Stuffing is, hands down, my favorite dish on any holiday spread — I never seem to be able to make enough of it! I love making it homemade and being able to completely customize what goes in it, depending on the meal I’m serving it with. Some of my favorite add-ins are dried cranberries, diced apples, cremini mushrooms, and Italian sausage.
WHAT IS THE BEST BREAD TO USE FOR STUFFING?
I have found that a good-quality white sandwich bread (or sourdough) works great for homemade stuffing. I usually grab a nice loaf of store-made white sandwich bread from our local grocery store. It has a fresher taste than the factory-made stuff, but without the extra work of making your own bread at home.
CAN YOU USE FRESH BREAD FOR STUFFING?
Absolutely! The only problem I’ve found with using really fresh bread (instead of slightly stale bread) is that it may be a bit tricky to cut it into cubes because of how soft it is. Otherwise, it doesn’t make much of a difference as it will be dried out in the oven.
CAN YOU USE STORE-BOUGHT STOCK FOR STUFFING?
In testing this recipe, I used a popular brand of store-bought low-sodium chicken stock, just because I know it is widely available to most of us and I wanted to make sure the results would be consistently flavorful. However, your stuffing would be even better if you used your own homemade stock.
Additionally, if you aren’t making it ahead and are roasting a turkey or chicken, you could pour some of the pan drippings into the liquid mixture with the chicken stock. But, whenever I’m making homemade stuffing, I prefer to make it ahead to help reduce the amount of work required day-of.
FRESH HERBS vs. DRIED HERBS
Though I do prefer the taste of fresh herbs, you can absolutely substitute them for good-quality dried herbs. Just swap them out at a ratio of 1 teaspoon of dried herbs for every 1 Tablespoon of fresh herbs.
OPTIONAL STUFFING ADD-INS
As I said, this recipe is perfectly delicious as is, but you can always add in some optional ingredients as your heart desires. Just keep in mind that you may need to adjust the amount of stock or salt used to account for these additions.
1. Dried Cranberries (¾ cup)
Though dried cranberries are optional, I included them in this recipe because I almost always add them in. They add a hint of sweetness, and the flavor makes any stuffing taste even more “holiday-y”.
2. Cremini Mushrooms (1 oz package, chopped)
Another one of my favorite add-ins is mushrooms. I recommend picking up a 1-ounce pack of cremini mushrooms, chopping or slicing them up, and then sautéing them in a pan with some butter. Add them to your large bowl of dried bread cubes at the same time as the cooked vegetables and herbs.
3. Italian sausage ground (¾ pound, sweet or hot)
Sausage in stuffing is always a topic of debate in my family: some people love it, others hate it. If you are a sausage lover, you can fry it up in a pan while the bread is drying in the oven and use any reserved fat for cooking the veggies.
CAN YOU MAKE STUFFING AHEAD OF TIME?
Absolutely! You can prepare the stuffing the day before and then cover it in plastic wrap and place in the fridge until ready to bake. When ready to bake, remove the plastic wrap, cover the dish with aluminum foil, and bake in a 350℉ oven.
Start by preheating your oven to 250℉.
Cut 1 loaf of bread into ½” cubes and place them in a single layer on a baking sheet. Bake in the top part of the oven for 60 minutes, mixing them every 20 minutes until they are crisp and dry. Allow to cool completely and then place them in a very large bowl.
In a frying or sauce pan over medium heat, heat 8 Tablespoons (1 stick) of butter until melted and foaming. Add in the chopped onions, chopped celery, black pepper, and 1 teaspoon of kosher salt. Cook for about 10 minutes, until the veggies are softened.
To the large bowl of bread cubes, add in the cooked veggies, the fresh herbs, and the dried cranberries. Stir to combine.
Whisk together the eggs, chicken stock, cream, and the remaining 1 teaspoon of kosher salt in a large measuring cup or bowl, and then pour it over the bread mixture.
Mix until well combined and all of the bread is moistened. Add in any additional stock, a little at a time, if necessary. The bread should be moistened, but no liquid should pool at the bottom of the bowl.
