The BEST Thanksgiving stuffing! Based mostly on my household’s basic recipe, it is wealthy and savory, made with contemporary herbs, celery, butter, and leeks.
If I informed you {that a} no-frills, basic stuffing recipe was my favourite a part of Thanksgiving, would you consider me? Properly, 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 prime, with a moist and gooey heart beneath. Wealthy, savory taste crammed each chew.
My mother nonetheless makes this do-it-yourself stuffing recipe for my household’s Thanksgiving yearly. As a result of I adore it a lot, I wished 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 contemporary 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 suppose. Once I shared it along with her final weekend, I breathed an enormous sigh of reduction. After just a few bites, she seemed 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 Elements
In contrast to the stuffing recipes I’ve shared previously (see right here or right here), this one is pretty conventional. I make it with these fundamental elements:
- Bread, in fact! Keep away from pre-sliced sandwich bread for this recipe. You need a loaf that’s crusty and flavorful, ideally sourdough. Stale bread works finest right here, so I like to recommend shopping for it one to 3 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 prepare dinner with leeks usually, take a look at this put up to discover ways to lower and clear them!
- Celery – A stuffing important.
- Garlic – For sharp depth of taste.
- Contemporary herbs – Rosemary, sage, thyme, and parsley fill this Thanksgiving stuffing with a mouthwatering mixture of earthy, contemporary, 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 contemporary black pepper – To make all of the flavors pop!
Discover the entire recipe with measurements beneath.
How you can 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 arms, not lower with a knife! I favor the look of torn bread to excellent 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 massive bowl.
- Tip: In case your bread will not be 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, prepare 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 by means of to keep away from browning the leeks.
Then, season the bread! Pour the leek combination over the bread and add the contemporary herbs. Use your arms 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 prime, uncover the dish and bake for five to 10 minutes extra.
Get pleasure from!
Greatest Stuffing Recipe Suggestions
- Use day-old bread. This stuffing recipe comes out finest once you make it with day- (or days) outdated 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 3 days upfront.
- Uncover the pan for a crispy prime. One in all my favourite issues about Thanksgiving stuffing is how the crispy prime contrasts with the moist, gooey inside. To get the highest of your stuffing good and crisp, uncover the casserole dish for the previous few 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 scorching once 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 entire time it’s within the oven. Refrigerate it in a single day. The following day, reheat it, nonetheless lined, in a 350°F oven till it’s warmed by means of. Uncover it for the previous few minutes of baking to get the highest good and crisp.
- Double it if it’s essential. 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. Not less than, I at all times do. 🙂
Extra Favourite Thanksgiving Recipes
You possibly can make this stuffing recipe anytime in the course of the fall or winter, but it surely’s excellent for Thanksgiving. Spherical out your feast with a number of of those scrumptious facet dishes:
Don’t neglect the pumpkin pie for dessert!
Greatest Stuffing Recipe
Serves 8
This basic stuffing recipe is the BEST Thanksgiving facet dish! Leeks, celery, and contemporary 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 massive 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 by means of. Pour the leek combination over the bread and sprinkle with the sage, parsley, rosemary, and thyme. Use your arms 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 prime 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 will not be 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.