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Learn how to make this Easy Stuffing Recipe and never buy the boxed stuff again. Homemade stuffing is much better and actually very simple.
You will be amazed at how much flavor this stuffing has. This classic side dish is a perfect addition to your Thanksgiving Dinner. Growing up, my mom always made the best stuffing recipe and I am glad to carrying on the tradition with my family.
Make this classic Thanksgiving Recipe this holiday and you will be amazed how delicious it taste and how easy it is to make ahead for Thanksgiving meal. You may also love this Chicken Stuffing Bake or this Crock Pot Chicken and Stuffing.
Check out Stuffing Muffins Recipe or Cornbread Stuffing for the another delicious side.
Table of Contents
What is the Difference Between Stuffing and Dressing?
Many people use the words interchangeably. However, technically stuffing refers to a mixture that goes inside something such as turkey.
Whereas dressing is cooked in a baking dish or pan and not inside a turkey.
Ingredients
Scroll to the bottom to see recipe card for the full recipe and ingredients.
Substitutions and Additions
- Add Cheese and Jalapenos – Add in some cheddar and jalapeño’s for Jalapeño Cheddar Stuffing
- Add Meat – Add in some smoked sausage for a complete meal. We have even added chopped bacon for delicious flavor.
- Vegetables – My husband loves when we add in mushrooms. You can even add in celery, water chestnuts or shredded carrots.
- Cornbread – Use cornbread to make Cornbread Sausage Stuffing Recipe
- Dried Herbs – I used thyme in this recipe but you can also use rosemary or sage as well. You can also use fresh herbs such as fresh sage or fresh rosemary.
- Broth – Substitute vegetable broth for the chicken broth. You can also use turkey stock.
- Fruit– Cranberries and apples are really good in this recipe. We have even used raisins.
- Seasoning – Add in some poultry seasoning for extra flavor.
Step by Step Instructions
Step 1 – Once the bread is all cut, spread it on a large baking sheet. Let this bake for 20 to 25 minutes so the bread cubes can dry out. Make sure to stir occasionally while the bread is cooking.
Step 2 – Melt the butter in a large pan. Once melted, add the onion and celery. Allow the veggies to cook until they are tender. This usually takes about 10 to12 minutes. Add in seasoning, plus the ¼ cup of parsley and continue to cook.
Step 3 – Put the bread in a large bowl and add the onion mixture. Stir this all together and pour the broth over the mixture.
Step 4 – Add the bread mixture to the casserole dish.
Step 5 – bake covered with foil for 20 minutes to 30 minutes.
Step 6 – Uncover and continue to bake the stuffing to allow the top to get crispy (approximately 15 minutes).
Recipe Tips
- Cutting Bread – We recommend dicing the bread in about 1 inch pieces for the best results.
- Baking Bread – When baking bread, make sure to stir the bread while it cooks. This helps to evenly cook the bread.
- Adding in the Broth – Slowly add in the broth to the stuffing mixture. You want to mixture to be moist by not soggy.
- Prepare Baking Dish – Prepare the baking dish by spraying with cooking spray. This helps for an easy cleanup and serving the stuffing.
- Baking Stuffing – Bake the stuffing covered and then uncover to finish baking the stuffing. This allows the bread to brown on top for a crispy texture.
What Kind of Bread is Best for Stuffing?
You can use pretty much any type of bread to make stuffing. However, while fresh bread can be used, I love to use stale bread because it’s a great use of ingredients.
If you need to dry your bread quickly, you can put it in the oven for about 300 degrees for about 10 minutes. Watch your bread so that it doesn’t burn or toast it. Instead of throwing away the bread, turn it into stuffing.
Try these other bread options:
- Sourdough Bread
- Sandwich Bread
- Dried Bread Cubes
- French Bread
- Italian Bread
- Also check out Best Bread for Stuffing
How To Freeze Stuffing
It is very easy to make this ahead. Prepare the casserole as directed, cover in foil and freeze. We recommend freezing in containers for the amount you would want to reheat. You can freeze up to 6 months.
When ready to serve, let the casserole dish sit at room temperature and then bake as directed. You might need to add a little broth on it to keep from drying out before baking.
See Can You Freeze Stuffing for more tips.
Frequently Asked Questions
Stuffing seems to cool quickly because bread doesn’t hold heat. After removing from the oven, you may need to cover with foil and let stay warm back in the oven. Keep the oven at about 200 degrees so stuffing does not burn.
Store you leftovers in an air tight container in the fridge. Leftovers will last about 4 days if stored properly.
You can easily reheat Thanksgiving Stuffing in the oven, skillet or the microwave. It will depend on how much you are reheating. We recommend drizzling with chicken stock to keep the stuffing moist and reheating in the oven at 350 degrees.
Stuffing can be made ahead of time in a casserole dish. I then place in the refrigerator until I am ready to bake. Not only can you bake the stuffing but you can make stuffing in muffin tin, in the crock pot and even the instant pot.
More Easy Side Dish Recipes
Easy Slow Cooker
Crockpot Mashed Potatoes Recipe
Easy Side Dishes
Cheesy Potato Casserole
Easy Holiday
Cranberry Jello Salad
Easy Slow Cooker
Crockpot Sweet Potato Casserole Recipe
We love hearing from you. Make sure to leave us a comment or a star review if you make this Easy Stuffing Recipe.
Easy Stuffing Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 loaf of Bread
- 1 Onion diced
- 4 stalks of Celery diced
- 1/2 cup Butter
- 1 Tbsp minced garlic
- 1/2 tsp Dried Thyme Leaves
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 cup Fresh Parsley chopped
- 2 cups Chicken Broth (may need up to 3 cups)
Instructions
- First, preheat the oven to 350 degrees. While the oven is heating up, start slicing the bread into small pieces.
- I normally do about 1 inch pieces. Once the bread is all cut, spread it on a large baking sheet. Let this bake for 20 to 25 minutes so the bread can dry out.
- Make sure to stir occasionally while the bread is cooking.
- Second, melt the butter in a large pan. Once melted, add the onion and celery.
- Allow the veggies to cook until they are tender. This usually takes about 10 to12 minutes.
- Once the veggies are cooked, stir in the minced garlic, thyme, salt, pepper and fresh parsley. Stir until well combined and heat for 2 to 3 minutes.
- Finally, put the bread in a large mixing bowl and add the onion mixture. Stir this all together and pour the broth over the mixture.
- It is best to gradually add the broth and stir as you go. The goal is to have the bread moist and not overly soggy so you may not need to use all of the broth.
- You will need a 9X13 baking pan and make sure to spray with a non-stick cooking spray. Add the stuffing mixture and bake covered with foil for 30 minutes.
- During the last 15 minutes, uncover the dish so the top can brown slightly.
Hi. I wanna make this ahead of time…how long will this be good for un baked in the refrigerator? Also broth before or after refrigerator????
Thank you so much!
I Love all your recipe just keep it up you are great
Have you ever run across a recipe for stuffing that used homemade biscuits and homemade cornbread? I got a recipe like that from a coworker when I was trying to teach my youngest son to cook. We picked our menu for Christmas Dinner in January and began looking at recipes. We tried the ones that looked the best to us. For the dressing we tried six different cornbread recipes and 5 different biscuit recipes. We did that for the whole mean. I lost the recipe to a flooded basement and have been unable to find anything like it.
Sounds pretty good and easy