Thanksgiving Bread Stuffing
This is the easiest-ever stuffing recipe for Thanksgiving.
Serves8
Prep15 minutes
Cook1 hour to 20 hours
Editor’s Note: If you’ve cooked this beloved recipe before, it might look a little different these days! We recently improved it to make it even easier to follow and more delicious.
Anyone else here think that the stuffing is the best part of Thanksgiving dinner? I love its mix of textures and flavors – the buttery aromatics, herbs, and broth-soaked bread — oh mama, that’s good stuff! I find that the key to good stuffing is twofold: the proportion of ingredients and the amount of stock used to soak the bread, and I’ve tested it over the years to get that perfect ratio.
I always bake my stuffing separately from the turkey, opting for more control over the cooking rather than tradition (plus I can’t resist the crispy, golden-brown top!). Here’s how to make the easiest bread stuffing for your Thanksgiving feast.
Why You’ll Love It
- I’ve perfected the recipe. As the self-designated stuffing-maker in our house, I’ve tweaked and tested my recipe over the years until finally settling on this one easy method.
- It has all the classic flavors. This easy stuffing with crusty bread, fresh herbs, and sautéed onions and celery tastes just like Thanksgiving.
Key Ingredients in Bread Stuffing
- Bread: The bread binds everything together, so I always pick a good one. Sourdough is my favorite, but you can use any loaf of crusty bread.
- Aromatics: Onion and celery are the aromatic vegetables added to classic stuffing.
- Herbs: Flavor the stuffing with fresh sage, thyme, or oregano leaves, or a combination of herbs.
- Broth: I like my stuffing fairly moist, like a panade, so I add enough broth to come about 3/4 up the side of the baking dish — this is roughly 3 to 4 cups when baking in a 3-quart baking dish. If you don’t like your stuffing quite so saturated, use less broth.
- Eggs: Eggs help bind the stuffing. You’ll need 2 large eggs for this amount of stuffing.
How to Make Bread Stuffing
- Toast the bread. The trick for great stuffing? Toast the bread until it’s completely dry; this helps it to absorb the stock and also hold its shape during cooking.
- Sauté the aromatics and add herbs. Cook the onion, add the celery and herbs, and cook until softened. Transfer to a large bowl.
- Combine stuffing ingredients. Add bread, eggs, and broth to the aromatics and stir together until evenly moistened and the ingredients are evenly distributed.
- Bake the stuffing. Transfer the stuffing into an even layer in a baking dish. Bake covered with aluminum foil to cook through and maintain moisture, then uncovered until browned and crispy.
Helpful Swaps
- Bread: You can use your favorite loaf to switch things up. One year I used pumpkin bread for a fantastic sweet-savory twist.
- Optional mix-ins: With the optional mix-in ingredients, you want a little taste of each thing every few bites. For me, this means a healthy cup or so each of nuts, sausage, and fruit. When you’re toasting the bread, toast the nuts while you’re at it. If you don’t like fruit in your stuffing, add extra vegetables instead.
More Stuffing Recipes to Try
Make-Ahead and Storage Tips
- Make ahead: Steps 1, 2, and 4 can be made up to 1 day ahead. Store the toasted bread at room temperature and refrigerate the vegetable mixture separately.
- Storage: Leftovers can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 4 days or frozen for up to 1 month.
What to Serve with Bread Stuffing
Bread Stuffing Recipe
This is the easiest-ever stuffing recipe for Thanksgiving.
Prep time 15 minutes
Cook time 1 hour to 20 hours
Serves 8
Nutritional Info
Ingredients
For the stuffing:
- 1
(about 1 pound) loaf crusty bread, such as sourdough
Cooking spray
- 6 tablespoons
(3/4 stick) unsalted butter
- 1
large yellow onion, diced (about 2 cups)
- 1 teaspoon
kosher salt, divided
- 3
medium stalks celery, diced (about 1 1/2 cups)
- 2 tablespoons
finely chopped fresh sage, thyme, or oregano leaves, or a combination
- 2
large eggs, lightly beaten
- 2 to 4 cups
low-sodium chicken, turkey broth, or vegetable broth
Optional mix-ins:
- 1 cup
coarsely chopped walnuts, almonds, pecans, or other nuts
- 1
diced large apple, or 1 cup raisins, dried cranberries, or other diced dried fruit
- 1 pound
sausage (casings removed), ground beef, ground turkey, or ground chicken, cooked and crumbled (see Recipe Notes)
Instructions
Arrange 2 racks to divide the oven into thirds and heat the oven to 350°F. Meanwhile, cut or tear 1 loaf crusty bread into 1-inch pieces (about 8 cups). Divide the bread between 2 rimmed baking sheets and spread into an even layer.
Bake for 10 minutes. Stir the bread and spread back into an even layer. Sprinkle with 1 cup coarsely chopped nuts if using. Bake until the bread is completely dry and the nuts are toasted, 8 to 10 minutes more. Remove from the oven and let cool.
Increase the oven temperature to 400°F. Coat a 9x13-inch or 3 to 4-quart baking dish with cooking spray.
Melt 6 tablespoons unsalted butter in a large frying pan over medium heat. Add 1 diced large yellow onion, season with 1/2 teaspoon of the kosher salt, and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in 3 diced medium celery stalks, 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh herbs, and 1 diced large apple or 1 cup dried fruit if using. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the celery is softened, about 5 minutes more. Transfer to a large bowl.
Add the bread and nuts, 2 lightly beaten large eggs, the remaining 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, and 1 pound cooked ground meat if desired. Stir until combined. Pour 2 to 4 cups low-sodium broth evenly over the stuffing and gently fold until evenly moistened. If you prefer your stuffing on the dry side, add 2 to 3 cups broth; if you like moist stuffing, add 3 to 4 cups.
Transfer to the baking dish and spread into an even layer. Cover the baking dish tightly with aluminum foil. Bake for 30 minutes. Uncover and continue baking until the top is crispy and golden-brown, 15 to 20 minutes more. Let cool for 10 minutes before serving.
Recipe Notes
Cooking sausage or ground meat: Heat a large frying pan over medium heat. Add 1 pound sausage or other ground meat and sprinkle with salt if using ground meat. Break the meat up into small pieces and cook until browned and cooked through, 8 to 10 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the meat to the bowl in Step 5.
Make ahead: Steps 1, 2, and 4 can be made up to 1 day ahead. Store the toasted bread at room temperature and refrigerate the vegetable mixture separately.
Storage: Leftovers can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 4 days or frozen for up to 1 month.
(Images: Emma Christensen)