Description
This classic Grandma’s Thanksgiving Stuffing recipe delivers a perfectly moist and flavorful side dish featuring toasted bread cubes combined with fresh herbs, sautéed vegetables, and a rich broth-butter mixture. Baked until golden and crispy on top, it’s an essential comfort food for your holiday feast.
Ingredients
Scale
Ingredients
- 10 cups cubed bread (sourdough or French)
- 1 large onion, finely diced
- 2 cups celery, finely chopped (about 3–4 stalks)
- 2 tbsp fresh sage, finely chopped
- 2 tbsp fresh thyme, finely chopped
- 1 tbsp fresh rosemary, finely chopped
- 4 cups low-sodium broth (chicken or vegetable)
- ½ cup unsalted butter, melted
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Preheat the Oven: Set your oven temperature to 350°F (175°C) to prepare for toasting the bread and baking the stuffing.
- Toast the Bread Cubes: Spread the cubed bread evenly on a baking sheet. Bake for 10-15 minutes until the bread is lightly toasted and dried out, which helps prevent the stuffing from becoming soggy.
- Combine Bread and Vegetables: In a large bowl, mix the toasted bread cubes with the finely diced onion, chopped celery, and fresh herbs (sage, thyme, and rosemary) to evenly distribute flavors.
- Prepare the Broth Mixture: Whisk together the melted unsalted butter, low-sodium broth, salt, and pepper in a separate bowl to create a savory soaking liquid for the bread.
- Mix Broth with Bread Mixture: Pour the broth mixture over the bread and vegetable mixture gently tossing to ensure every bread cube is moistened without becoming mushy.
- Transfer to Baking Dish: Grease a baking dish and transfer the stuffing mixture into it, spreading it out evenly for consistent baking.
- Initial Bake Covered: Cover the dish with foil to retain moisture and bake for 30 minutes, allowing the flavors to meld and the stuffing to heat through.
- Final Bake Uncovered: Remove the foil and continue baking for an additional 15-20 minutes until the top is golden brown and crisped to your preference.
- Serve: Remove from oven and serve the stuffing hot as a delicious and traditional holiday side dish.
Notes
- Use stale or day-old bread for best texture; fresh bread may result in a mushy stuffing.
- For a vegetarian version, use vegetable broth instead of chicken broth.
- Fresh herbs provide the best flavor, but dried herbs can be substituted at half the amount.
- Butter can be substituted with olive oil for a lighter version.
- Adjust salt according to the saltiness of the broth used.
- To add extra flavor, sauté onions and celery in butter before mixing them with bread cubes.
- This stuffing can be prepared a day ahead, covered, and stored in the refrigerator before baking.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 55 minutes
- Category: Side Dish
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Keywords: Thanksgiving stuffing, holiday side dish, baked stuffing, herb stuffing, bread stuffing recipe
