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Simple Homemade Stuffing

A million times better than boxed stuffing, this simple homemade stuffing is so delicious. With fresh ingredients, you'll taste the difference in the flavor and the texture soft and crispy (not soggy at all).

Course Holiday Foods, Side Dish
Cuisine American
Keyword Dressing, Stuffing
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 2 hours 30 minutes
Total Time 3 hours
Servings 12 servings
Author Heather @ thecookstreat.com

Ingredients

  • 1 pound hearty bread cut into 1-inch pieces, see note
  • ¾ cup salted butter
  • 2 ½ cups diced white or yellow onions about 1 ½ small/medium onions
  • 1 ½ cups celery diced, about 2-3 large stalks
  • 2 tablespoons fresh sage 2 teaspoons dried
  • ½ cup chopped fresh parsley 2 tablespoons dried
  • 1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary 1 teaspoon dried
  • 1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme 1 teaspoon dried
  • 1 ¾ teaspoon coarse kosher salt
  • 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 2 ½ cups chicken broth divided, see note
  • 2 large eggs

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 250 degrees F. Grease a large baking sheet with cooking spray or line with parchment paper. Scatter bread evenly on baking sheet and bake for 1 hour, stirring every 15 minutes until bread is crispy and dry. Let bread cool completely before using. This step can be made up to 1 week ahead of time (once cooled, store in a sealed container).

  2. Add the dried, cooled bread cubes to a large bowl. Set aside. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

  3. In a large sauté pan, melt ¾ cup salted butter over medium-high heat. Add diced onions and celery and cook about 10 minutes, stirring often, until vegetables start to brown.

  4. Add the softened vegetables to bowl with the bread and then stir in sage, rosemary, thyme, coarse salt, and black pepper. Stir well. Then drizzle over 1 ¼ cups chicken broth and stir gently.

  5. In a small bowl, whisk together remaining 1 ¼ cups chicken broth and 2 large eggs. Add to the bread mixture and fold gently until combined.

  6. Spray a 9x13-inch baking pan with cooking spray and transfer bread mixture to it. Cover tightly with foil and bake for 40 minutes at 350 degrees F or until instant read thermometer reads 160 degrees F.

  7. If making ahead of time: uncover, let cool completely. Then cover and refrigerate for up to 24 hours. If baking immediately, skip this step.

  8. Remove cover and bake at 350 degrees F for an additional 40-45 minutes (plus 10-15 minutes if chilled) until stuffing is set and top is browned and crisp.

Recipe Notes

1. For the bread make sure to use a hearty bread. Usually bread that is a few days old works better than fresh. I usually use a French Baguette or 7 French baguette rolls, a rustic loaf, sour dough, or even good quality day old sandwich bread will work.

2. For the chicken broth I often use 2 ½ cups water + 1 ½ teaspoons chicken bouillon substitute.