Place the mixture into a 9” by 13” baking dish that has been greased with 1 Tablespoon of butter. Press the mixture down gently into the dish. Cut the remaining 1 Tablespoon of butter into small pea-sized pieces and dot them across the top of the mixture. At this point, you can cover the dish with plastic wrap and place it in the fridge overnight.
When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350℉.
If prepared beforehand, remove the plastic wrap from the dish and cover it with aluminum foil.
Set the baking dish in the center of the oven and bake for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes, remove the foil, set the baking dish in the upper third of the oven, and continue to bake for an additional 30 minutes, or until the top is crisp and golden brown.
Homemade Stuffing (the Basics)
Ingredients
- 1 lb white sandwich bread, ½" cubed (about 1 loaf, or 10 to 12 cups dried)
- 10 Tbsp (1 ¼ stick) unsalted butter, divided
- 2 cups medium onions, peeled and ¼" diced (about 2 medium onions)
- 1 cup celery, ¼" diced (about 2 to 3 medium stalks)
- 2 Tbsp fresh parsley, finely chopped
- 1 ½ Tbsp fresh sage, finely chopped
- 1 Tbsp fresh thyme, finely chopped
- ¾ cup dried cranberries (optional)
- 2 tsp kosher salt, divided (I use Diamond Crystal)
- 1 tsp ground black pepper
- 2 large eggs
- 2 cups low-sodium chicken stock (plus more as needed)
- ½ cup heavy cream or half-and-half
Instructions
Preparing the Stuffing
- Preheat oven to 250℉.
- Cut bread into ½” cubes and place them in a single layer on a baking sheet. Bake in the top part of the oven for 60 minutes, stirring every 20 minutes until dry and crisp. Allow to cool completely before placing them into a very large bowl.1 lb white sandwich bread, ½" cubed
- In a frying pan or saucepan, heat 8 Tbsp (1 stick) butter over medium heat until foaming subsides.
- Add in chopped onions, chopped celery, black pepper, and 1 tsp of kosher salt. Cook until the vegetables are softened (about 10 minutes).2 cups medium onions, peeled and ¼" diced1 cup celery, ¼" diced1 tsp ground black pepper
- To the large bowl of dried bread cubes, add in the cooked vegetables, finely chopped fresh herbs, and dried cranberries. Stir to combine.2 Tbsp fresh parsley, finely chopped1 ½ Tbsp fresh sage, finely chopped1 Tbsp fresh thyme, finely chopped¾ cup dried cranberries
- In a large measuring cup or bowl, whisk together eggs, chicken stock, cream, and the remaining 1 tsp of kosher salt. Pour over bread mixture. Mix until ingredients are all combined and bread is moistened. Add in additional stock, a Tbsp at a time, as necessary. (Bread should be moistened, but liquid should not pool at the bottom of the bowl.)2 large eggs½ cup heavy cream or half-and-half2 cups low-sodium chicken stock
- Pour mixture into a 9" by 13" baking dish that has been greased with 1 Tbsp of butter. Press mixture down gently into the dish. Cut the remaining 1 Tbsp of butter into small pea-sized pieces and dot top of mixture with butter.
Cooking the Stuffing
- Preheat oven to 350℉.
- Cover the baking dish with aluminum foil and set in the center of oven. Bake for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes, remove aluminum foil and set the baking dish in the upper third of the oven. Continue to bake until top is crisp and golden brown (about 30 minutes more).
Notes
- Bread: I use a good-quality “baked-in-store” white sandwich bread from our local grocery store or bakery.
- Fresh Herbs vs. Dried Herbs: If using dried herbs, substitute 1 teaspoon of dried herbs for every 1 Tablespoon of fresh herbs.
- Optional add-ins:
- Dried cranberries (¾ cup)
- Cremini mushrooms (1-oz container), chopped and sautéed
- Italian sausage ground (¾ pound, sweet or hot), cooked
- Make it ahead: You can prepare the stuffing the day before, then cover in plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator. When ready to bake, remove the plastic wrap, cover the dish with aluminum foil, and bake in a 350℉ oven.
