The BEST Thanksgiving stuffing! Based mostly on my household’s basic recipe, it is wealthy and savory, made with recent herbs, celery, butter, and leeks.
This stuffing recipe is my favourite Thanksgiving aspect dish. Based mostly on my grandma’s do-it-yourself stuffing, it’s buttery and flavorful, made with celery, leeks (or onions), recent herbs, and dried bread cubes. Because it bakes, it will get crisp and golden on high however stays moist and gooey within the center.
When you’re on the lookout for a conventional stuffing to finish your Thanksgiving menu, I believe you’ll love this recipe. Easy, basic, and SO scrumptious, it’s palms down the most effective stuffing recipe I’ve tried. Discover make-ahead ideas and variations beneath!
Stuffing Elements
Right here’s what you’ll have to make this do-it-yourself stuffing recipe:
- Bread, after all! My favourite sort of bread to make use of on this recipe is crusty sourdough or French bread. A country loaf of wheat or white bread works too.
- Butter – For wealthy, buttery taste. Use salted butter or unsalted butter plus an additional 1/4 teaspoon salt.
- Leeks – For candy, oniony taste. When you don’t cook dinner with leeks typically, try this put up to discover ways to lower and clear them!
- Celery – A stuffing important.
- Garlic – For sharp depth of taste.
- Contemporary herbs – Rosemary, sage, thyme, and parsley fill this Thanksgiving stuffing with a mouthwatering mixture of earthy, recent, and savory flavors.
- Vegetable broth – To moisten the bread.
- Eggs – They add richness and moisture, serving to to create the stuffing’s irresistible gooey middle.
- And salt and pepper – To make all of the flavors pop!
Discover the entire recipe with measurements beneath.
The way to Make Stuffing
You will discover the entire stuffing recipe with measurements beneath, however for now, right here’s a fast overview of the way it goes:
Begin by drying the bread. You need it to be dry in order that it soaks up taste and moisture from the opposite substances.
- Possibility 1 – Plan forward: Lower or tear the bread into cubes a day or two prematurely. Unfold it in a single layer on a baking sheet and let it sit uncovered in your counter to dry out.
- Possibility 2 – Dry the bread within the oven: Unfold the bread cubes in a single layer on a baking sheet. Bake for 10 to fifteen minutes at 350°F to dry them out.
Subsequent, cook dinner the veggies. Sauté the leeks, celery, and garlic till softened, about 5 minutes.
Then, season the bread. In a big bowl, use your palms to toss collectively the dried bread, greens, and herbs.
Pour 1 1/2 cups of the broth over the bread and toss once more. Add the eggs and toss once more. At this stage, the bread needs to be very moist. If it feels dry in any respect, add an extra 1/2 cup broth.
Lastly, bake! Switch the bread combination to a greased casserole dish and organize it in a fair layer. Drizzle the highest with melted butter, cowl, and bake for half-hour at 350°F.
When you’re like me, and you want your stuffing to have a crispy, golden brown high, uncover the dish and bake for five to 10 minutes extra.
Take pleasure in!
Stuffing Recipe Variations
- Use onions as a substitute of leeks. Substitute the leeks with 1 yellow onion, chopped.
- Use dried herbs as a substitute of recent. Substitute the recent herbs with 1 to 2 tablespoons blended dried sage, thyme, rosemary, and/or poultry seasoning.
- Skip the eggs. Add additional broth as wanted to moisten the bread earlier than baking.
- Make it vegan. Skip the eggs and use olive oil or vegan butter as a substitute of normal.
The way to Retailer and Make Forward
You may have two choices for prepping this herb stuffing forward:
- A number of hours forward: Comply with the recipe as written, stopping proper earlier than you bake the stuffing. Cowl the baking dish and refrigerate till about an hour earlier than your meal. Bake in line with the recipe earlier than serving.
- A day forward: Absolutely assemble and bake the stuffing 1 day prematurely, however go away it lined for the complete time it’s within the oven. Refrigerate it in a single day. The following day, reheat it, nonetheless lined, in a 350°F oven till it’s warmed by way of. Uncover it for the previous few minutes of baking to crisp the highest.
Leftover stuffing retains nicely in an hermetic container within the fridge for as much as 3 days. Reheat it within the microwave or in a lined baking dish in a 350°F oven.
Extra Favourite Thanksgiving Recipes
You would serve this simple stuffing recipe with any meal, however it’s particularly excellent for Thanksgiving. Spherical out your feast with a number of of those scrumptious Turkey Day aspect dishes:
Greatest Stuffing Recipe
Serves 8
This basic stuffing recipe is my favourite aspect dish at Thanksgiving dinner! Leeks, celery, and recent herbs fill it with wealthy, savory taste.
- 1 small loaf (1 pound) day-old crusty sourdough bread, not sandwich bread
- ½ cup salted butter, plus 1 tablespoon melted butter for topping
- 2 leeks, halved, thinly sliced, and rinsed nicely (2 cups)
- 4 celery stalks, diced (1¾ cups)
- 3 garlic cloves, chopped
- ¾ teaspoon sea salt
- ½ teaspoon freshly floor black pepper
- ¼ cup chopped recent sage
- Heaping ¼ cup chopped recent parsley
- 1 teaspoon chopped recent rosemary
- 1 teaspoon recent thyme leaves
- 1½ to 2 cups vegetable broth
- 2 giant eggs, overwhelmed
Forestall your display from going darkish
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Preheat the oven to 350°F and grease an 8×11 or 9×13-inch baking dish.
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Tear the bread into 1-inch items* and place in a very giant bowl.
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Soften the butter in a giant skillet over medium warmth. Add the leeks, celery, garlic, salt, and pepper, and sauté for five minutes, turning the warmth to low midway by way of. Pour the leek combination over the bread and sprinkle with the sage, parsley, rosemary, and thyme. Use your palms to toss till coated. Pour 1½ cups of the broth evenly over the stuffing and toss to coat. Add the eggs and toss once more. The bread ought to really feel fairly moist. If it’s nonetheless a bit dry, combine within the remaining ½ cup of broth. The quantity you utilize will rely upon how dense and dry your bread was.
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Switch the combination to the baking dish. If making forward, cease right here, cowl the dish with foil, and retailer within the fridge till able to bake.
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When able to bake, drizzle the 1 tablespoon melted butter on high and bake, lined, for half-hour. If the stuffing remains to be fairly moist, uncover the dish and bake for five to 10 extra minutes to crisp the highest a bit.
*In case your bread isn’t stale, unfold the torn items in a single layer on a big baking sheet. Bake for 10 to fifteen minutes in a 350°F oven to dry them out a bit earlier than continuing with the recipe.
