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This Thanksgiving Stuffing recipe is great for beginners or for anyone needing a classic stuffing recipe with lots of flavors. You can add sausage or serve it traditional style stuffed in a turkey or in a casserole dish.
Thanksgiving dinner includes all of the best comfort foods – homemade stuffing, potatoes, turkey, gravy, etc. Do not forget to add this traditional stuffing recipe to your holiday dinner. It comes together easily and is packed with flavor.
While there are so many ways to make stuffing, this is truly the best Thanksgiving stuffing recipe. There are no frills or twists on how to make it. It’s made traditional style with day-old french bread that’s mixed with freshly chopped herbs. Butter gets placed on top to create a golden brown topping to round out the dish.
This thanksgiving turkey stuffing recipe pairs well with a tender Thanksgiving Turkey and side dishes. It also makes a great side to make for a weeknight dinner when you’re craving comfort food during the cooler weather months!
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- This classic thanksgiving stuffing recipe is made with simple ingredients that you can find in any grocery store.
- It uses fresh herbs instead of dried for a fresh flavor that competes with any boxed mix.
- You can bake it inside the turkey as stuffing or in a casserole dish.
- The entire dish takes just 1 hour from start to finish making it a great recipe to make when you’re short on time.
- This recipe is a great choice if it’s your first time making stuffing.
Ingredients You’ll Need
- Unsalted Butter – You can substitute with salted butter if needed, but you should cut back on the salt in the dish.
- Diced Celery – Adds a bit of texture and a classic stuffing flavor when cooked down in butter. If you don’t like celery, you can omit, but the celery helps create the classic stuffing texture and flavor.
- Diced Onion – Yellow or sweet onion tastes best.
- Fresh Herbs – Use a mix of freshly chopped sage, thyme, and rosemary to add a bold herb flavor and fresh taste.
- Salt & Pepper – Used to balance and enhance all of the savory and bold herb flavors in the dish.
- Chicken Broth – This liquid is used to mix in with the vegetables, herbs, and bread to infuse it with a comforting flavor. You can also use turkey broth if you have it on hand.
- Eggs – Help to bind the stuffing together as it bakes to make it easily to serve out of the oven.
- Fresh Parsley – Adds a fresh taste and green color to garnish the stuffing making a great presentation.
- French Bread – Day-old French bread is our favorite bread to use when making the best Thanksgiving stuffing. The crusty outside and soft inside make a perfectly textured stuffing.
How To Make Homemade Thanksgiving Stuffing
- Prepare for baking: Preheat your oven to 375 Fahrenheit. Spray a 3-quart baking dish with nonstick cooking spray and set aside. Prepare the butter by cutting one stick into cubes and setting it aside for the topping.
- Cook the herbs and vegetables: In a large skillet, heat up the butter cubes over medium heat. Add in the celery, onions, and freshly chopped herbs. Sprinkle salt and pepper over top and saute for 5-7 minutes or until the vegetables begin to soften.
- Assemble the bread mixture: In a measuring cup, whisk the eggs with the parsley and chicken broth until the eggs are fully beaten and the mixture is fully combined. Pour the cubed bread into a bowl or inside the baking dish and toss with the vegetables until fully combined. Spread it in an even layer in the baking dish, then pour the broth, egg, and parsley mixture on top to make sure the bread is soaked through. You may need to press it down.
- Bake the stuffing: Top the dish evenly with the prepared cubes of butter, then cover the dish with aluminum foil. Bake for 30 minutes, then uncover and bake for up to 25 minutes or until the stuffing is set and golden brown on top.
Expert Tips
- To make day-old French bread, simply cut it into bread cubes and leave it exposed on the counter for up to 2 days. This will dry out the bread making it the perfect texture for thanksgiving stuffing. You can also bake in the oven at a low temperature until dried out.
- Cut bread into smaller bite-sized pieces. This helps create the best texture for the stuffing and helps the bread evenly soak up the liquid.
- Don’t skip the eggs in this recipe. Eggs will help bind the mixture together and create a texture that will stay together and is easy to serve.
- You’ll know the thanksgiving stuffing is finished baking when it’s golden brown on top but not soaked in the middle. The texture should be moist and soft, but not wet.
Variations
- Add sausage to make sausage stuffing. Ground and cooked sausage adds lots of comforting flavor to the stuffing. To add sausage, simply brown it in the saucepan prior to adding the butter, then continue on to step 2. Italian sausage is great choice.
- To stuff a turkey, spoon 4-5 cups of the stuffing into the turkey cavity, stuffing it loosely but not overfilling. Follow the cooking directions based on the size of the turkey, being sure the internal temperature of the stuffing comes to 165° Fahrenheit on an instant-read meat thermometer before serving.
- Add a crunchy texture to the thanksgiving stuffing by adding chopped pecans, walnuts, or your favorite toasted nut to the egg and broth mixture.
- Add dried fruit. Dried fruit gives this homemade thanksgiving stuffing recipe notes of sweet and tart flavor. Try using dried cranberries, raisins, or currants for flavor.
- Make it gluten free. You can use gluten-free bread that is similar in texture to standard french bread. However, keep in mind that depending on the bread used, the texture of the stuffing may be different.
FAQs
This is not recommended because the texture of the stuffing will get too soggy before it’s cooked. For best results, cook it first, then freeze it.
Making sure the bread mixture is fully coated with the egg and broth is the best way to keep it from falling apart. If there are too many dry spots, they will crumble.
Stuffing is traditionally a mixture that is cooked inside the cavity of a poultry bird while the bird cooks. The dressing is cooked outside of the bird. Although they do have different methods, these terms have been known to be interchangeable depending on a family tradition.
Did you make this Thanksgiving Stuffing recipe? Leave a recipe rating and review below!
Easy Thanksgiving Stuffing
Ingredients
- 1 cup unsalted butter, divided
- 2 cups celery, diced
- 1 1/2 cups onion, diced
- 1 tablespoon fresh sage, minced
- 1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
- 1/2 tablespoon fresh rosemary, minced
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 2 cups chicken broth, (or turkey broth)
- 2 large eggs
- 1/2 cup fresh parsley, chopped
- 1 pound day-old French bread, diced into 1/2 inch or smaller cubes (about 10 cups)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Spray a 3-quart baking dish with cooking spray and set aside. Cut ½ cup of butter into cubes and set aside.
- Melt ½ cup of butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add celery, onions, sage, thyme, rosemary, salt, and pepper and saute for 5 minutes.
- Meanwhile, whisk chicken broth, eggs, and parsley in a large measuring cup. Toss the onion mixture with the cubed bread, spread it in an even layer in the prepared baking dish then pour the broth mixture evenly over it, pressing it down to soak the bread.
- Scatter the top of the stuffing with the butter cubes. Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 30 minutes, then uncover and bake until golden, 20-25 minutes.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Great classic stuffing recipe that’s perfectly moist (hate dry stuffing!) and full of flavor!
Ohh this looks perfect AND not! dry! So often stuffing turns out to be too dry and it’s hard to eat. This looks perfectly seasoned and perfectly textured. Can’t wait to serve it at Thanksgiving! Thank you!