Classic Thanksgiving Stuffing
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This will be the only stuffing recipe you will ever need! So much fresh herbs and so buttery. It’s simply the best EVER!
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Turkey shmurkey. The only thing I truly look forward to during Thanksgiving time is the stuffing. That and the pumpkin cheesecake. But we’ll get to that a little later.
IS IT STUFFING OR DRESSING?
Stuffing is cooked inside the turkey, soaking up all the juices. Dressing is typically cooked separately from the turkey in a casserole dish with additional liquid. The two terms are used interchangeably, and it really depends on who you’re asking. This recipe is technically a dressing as we are not stuffing our turkey.
Ingredients
Bread
The bread used in your stuffing is key here. We recommend using crusty bread such as a sourdough loaf.
Breakfast sausage
Our secret ingredient as it is already perfectly seasoned! Italian sausage is also a great option.
Butter
A must-have in all your holiday recipes.
Garlic, onion and celery
Keeping it real with all the classic ingredients, all cooked in butter until fragrant and tender.
Fresh Herbs
This is a great chance to use up all your fresh herbs (from your turkey and other side dishes). Dried herbs can also be substituted in a pinch.
Chicken stock
Or turkey stock! The better quality your stock, the better your stuffing. Homemade stock is even better.
The stuffing though – holy moly. Smothered in some turkey gravy with an afternoon nap – that right there is the holy grail. And why mess with a classic, right? If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.
So that’s what we have here. A true classic made with perfectly toasted sourdough bread, so much fresh herbs, and all the buttery goodness one can hope for (mixed in with some of the sausage pan drippings, of course).
TIPS AND TRICKS FOR SUCCESS
- Use day old bread. Stale 1-2 day old bread (such as a sourdough loaf) is ideal here to soak up all the liquid.
- Make it vegetarian. This recipe can easily be converted for our vegetarian friends, omitting the sausage and substituting vegetable stock for the chicken stock.
- Prep the night before. Stuffing is one of those great sides that you can prep ahead of time, assembling everything the night before, allowing all the flavors to come together overnight.
WHAT TO SERVE WITH Thanksgiving STUFFING
Classic Thanksgiving Stuffing: Frequently Asked Questions
A crusty bread, such as a sourdough loaf, is ideal here. Avoid overly soft breads as it can result in soggy stuffing (or dressing). For something a little different, we also love this cornbread stuffing.
Sweet Italian sausage would be a great sub!
Absolutely! But because dried herbs are often more potent/concentrated than fresh herbs, you need less when using dry. The correct ratio is 1 tablespoon fresh herbs to 1 teaspoon dried herbs.
Yes! This can be made and assembled the night before, letting it come to room temperature for about 30 minutes prior to baking, adding a splash of chicken stock (or turkey juices) to keep from drying out.
Classic Thanksgiving Stuffing
Ingredients
- 1 (16-ounce) loaf sourdough bread, cut into 1-inch cubes
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 pound breakfast sausage
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 sweet onion, diced
- 2 ribs celery, diced
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh sage leaves
- 1 ½ tablespoons chopped fresh thyme leaves
- 2 teaspoons chopped fresh rosemary
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 2 ½ cups chicken stock
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Lightly oil a 9 x 13 baking dish or coat with nonstick spray.
- Spread bread cubes in a single layer on a baking sheet. Place into oven and bake until crisp and golden, about 10-13 minutes; set aside.
- Heat olive oil in a large cast iron skillet over medium heat. Add sausage and cook until browned, about 5-8 minutes, making sure to crumble the sausage as it cooks. Transfer sausage to a paper towel-lined plate.
- Melt butter in the skillet. Add garlic, onion and celery, and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, about 4-5 minutes. Stir in parsley, sage, thyme and rosemary until fragrant, about 1 minute.
- Remove from heat. Stir in bread and sausage; season with salt and pepper, to taste. Stir in chicken stock until absorbed and well combined. Let stand 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until liquid is absorbed.*
- Spread bread mixture into the prepared baking dish. Place into oven and bake until top is browned, about 30-35 minutes.
- Serve immediately.
Video
Notes
Did you make this recipe?
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This was SO YUMMY!! It was a big hit at Thanksgiving dinner. I added a Honeycrisp apple and a 1/2 cup of dried cranberries to sweeten it up. So good!! I made it the night before because it is a bit labor intensive. After I brought it up to room temperature the next day, I toss it and added 1/2 cup of chicken stock so it would be moist. I think I could have added a bit more too. I will make this my staple dressing for future holiday dinners! 🙂
Does the oven temp remain at 400 degrees to bake the stuffing in step 6?
What kind of parsley is used? Thanks! I’m
I love this recipe. Has anyone prepped it and baked it the next day? Any tips?
This is absolutely the perfect Thanksgiving stuffing. It had all the flavors people expect, so easy to make, and I LOVE it only uses fresh herbs. This will be my go-to. Thank you!
I think I made this before. And it was very good My question is – in step 6. Is the oven temp 400 F ? I like the comments about adding Apple’s. It’s close to my father-in-law s recipe. I think he also added some shredded chadder. Thanks for the great and simple recipe.
Hi there. If I make it the day before would I bake for the 30-35 then cover, or do the final cook the day off ? Thank you
OKAY WOW. I am prepping to host my very first Thanksgiving dinner in my new house with my family and I have never even made stuffing nor did I have a clue. THIS is the BEST recipe ever. I added a little more butter than recipe calls for but the breakfast sausage addition is so yummy!!!! thank you so much! This is my go-to recipe and it’ll be a hit. thank you thank you thank you!!!!
i dont cook on thanksgiving; my mom does hehe. so, i will be sharing this recipe of yours with her and have her make it on thanksgiving. looks promising and delicious.
OMG!!!
Made your easy thanksgiving turkey, your classic stuffing (baked inside the turkey) and your turkey gravy!
Everything was on point!!! Soooo Delicious! You are my first stop for any new recipe. Thank you!
These 3 recipes are for sure keepers! My husband was supper impressed and I loved it as much as he did.
Fallowed the recipes almost exactly, (used some dried spices as fresh were hard to find) Adjusted amounts from fresh to dry.
Prepped the stuffing and turkey butter the night before. Having leftovers tonight, yum!
This stuffing was so good. I was lucky and had all of these spices my garden. I get recipes online all time and have never written a review before but this was the hit of my
Thanksgiving dinner!
This is my recipe too, except for a big omission. Where’s the chopped apple ? It’s gotta have apple in it, otherwise it’s not classic!
Sounds good…how many does it serve
Delicious stuffing! I actually prepared the stuffing up until step 6 and cooked it on low in a crock pot for 3h to save on oven space. The toasted bread and fresh herbs were spot on. Will definitely make next year!
I was torn between this recipe and the apple walnut sausage dressing. Which do you recommend?
If you make the stuffing one day in advance of Thanksgiving, what is the best way to reheat this dish so it’s delicious?
Wondering the same thing!
You stop before it’s baked. You can see an * at the end of step 5. Then it has the note about a day ahead. So you would leave it “raw” in the fridge and bake it fresh the next day.
Love to try this recipe looks delish!! How many does it serve? I have 20-25 people!
Thanks
Can this be made in the slow cooker?
What a great idea! But unfortunately, without having tried this myself, I cannot answer with certainty. But if you get a chance to try it, please let me know how it turns out! Good luck! 🙂
Aw, cannot I missed out this delicious pan at Thanksgiving! It’s such a great combination, I’d save it for my Christmas instead ❤
– Natalie
Any ol’ Sunday dinner will do, too!
Will give this a go for a change on our UK Christmas Day dinner