Classic Stuffing Recipe
This is the best Classic Stuffing recipe 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 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.
If you love this Classic Stuffing recipe, you’ll love these Thanksgiving recipes:
Ruth’s Chris Sweet Potato Casserole
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.
Recipe 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
This looks delicious! I am going to make this for my stuffing this year. Thank you for sharing and Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family.
Hope you enjoy it!
Update: My family has declared your stuffing recipe the best ever!! My search is over. And, my entire Thanksgiving meal was comprised using all your sides — the green bean casserole, the sweet potato casserole, mashed potatoes, etc… The family declared this year the best Thanksgiving Day meal ever!!! Thank you for sharing your great recipes with us all!! I will be looking forward to putting my Christmas Dinner Celebration using your site. Merry Christmas to you and yours and all the blessings this season gives!
Thank you. Thank you. Thank you!
Sorry, inside turkey – stuffing. Outside – dressing. My mother called it dressing, my grandmother called it dressing, my great-grandmother called it dressing. I call on 130 years of experience. I expect there’s a stone somewhere on the farm, engraved with the words “Outside the turkey, it’s dressing.”
Yes, I know. I explained that above. Everyone calls it stuffing but it’s actually dressing!!! But no one calls it that.
My husband also loves StoveTop stuffing; it’s pretty much the only kind he will eat. I tried it for the first time a few years ago, at his urging, and I have to admit–it was pretty tasty. I like to put it in chicken pockets made of leftover chicken and dumplings; it’s great for soaking up the extra sauce inside the pastry crust.
However, for Thanksgiving, I like REAL stuffing made from scratch. Luckily, our perennial Turkey Day hostess makes the best stuffing in the world, and I get my fix once a year. However, your recipe here looks like a good version for me to make at home with my chicken pockets. Sounds like it could satisfy both my and my husband’s different stuffing palates! 🙂
Haha. I think our husbands would get along!! Thanks. I hope you try it.
My mother would use day old homemade biscuits crumble with seasoned stuffing mix chopped up onions celery poultry seasoning salt and pepper mix well placed in refrigerator over night and that thanksgiving morning put in chicken broth she boiled a chicken added eggs melted butter baked TIL golden brown test with butter knife in center for doneness. Best DRESSING ever (cause she didn’t stuff bird) Corning wear square dish😋😋😋😋😋
Wow that sounds amazing!!
Stuffing is one of the best parts
Thanks. I agree.
Where I’m from, people call it “filling”.
Haha interesting.
Delicious!
Thanks!