3 cups (473-710 ml) chicken broth (may substitute vegetable broth for a vegetarian stuffing) or more as needed, divided
2 large eggs

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350F and lightly grease a deep 11x7” or 13x9” (or 2.5qt) baking dish with butter. Set aside.
Place dried bread cubes in a large mixing bowl and set aside.
10 cups dried bread cubes
Melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat.
10 Tablespoons unsalted butter
Add onion and celery and cook until softened, stirring occasionally (about 5 minutes).
2 cups small-chopped yellow onion, 2 cups small-chopped celery
Add garlic and cook until fragrant (about 30 seconds).
2 teaspoons minced garlic
Add parsley, thyme, sage, rosemary, nutmeg, salt and pepper and stir well. Cook 1 minute longer, stirring frequently.
¼ cup finely chopped fresh parsley, 2 teaspoons dried thyme leaves, 2 teaspoons dried rubbed sage, 1 teaspoon crushed rosemary, ⅛ teaspoon ground nutmeg, ¾ teaspoon table salt, ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
While stirring, slowly stir in 1 cup of the chicken broth.
2-3 cups chicken broth
Remove onion mixture from heat and set aside.
In a large measuring cup, whisk together another 1 cup of chicken broth with 2 large eggs, whisk well so eggs are well broken.
2 large eggs
Pour the veggie mixture evenly over the bread cubes followed by the egg mixture. Use a spatula to gently stir together until bread is completely moistened, but not soggy. If needed, add up to another cup of chicken broth (note that I typically need almost the full 3 cups, this is going to depend a lot on your specific bread, if you used storebought cubes you may need even more broth).
Pour stuffing evenly into prepared baking dish.
Transfer to center rack of 350F (175C) preheated oven and bake for 40-50 minutes (keep an eye on it, if it begins to get too brown you can cover with foil). If you’re not sure how to tell if your stuffing is done, you can always use an instant read thermometer, the center of the stuffing should read at least 165F (74C).
Serve warm.

Notes

Bread cubes

I bake my own sourdough (or buy a 1 lb+ loaf) and cut or tear it into ½” (1.2cm) cubes, scatter on a baking sheet, and bake on 300F (150C) for about 25 minutes, until crisp and dried through. Note that you’ll need to start with a pound or slightly more bread as the bread loses volume as it bakes, so I usually need about 13 cups of fresh bread to end up with 10 cups of dried bread.

Making in advance

Can be made up to 2 days in advance, prepare as instructed through step 11, cover, and refrigerate. Let it sit out at room temperature while the oven preheats then bake as indicated. If the dish is still cold, it may take longer than indicated to cook through.

Nutrition