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This homemade stuffing, made with sourdough bread, is exactly what you need to pair with your Thanksgiving turkey!
Just like Dinner Rolls, Mashed Potatoes, and Cranberry Sauce, this homemade stuffing is a must-have on the Thanksgiving dinner table.
Why We Love Stuffing!
Making homemade stuffing is the only way to go for your holiday meals! It’s one of those dishes that goes perfectly with all of the other entrees and side dishes.
Here’s why we think this the best stuffing recipe:
- One of the classics. This is one of the classic side dishes that everyone loves and appreciates all year long (and especially for holidays). Plus, it’s easy!
- Texture and flavor. Perfect mix of flavor with a soft center and toasted top.
- Customizable. Change up the type of bread used, and add fresh herbs, or extras like nuts and dried fruits.
A traditional stuffing recipe is most popular for Thanksgiving, but we sometimes have it at Christmastime too!
Ingredients
- sourdough bread – Use sturdy bread loaves that is stale and dried out like French Bread, brioche, or Cornbread.
- Unsalted butter – salted butter works as well (just omit some of the salt when seasoning)
- onion, celery, garlic cloves – Yellow onions are most often but use your favorite.
- fresh parsley, sage, thyme, rosemary
- chicken broth or vegetable broth
- egg
- salt and black pepper
Pro Tip!
If you don’t have fresh herbs, substitute 1 tablespoon of fresh herbs with 1 teaspoon of dried herbs.
How to Make Homemade Stuffing
- BREAD. Cut the bread into ½-1 inch pieces and let it sit out overnight to dry out. Or place the cut bread onto a baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes at 200°F.
- PREP. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease a large baking sheet and set aside.
- SEASON. Melt 8 tablespoons of butter in a large skillet. Add the onion and celery. Cook on medium heat for 5-6 minutes. Stir in the herbs. Cook for an additional minute.
- Place the dried bread cubes into a large bowl. Pour the celery mixture over the top and toss to evenly coat.
- In a separate bowl whisk the egg and add the chicken broth. Pour it over the coated bread. Add salt and pepper and toss to coat evenly.
- BAKE. Pour the bread into a baking or casserole dish, cover it with foil, and bake for 45 minutes. Take off the foil and bake for an additional 15-20 minutes or until golden brown.
Dressing vs. Stuffing
Since the ingredients are basically the same, an argument could be made that if it’s cooked inside a turkey, then it is called stuffing. Whereas if it’s cooked in a separate pan, it’s called dressing.
Instead, throw that argument out the window and look at a map. In general:
- In the West Coast and Northern states it’s called stuffing.
- Southern and Midwestern states generally call it dressing.
- Then you have the Pennsylvania outliers who call it filling.
One agreeable fact is that no matter what it’s called, or where it is officially baked, it’s delicious.
recipe Tips
- Texture. Homemade bread stuffing should be soft, not soggy, with a slightly toasted top. If your stuffing comes out too dry:
- Melt a bit of butter in a sauce pot and add some broth.
- Once warm, ladle a couple of scoops over the stuffing and let it soak.
- Cover to keep it warm until ready to serve.
- Variations. Add other ingredients or herbs/spices of your choice or try savory Sausage Stuffing or delicious Cornbread Stuffing.
- Fruit. Add diced apples or apricots. Simply add them to the skillet in step 3.
- Nuts. Sprinkle chopped pecans on top of the stuffing before baking.
Storing Info
- Make it ahead of time. Make this a day or a week ahead of time. Prepare everything, cover it with plastic wrap, and place it in the fridge or freeze it.
- STORE leftover stuffing in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days.
- FREEZE. Keep in an airtight container, for up to 3 months. For longer storage, wrap with aluminum foil and freeze for up to 2 months. Thaw in the fridge, before baking.
- Reheat covered, in a 325°F oven for 15 minutes, or until warm throughout.
Serving Suggestions
This classic stuffing recipe (and most) do not typically contain any meat, but is often served alongside meat-based dishes. Here are some of our favs:
For More Holiday Sides:
Homemade Stuffing Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 pound sourdough bread
- 8 tablespoons butter plus more for baking dish
- ¼ cup onion diced
- 4 stalks celery thinly sliced
- 2 teaspoons minced garlic
- ½ cup fresh parsley chopped
- 1 tablespoon fresh sage chopped and minced
- 1 tablespoon fresh thyme minced
- ½ tablespoon fresh rosemary chopped
- 3-4 cups low sodium chicken broth
- 1 large egg beaten
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- For best results, we recommend cutting up the bread into 1/2 inch-1 inch pieces and letting it sit out overnight to dry out. (If you do not have time to do that you can also place the cut bread onto a baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes at 200°F)
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease a large baking sheet and set aside (a 9×13 baking pan works well)
- Melt 8 tbsp of butter in a large skillet. Add the onion and celery. Cook on medium heat for 5-6 minutes. Stir in the garlic, parsley, sage, thyme, and rosemary. Cook for an additional minute.
- Place the cut-up bread pieces into a large bowl. Pour the celery mixture over the top and toss to evenly coat.
- In a separate bowl whisk the egg and add the chicken broth. Pour it over the coated bread. Add salt and pepper and toss to coat evenly.
- Pour the bread into a baking dish, cover it with foil, and bake for 45 minutes. Take off the foil and bake for an additional 15-20 minutes, or until golden brown.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I really wanted a recipe to impress my co workers, and this one did it!! So delicious, thank you!
Similar to the stuffing I grew up on, but I love the depth of flavor the sourdough bread added. Delish!
Your food always looks so good. Thank you I love your food 💕.
Ive Never liked stuffing, but AfteR trying this recipe i have to say ive Never liked stuffing from a box. This homemade recipe is really delicious.
I love thick stuffing! This is perfect for thanksgiving!
I have a friend that will only make her stuffing outside of the bird, ot’s sort of bland. I’ll be sharing this with her.
Yum! this is so delicious. It’s a great change up from my original stuffing recipe.
The sourdough adds such great flavor this awesome stuffing! Great recipe!
I never was much of a stuffing fan but over the years I have come to enjoy it alot more. This is a great recipe to serve dUring the holidays.
What a delicious stuffing recipe! I haven’t always liked stuffing, but it is my new favorite!