The BEST Thanksgiving stuffing! Based mostly on my household’s basic recipe, it is wealthy and savory, made with recent herbs, celery, butter, and leeks.
If I instructed you {that a} no-frills, basic stuffing recipe was my favourite a part of Thanksgiving, would you imagine me? Nicely, it’s true! As a child, I fell in love with my grandma’s stuffing recipe. Made with onion, celery, and dried herbs, it was easy and scrumptious. It had a crisp, golden layer of bread on high, with a moist and gooey heart beneath. Wealthy, savory taste crammed each chunk.
My mother nonetheless makes this home made stuffing recipe for my household’s Thanksgiving yearly. As a result of I adore it a lot, I needed to develop my very own spin to share with all of you! I didn’t make many modifications – I swapped the onions for leeks and dried herbs for recent ones, and I used crusty sourdough bread. I used to be thrilled with the outcomes, however I used to be nervous to see what my mother would assume. After I shared it together with her final weekend, I breathed an enormous sigh of aid. After just a few bites, she regarded up and mentioned, “You took our stuffing recipe, and also you made it higher!” I hope you adore it as a lot as we do.
Stuffing Recipe Substances
Not like the stuffing recipes I’ve shared up to now (see right here or right here), this one is pretty conventional. I make it with these primary substances:
- Bread, in fact! Keep away from pre-sliced sandwich bread for this recipe. You desire a loaf that’s crusty and flavorful, ideally sourdough. Stale bread works greatest right here, so I like to recommend shopping for it one to a few days upfront.
- Butter – It infuses this stuffing with wealthy, buttery taste.
- Leeks – I like their candy, oniony taste with the herbs and celery on this recipe. When you don’t cook dinner with leeks typically, try this publish to discover ways to minimize and clear them!
- Celery – A stuffing important.
- Garlic – For sharp depth of taste.
- Recent herbs – Rosemary, sage, thyme, and parsley fill this Thanksgiving stuffing with a mouthwatering mixture of earthy, recent, and savory flavors. You’ll by no means make stuffing with dried herbs once more!
- Vegetable broth – To moisten the bread.
- Eggs – They add richness and moisture, serving to to create the stuffing’s irresistible gooey heart.
- And sea salt and recent black pepper – To make all of the flavors pop!
Discover the entire recipe with measurements beneath.
The best way to Make Stuffing
This Thanksgiving stuffing recipe is tremendous easy to make! Right here’s the way it goes:
First, tear the bread. Sure, tear together with your palms, not minimize with a knife! I desire the look of torn bread to good little bread cubes, and I like how the craggy edges catch the melted butter and herbs. After you tear it, place the bread in a really giant bowl.
- Tip: In case your bread is just not stale, unfold the torn items in a single layer on a big baking sheet. Bake for 10 to fifteen minutes in a 350°F oven to dry them out a bit. Then, proceed with the recipe!
Subsequent, cook dinner the leeks. Soften the butter in a big skillet over medium warmth. Stir within the leeks, celery, garlic, salt, and pepper, and sauté for five minutes, or till the greens soften. I flip the warmth to low midway via to keep away from browning the leeks.
Then, season the bread! Pour the leek combination over the bread and add the recent herbs. Use your palms to toss all of it collectively, coating the bread with the butter and herbs. Pour 1 1/2 cups of the broth over the bread, and toss once more. Add the eggs, and toss once more. At this stage, the bread needs to be very moist. If it feels dry in any respect, add a further 1/2 cup broth.
Lastly, bake! Switch the bread combination to a greased baking dish and prepare it in a thick, even layer. Drizzle the highest with melted butter, cowl, and bake for half-hour at 350°F. When you’re like me, and you want your stuffing to have a crispy high, uncover the dish and bake for five to 10 minutes extra.
Take pleasure in!
Greatest Stuffing Recipe Suggestions
- Use day-old bread. This stuffing recipe comes out greatest while you make it with day- (or days) previous bread. As a result of it’s drier than fresh-baked bread, it actually soaks up the flavors of the buttery leeks, broth, and herbs. So plan forward! Purchase or make your bread one to a few days upfront.
- Uncover the pan for a crispy high. Considered one of my favourite issues about Thanksgiving stuffing is how the crispy high contrasts with the moist, gooey inside. To get the highest of your stuffing good and crisp, uncover the casserole dish for the previous couple of minutes of baking.
- Make it forward. Who doesn’t love a Thanksgiving recipe that may be made forward of time?! If you wish to prep this recipe just a few hours upfront, comply with it as written, stopping proper earlier than you bake the stuffing. Cowl the baking dish, and stick it within the fridge. Pop it within the oven 30-40 minutes earlier than your meal in order that it’s sizzling while you eat. When you’d quite make your stuffing a full day upfront, that works too! Then, totally bake the stuffing forward of time, however go away it lined for your complete time it’s within the oven. Refrigerate it in a single day. The subsequent day, reheat it, nonetheless lined, in a 350°F oven till it’s warmed via. Uncover it for the previous couple of minutes of baking to get the highest good and crisp.
- Double it if you must. When you’re feeding a crowd of stuffing lovers, or if you wish to have loads of leftovers, go forward and double this recipe. It’s sufficient for 8 decent-sized parts, however you may want seconds. A minimum of, I all the time do. 🙂
Extra Favourite Thanksgiving Recipes
You possibly can make this stuffing recipe anytime in the course of the fall or winter, however it’s good for Thanksgiving. Spherical out your feast with a number of of those scrumptious facet dishes:
Don’t overlook the pumpkin pie for dessert!
Greatest Stuffing Recipe
Serves 8
This basic stuffing recipe is the BEST Thanksgiving facet dish! Leeks, celery, and recent herbs fill it with wealthy, savory taste.
Forestall your display screen from going darkish
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Preheat the oven to 350°F and grease an 8×11 or 9×13-inch baking dish.
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Tear the bread into 1-inch items* and place in a really giant bowl.
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Soften the butter in a big skillet over medium warmth. Add the leeks, celery, garlic, salt, and pepper, and sauté for five minutes, turning the warmth to low midway via. Pour the leek combination over the bread and sprinkle with the sage, parsley, rosemary, and thyme. Use your palms to toss till coated. Pour 1½ cups of the broth evenly over the stuffing and toss to coat. Add the eggs and toss once more. The bread ought to really feel fairly moist. If it’s nonetheless a bit dry, combine within the remaining ½ cup of broth. The quantity you utilize will rely upon how dense and dry your bread was.
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Switch the combination to the baking dish. If making forward, cease right here, cowl the dish with foil, and retailer within the fridge till able to bake.
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When able to bake, drizzle the 1 tablespoon melted butter on high and bake, lined, for half-hour. If the stuffing remains to be fairly moist, uncover the dish and bake for five to 10 extra minutes to crisp the highest a bit.
*In case your bread is just not stale, unfold the torn items in a single layer on a big baking sheet. Bake for 10 to fifteen minutes in a 350°F oven to dry them out a bit earlier than continuing with the recipe.
