Classic Stuffing Recipe
The best Classic Stuffing recipe made with bread, onion, celery, butter, and fresh herbs for Thanksgiving. Some people call this dressing and some people call it stuffing, either way this Classic Stuffing recipe is our go-to Thanksgiving side dish.
CLASSIC STUFFING RECIPE
Growing up I distinctly remember going through the Thanksgiving food line at my house (remember I’m the youngest of ten kids so all meals were buffet style), seeing the bowl of Stove Top stuffing and thinking, “Meh. I would rather save room for something worthwhile.”
Oh boy how those days have changed. I’ve definitely had my walk through the valley of ALL the stuffings. When I asked my husband what he looks for in stuffing he said, “Something that tastes like Stove Top.”
Ooh-kay. We digress. No. No. And no. Old habits die hard. Nostalgia is good but some traditions need to be let go.
First, was the year I made stuffing that was so crispy that it tasted like a bowl of croutons.
Next, there was the year I used so much butter my friend Steve said, “Ooh. It’s a like a butter explosion in my mouth every time I bite.”
Then, there was the year I used ALL the herbs and it tasted like I was chewing on leaves.
WHAT MAKES A GOOD STUFFING?
Well. I guess that’s personal. For me, it’s not too soggy, not too crispy. I want it to be slightly soft with some nice toasty edges on top.
Good stuffing is like Simon and Garfunkel are singing “Parsley, Sage, Rosemary, and Thyme” in the family room but not blasting it on Alexa on my dinner plate.
The best stuffing makes me think to myself, “Oh, this tastes like Thanksgiving.” Not, “What horrible herb am I biting into? Is this window cleaner?”
WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN STUFFING AND DRESSING?
Traditionally stuffing is cooked inside the turkey while dressing is cooked in a baking dish in the oven.
So why do I call it stuffing? Because everyone does. No one calls it dressing unless they’re Martha Stewart.
WHY ARE THERE EGGS IN THIS STUFFING?
Eggs act as a binder to hold all of the bread, onions, and celery together.
WHAT KIND OF BREAD SHOULD I USE?
This is up to personal preference but there are many different types of bread you can use in stuffing. I personally like to use bakery sliced bread, French bread, or sourdough bread.
Here are some types of bread you can use:
- sandwich bread
- French bread
- baguettes
- sourdough bread
- bakery loaf of bread
DRY THE BREAD
After you’ve cut your bread into 1-inch cubes, you can dry your bread two ways:
-
- Place your bread cubes in a large bowl and them them sit on the counter covered for 1-2 days to dry out. Stir the bread cubes every once in a while.
- If you don’t have time to air-dry your bread, you can toast it. Lay bread cubes on baking sheets in a single layer and toast at 250 degrees for 45-60 minutes stirring every once in a while.
CAN I USE DRIED HERBS INSTEAD OF FRESH HERBS?
You can use 2 teaspoons of poultry seasonings instead of the fresh herbs in this recipe.
In my opinion however, there is no replacement for the smell and taste of fresh herbs.
CAN I PREPARE STUFFING AHEAD OF TIME?
Since this stuffing has eggs in it, it’s best to make it the same day or bake and then reheat the day of.
OTHER THANKSGIVING RECIPES:
- Green Bean Casserole
- Scalloped Potatoes
- Ruth’s Chris Sweet Potato Casserole
- Lion House Rolls
- Corn Souffle
- Cornbread Dressing
- Cranberry Salsa with Cream Cheese
- Loaded Mashed Potatoes
- Apple Crisp
Classic Stuffing Recipe
This is the best Classic Stuffing recipe with bread, onion, butter, and fresh herbs. You can't go wrong with this Thanksgiving stuffing recipe
Ingredients
- 1 lb bread cut into 1-inch cubes - about 12 cups, (see note)
- 3/4 cup unsalted butter
- 2 cups chopped yellow onion
- 1 1/2 cups chopped celery
- 1/4 cup chopped Italian parsley
- 1 tablespoon minced fresh sage
- 1 tablespoon minced fresh rosemary
- 1 tablespoon minced fresh thyme (sticks discarded)
- 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon ground pepper
- 2 large eggs
- 2 cups reduced sodium chicken broth
Instructions
- You can dry your bread cubes two ways:
- Place your bread cubes in a large bowl and them them sit on the counter covered for 1-2 days to dry out. Stir the bread cubes every once in a while.
