Okay…so we have the mashed potatoes and the green beans set for our Thanksgiving feast. What next? The stuffing, of course!
Even my brother-in-law who doesn’t cook has made this recipe and loves it. It’s that good!
Growing up, my mom would make her stuffing with Cream of Mushroom Soup to moisten the stuffing. I enjoyed her stuffing a lot (I mean, c’mon: it’s stuffing!), but I wanted to try my own methods as I grew up and began to start my own Thanksgiving traditions.
There have been quite a few trials and errors, let me tell you.
The first year Dustin and I made our own Thanksgiving dinner, I tried an apple and bacon cornbread stuffing out of a magazine. Fancy, right?
Let’s just say…it didn’t get eaten. #stuffingfail
I have now made this for at least the last five Thanksgivings and it’s been a hit each time.
It’s just so good. For its simplicity. For its flavors. For its texture. For its overall yummyness. This is a winner.
A word about this stuffing recipe. Rather than cook my stuffing in the bird, I choose to cook the stuffing separately. When you stuff the turkey with “stuffing,” even though the bird’s meat reaches a safe temperature to consume, there are still unsafe juices that have soaked into the stuffing (which is in the center of the bird and takes longer to heat).
So, that means you have to essentially over-cook the bird to make sure the stuffing is safe to eat.
Therefore, I fill the bird with aromatics (like orange slices, fresh herbs and onion) to help flavor the bird while it cooks. Then, I discard them.
And I fill my tummy with this delicious, safely-cooked Thanksgiving turkey that is super moist and flavorful.
I hope you try this stuffing recipe. It’s great for Thanksgiving or any other night of the week.
- 1 whole grain loaf cut into 3/4-inch to 1-inch cubes (can also be whole wheat bread)
- 2 tbsp organic, grass-fed unsalted butter (can also replace with olive oil)
- 10 cremini mushrooms quartered
- 3 celery stalks halved lengthwise and sliced
- 1 medium yellow onion chopped
- 8 sprigs fresh thyme approx. 1 tbsp., leaves only
- 2 fresh sage leaves chopped
- 4 cups low sodium chicken broth
- 1 tsp sea salt plus more to taste
- 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper plus more to taste
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Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
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Spread the bread cubes evenly over two baking sheets lined with parchment paper or aluminum foil. Bake the cubes in oven until completely dried and beginning to harden and turn golden, about 15-20 minutes.
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Transfer dried bread to a large mixing bowl and set aside.
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Melt butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chopped mushrooms, 1 tsp. salt and 1/2 tsp. pepper and saute until mushrooms are golden brown, stirring occasionally, about 10 minutes.
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Once golden, add celery, onion and thyme. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the celery and onion have softened, about 8-10 minutes.
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Add sage once vegetables are softened. Add chicken broth and stir mixture to combine. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
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Carefully pour the chicken broth mixture over the bread cubes in the large mixing bowl and toss to combine. Reserve about 1/2 cup of the chicken broth mixture to assess moistness of the bread cubes before incorporating all the broth. You don't want the bread to be soupy, just moist.
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Carefully pour the bread mixture into a 9x13 or similar baking dish. Take care not to smash the stuffing into the dish, just lay it gently so a not to mush the bread too much.
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Bake until heated through and the top begins to turn golden brown, about 30-40 minutes. Allow to sit for 5-10 minutes before serving.
Recipe Video
Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links for the kitchen item(s) I use 🙂
Hi Lucy! Can I make ahead on Christmas Eve for Christmas dinner? Any alterations required or do I complete and just reheat gently?
Thanks for your help and the site.
Laura
*Lacey. I’m so sorry.
lol – no worries 🙂
Hi Laura! While the stuffing is AS good reheated, it’s definitely still tasty. I’d recommend reheating in the oven to avoid some of the mushiness. Enjoy and Merry Christmas!
