The BEST Thanksgiving stuffing! Primarily based on my household’s basic recipe, it is wealthy and savory, made with contemporary herbs, celery, butter, and leeks.
If I informed you {that a} basic stuffing recipe was my favourite a part of Thanksgiving dinner, would you consider me? Properly, itβs true! As a child, I fell in love with my grandmaβs stuffing recipe. Made with onion, celery, and dried herbs, it was easy and scrumptious. It had a crisp, golden layer of bread on high, with a moist and gooey middle beneath. Wealthy, savory taste stuffed each chunk.
My mother nonetheless makes this selfmade stuffing recipe for my householdβs Thanksgiving yearly. As a result of I find it irresistible a lot, I needed to develop my very own spin to share with all of you! I didnβt make many modificationsβI swapped out the onions for leeks and dried herbs for contemporary ones, and I used crusty sourdough bread.
When my mother tried my model for the primary time, she stated, βYou took our stuffing recipe, and also you made it higher!β I hope you find it irresistible as a lot as we do.
Stuffing Recipe Elements
In contrast to the stuffing recipes Iβve shared prior to now (see right here or right here), this one is pretty conventional. I make it with these fundamental elements:
- Bread, after all! Avoid pre-sliced sandwich bread for this recipe. You need a kind of bread thatβs crusty and flavorful, ideally sourdough or French bread. Stale bread works greatest right here, so I like to recommend shopping for it one to 3 days prematurely.
- Butter β I like to make use of salted butter right here, however be at liberty to make use of unsalted butter in case you favor. In that case, season the stuffing with an additional 1/4 teaspoon salt.
- Leeks β I really like their candy, oniony taste with the herbs and celery on this recipe. When you donβt prepare dinner with leeks typically, take a look at this put up to discover ways to reduce and clear them!
- Celery β A stuffing important.
- Garlic β For sharp depth of taste.
- Recent herbs β Rosemary, sage, thyme, and parsley fill this Thanksgiving stuffing with a mouthwatering mixture of earthy, contemporary, and savory flavors. Youβll by no means make stuffing with dried herbs once more!
- Vegetable broth β To moisten the bread.
- Eggs β They add richness and moisture, serving to to create the stuffingβs irresistible gooey middle.
- And sea salt and contemporary black pepper β To make all of the flavors pop!
Discover the entire recipe with measurements under.
Methods to Make Stuffing
This Thanksgiving stuffing recipe is tremendous easy to make! Right hereβs the way it goes:
First, tear the bread. Sure, tear together with your arms, not reduce with a knife! I favor the look of torn bread to good little bread cubes, and I like how the craggy edges catch the melted butter and herbs. After you tear it, place the bread in a really giant bowl.
- Tip:Β In case your bread will not be stale, unfold the torn items in a single layer on a big baking sheet. Bake for 10 to fifteen minutes in a 350Β°F oven to dry them out a bit. Then, proceed with the recipe!
Subsequent, prepare dinner the leeks.Β Soften the butter in a big skillet over medium warmth. Stir within the leeks, celery, garlic, salt, and pepper, and sautΓ© for five minutes, or till the greens soften. I flip the warmth to low midway by means of to keep away from browning the leeks.
Then, season the bread!Β Pour the leek combination over the dried bread and add the contemporary herbs. Use your arms to toss all of it collectively, coating the bread with the butter 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 ought to be very moist. If it feels dry in any respect, add an extra 1/2 cup broth.
Lastly, bake!Β Switch the bread combination to a greased baking dish and organize it in a thick, even layer. Drizzle the highest with melted butter, cowl, and bake for half-hour at 350Β°F. When youβre 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.
Get pleasure from!
Finest Stuffing Recipe Ideas
- Use day-old bread.Β This stuffing recipe comes out greatest while you make it with day- (or days-) previous bread. As a result of itβs drier than fresh-baked bread, it actually soaks up the flavors of the buttery leeks, broth, and herbs. So plan forward! Purchase or make your bread one to 3 days prematurely.
- Uncover the pan for a crispy high.Β One in all my favourite issues about Thanksgiving stuffing is how the crispy high contrasts with the moist, gooey inside. To get the highest of your stuffing good and crisp, uncover the casserole dish for the previous few minutes of baking.
- Double it if it is advisable to.Β When youβre feeding a crowd of stuffing lovers, or if you wish to have loads of leftovers, go forward and double this recipe. Itβs sufficient for 8 decent-sized parts, however you may want seconds. Not less than, I at all times do. π
Methods to Retailer and Make Forward
Who doesnβt love a Thanksgiving recipe that may be made prematurely?! You’ve got two choices for prepping this stuffing forward:
- Just a few 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 based on the recipe earlier than serving.
- A day forward: Absolutely assemble and bake the stuffing 1 day prematurely, however depart it lined for the whole time itβs within the oven. Refrigerate it in a single day. The subsequent day, reheat it, nonetheless lined, in a 350Β°F oven till itβs warmed by means of. Uncover it for the previous few minutes of baking to get the highest good and crisp.
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 350Β°F oven.
Extra Favourite Thanksgiving Recipes
You can make this stuffing recipe anytime through the fall or winter, but it surelyβs good for Thanksgiving. Spherical out your feast with a number of of those scrumptious Turkey Day facet dishes:

Finest Stuffing Recipe
Serves 8
This basic stuffing recipe is the BEST Thanksgiving facet dish! Leeks, celery, and contemporary herbs fill it with wealthy, savory taste.
- 1 small loaf (1 pound) day-old crusty sourdough bread, not sandwich bread
- Β½ cup salted butter, plus 1 tablespoon melted butter for topping
- 2 leeks, halved, thinly sliced, and rinsed nicely (2 cups)
- 4 celery stalks, diced (1ΒΎ cups)
- 3 garlic cloves, chopped
- ΒΎ teaspoon sea salt
- Β½ teaspoon freshly floor black pepper
- ΒΌ cup chopped contemporary sage
- Heaping ΒΌ cup chopped contemporary parsley
- 1 teaspoon chopped contemporary rosemary
- 1 teaspoon contemporary thyme leaves
- 1Β½ to 2 cups vegetable broth
- 2 giant eggs, overwhelmed
Stop your display from going darkish
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Preheat the oven to 350Β°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 sautΓ© for five minutes, turning the warmth to low midway by means of. Pour the leek combination over the bread and sprinkle with the sage, parsley, rosemary, and thyme. Use your arms to toss till coated. Pour 1Β½ 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 itβs nonetheless a bit dry, combine within the remaining Β½ cup of broth. The quantity you employ will depend 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 continues 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 will not be stale, unfold the torn items in a single layer on a big baking sheet. Bake for 10 to fifteen minutes in a 350Β°F oven to dry them out a bit earlier than continuing with the recipe.