- If you don't have time to air-dry your bread, you can toast them. Lay bread cubes on baking sheets in a single layer and toast at 250 degrees for 45-60 minutes stirring every once in a while. Transfer bread cubes to a large bowl.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees and spray a 9x13 baking dish with cooking spray.
- In a skillet, melt the butter and add the onion and celery. Sautee until vegetables are soft. Pour mixture into the bowl with the bread. Add the parsley, sage, rosemary, thyme, salt, and pepper. Stir together.
- In a medium bowl, whisk the eggs. Add the chicken broth and whisk together. Pour mixture over bread cubes and mix well. Pour into prepared baking dish. Cover with foil and bake for 35 minutes. Remove foil and bake for another 10-15 minutes until top is golden brown and middle is set.
Notes
This is up to personal preference but there are many different types of bread you can use in stuffing. I personally like to use bakery sliced bread, French bread, or sourdough bread.
Here are some types of bread you can use:
sandwich bread
French bread
baguettes
sourdough bread
bakery loaf of bread
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 10 Serving Size: 1 gramsAmount Per Serving: Unsaturated Fat: 0g
The taste was amazing. We used eggs from our chickens and apparently didn’t mix it well enough and ended up with stuffing with scrambled egg bits in it. I’m going to leave them out next time, but I will make this again because it was delicious!
Here in the Midwest it’s dressing, long before Martha Stewart made her way on the scene, back when Julia Child was in Black and White on TV. Just sayin’. But your recipe looks like my Grandma’s and my Mom’s so I’m sure it’s tasty whatever you call it!
Added cornbread and extra sage. Thank you.
I’ve never made stuffing before, so tried this…it was a huge hit! I made it for 10 serving, thinking i’d have left overs (family of 6) not a hope!!! All gone! Quick question…would it be best for me to make and cook and then reheat the next day or can i make it leave it for 24hrs and then cook?
First let me say that I am not a big stuffing fan, nor do I ever comment on recipes. This recipe however I cannot wait to make again. I consider myself to be a bit of a foodie and the Italian parsley in this recipe really upped its game. This stuffing paired with the gravy from this turkey recipe will be my new holiday go-to.
https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/14582/chicken-and-turkey-marinade/
I bought bread from the super market that was already dried and ready for stuffing.
But I had to guess how much to use, since a pound of bread after drying out would weigh less than it did after it loses its moisture.
It would be handy to have a before and after weight for the recipe.
Thanks.
Is Italian parsley necessary? Is regular parsley ok? Should I use something else? I bought the other herbs. I overlooked the Italian parsley when making my list.
*I posted in the comment thread before I figured out how to reply to your comment!
Italian parsley has a slightly different taste than regular parsley and is most commonly used in soups and dry casserole dishes. That being said, you can use dried parsley, fresh regular parsley and it comes down to your preference.
I use dried herbs in a bind, and parsley is the friend that never meets a stranger! I hope this helps. Happy Thanksgiving!
It should be fine!
Hi – I’m making this recipe now. Have gone through three loaves of bread and still not at 12 cups yet. About how many loaves of bread should I be using? I know it’s tough to estimate but is it normal to go through three or four loaves for this recipe or am I measuring wrong?
Thank
You’ve probably already cooked your stuffing, but wanted to add that I’ve sliced up half a hearty loaf of whole grain country bread and am at 4 cups already. This particular loaf is very dense (similar to banana bread thickness) and was left out for a day to toughen up even more. I imagine softer breads might smash down easier and take longer to fill a cup. Anyways, hope it worked out. Happy Thanksgiving!
I’m probably too late to help, but I used almost a full loaf for a half batch. I measured by weight, not cups. I hope it worked for you! 🙂
You should be using 1 (16 ounce) loaf which should be around 4 cups of bread.
So is it 4 cups or 12 cups? I’m confused
Oven Temp???
350! It says in the instructions.
Are you able to prep this the night before and keep in refrigerator overnight until ready to cook? Plan on making this for Thanksgiving, sounds like a perfect stuffing!!
I just found my answer above 😊
Yes! Totally can prep the night before and bake the day of or bake the night before and just reheat!
How long did it really take you? because im a person who just look at a recipe for class tho.
If I done have fresh herbs on hand, what’s the measurement for dried herbs or poultry seasoning?
The rule of thumb is 1/3 of fresh for dried. For example, if the recipe calls for 1 Tablespoon of fresh (which is 3 teaspoons), you would use 1 teaspoon of dried in its place. Hope that helps/
Can I make a ahead freeze then defrost and reheat?