Hmm? I’ve been making Thanksgiving/Christmas dinner, complete with a 20-25 pound turkey filled with homemade stuffing for a good 60 years for my family and close friends, & not once in all those years has any one of them fallen ill from eating my stuffing. Methinks the paranoia that has arisen over *gasp* stuffing a chicken or turkey is much like the many other “oh no, no, you can’t do that with this or that food anymore, you could die” that have arisen, is ridiculously overblown. If you’re aware of the basic food safe rules (which anyone wanting to cook or bake should be aware of) & have a decent instant read thermometer & oven thermometer, (which anyone attempting to cook/roast meats, fish & poultry should have) it’s highly doubtful you’ll ever cause a member of your family or invited guests to be sick from eating your food.
BTW. Your recipe is considered dressing in my part of the world (and sounds lovely I might add)
Hi Joycelyn. Yep, totally understand your skepticism over not stuffing the bird with the turkey. That was what I grew up on as well. But, after learning about the science behind it and hearing so many people I respect say it wasn’t a good idea, I started cooking my “stuffing” outside the bird. But whether it’s in or outside the bird, it always will be stuffing (not dressing) to us because that’s just what we call it in our home. 😉
Lacey, Love your site, it gives me great ideas. My mom made this stuffing except she would add regular sausage to it and just a bit of bread. It is sooooo good! I too have become a convert of the no stuffing in the bird. The stuffing is now cooked in a corning ware and gets a little crisp on the top. I don’t miss the old way at all. Thanks for all the great recipes.
You’re so welcome, Mary. I like the idea of using sausage to the stuffing and reducing the bread — thanks for that idea 🙂
Thank you for posting this, I had lost my recipe. I have been making this for years and it is wonderful!!
Yay, so glad you have a place to get this recipe, Marissa 🙂
Yum, so excited to make my own stuffing (dressing?) this year- we’ve had a lot of dietary changes since my husband and son were diagnosed with Celiac Disease. My poor husband LOVES stuffing but it is now a no-no unless I can figure out how to homemake it with gluten-free bread. I will definitely be trying your recipe soon!
What a bummer about the Celiac Disease. I’m sorry to hear that. I’d love to know how this turns out with gluten-free bread.
WOW! that looks delicious! gosh, thanks for sharing such amazing and easy to cook recipes!
You’re so welcome, Angela! Thanks for stopping by 🙂
Your “Thanksgiving Stuffing” is not stuffing. It is dressing. Stuffing is cooked inside the bird (hence the name)…dressing is cooked outside the bird. There are many, many people who do not know the difference.
Hi Gary. Well, thank you for the clarification. I’d never really thought about it before and thought the terms were used interchangeably. Good to know…though I find myself remaining partial to the term “stuffing” just cuz that’s what I’m used to.
This sounds fantastic, thanks for sharing! I’m curious though, about how many people do you think it will serve?
Good question, Erica. I make it for 4 people every Thanksgiving and there are plenty of left-overs, so I’d estimate 5-6 people with a reasonable serving.
This was GREAT and EASY too! Thanks for this recipe.
So glad you liked it, Nik! Thanks for sharing 🙂
Ohhh myyyyyyyy that looks sooo yummers!!!! i am for sure going to make this on Turkeyday!….posssibly sooner! lol
Thanks, Kimbrily! I hope you have a great Thanksgiving and that you love the stuffing as much as I do!
hey i love to cook give me more and more
Will do, Daryl. Will do!
If its good enough for Alton, its good enough for me too! My Mom freaked the h*** out on me last Thanksgiving because I wouldn’t let her stuff MY turkey! I follow Alton’s method. She shut up after she tasted it. 😀
Sabrina, you’re hilarious! It’s funny how some people can get so offended that you wouldn’t want to stuff the bird with stuffing. I’ve seen it happen too. Guess it’s hard for people to change what they’re used to, especially if they’ve never gotten sick before from the harmful bacteria. Thanks for sharing the Alton love, though! 🙂 He sure knows his stuff.