A quick and easy Stuffing Recipe. Bread, celery, onions, seasonings and ALL THE BUTTER, make this a family favorite and perfect for Thanksgiving!
This recipe is the recipe that my mama has been making every Thanksgiving since I was a little girl. It is just not Thanksgiving without it and today I am sharing it with you!
I have a lot of fond memories of tearing the bread for the stuffing and the smell of celery and onions sautéing in butter. If something could “smell like Thanksgiving” this would come in second only to roasted turkey.
Dressing or stuffing?
Technically speaking, this is “Dressing” because I don’t like to stuff the bird. I prefer the bread pieces to have a little more of a crunch factor. But what you call it might also be impacted by where you live. In the South it’s called dressing. And pretty much everywhere else it’s stuffing.
What ingredients do you need?
BREAD: I prefer to use sourdough. You could use any day old white bread that you like.
DES’ TIP:To dry our our bread we usually left it out for a few hours (up to overnight) so that it would really have some texture in the final product.
CELERY: A must for any stuffing in my opinion. It adds great texture too!
ONIONS: Same as celery, a must! Use yellow or white.
BUTTER: Folks, this is THE best part. I mean the bread literally soaks up all of the butter and it is an amazing buttery bite. Use unsalted so that you can control the salt content.
THYME: Thyme is one of my favorite herbs of all time. It has a peppery flavor that works so well in so many recipes.
SAGE: It too has a peppery flavor but is very savory and bold.
SALT AND PEPPER
CHICKEN BROTH: This wasn’t in the original recipe that my mom gave me but that is because she stuffed the bird so the juices from the cooking turkey would help keep the stuffing moist. Since I cook it outside the bird, I use chicken broth instead. Use as little or as much as you want. If you want a stuffing that is more moist use more. Like it a little bit crispier? Use the 1/4 cup I suggest.
How do you make stuffing? Step by Step Photos and Instructions
STEP #1: Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat.
STEP #2: Once the butter has melted add the celery and onions. Cook just until the vegetables soften.
STEP #3: Add 1/3 of the bread cubes to the mixture and toss to coat.
STEP #4: Pour the mixture over the remaining bread cubes. Add in sage, thyme, salt and pepper. Toss to coat.
STEP #5: Transfer stuffing to a 2 quart (a 9×13 inch pan would work as well). Cover with aluminum foil and bake at 350 for 25 – 30 minutes or until warmed through. Serve hot.
DES’ TIP: If you want the stuffing to have a crisp top, remove the aluminum foil and cook for an additional 3 – 5 minutes. Be careful to watch so that the top doesn’t burn.
Vegetarian option:
One of the reasons that I love this recipe so much is that our vegetarian friends visit for Thanksgiving and the only thing we have to switch up to make it work for them is to use vegetable broth instead of chicken broth. Easy peasy!
If you loved this Easy Stuffing Recipe and are looking for more Thanksgiving Main Dishes and Side Dishes, I have got you covered!
And don’t forget those Thanksgiving Dessert Recipes!
Pumpkin Cake with Chocolate Ganache
Servings
Ingredients
- 1 1/4 cup unsalted butter
- 1 cup diced yellow onion
- 1 3/4 cup diced celery
- 11 slices sourdough (or other white bread day old (or dried out slightly), cut into cubes)
- 2 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 1 3/4 teaspoons sage
- 1 1/4 teaspoons thyme
- 3/4 teaspoon pepper
- 1/4 cup low sodium chicken broth
Instructions
- Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat.
- Once the butter has melted add the celery and onions. Cook just until the vegetables soften.
- Add 1/3 of the bread cubes to the mixture and toss to coat.
- Pour the mixture over the remaining bread cubes. Add in sage, thyme, salt and pepper. Add broth. Toss to coat.
- Transfer stuffing to a 2 quart (a 9x13 inch pan would work as well). Cover with aluminum foil and bake at 350 for 25 - 30 minutes or until warmed through. Serve hot.
Oops! yes! thank you for catching that :)
You left out when to add the broth. I’m going to guess it’s after you mix the cubes in the butter and pour over the rest of the cubed bread. Would like to know when though?
Yes! The chicken broth adds so much flavor!
This is the SAME recipe I grew up on! I, like you, also changed the water to chicken broth. It wouldn’t be Thanksgiving without this recipe.
I love it baby!