We love this classic bread stuffing recipe with butter, onions, sage, thyme, and parsley. Perfect with turkey, chicken, and for the holidays like Thanksgiving!
⭐️ Try our fresh mushroom stuffing with happy reviews!
#1 Secret for the best stuffing
The secret to the most flavorful, delicious stuffing is the type of bread you use. Using our garlic herb homemade croutons guarantees the best flavor and texture for your stuffing. Our croutons can also be made up to 2 weeks in advance, making your life easier!
Of all the traditional side dishes, stuffing is at the top of my list! Every Thanksgiving, I plan our stuffing before the actual turkey!
My Grandma always made the best onion and sage stuffing. It was from a box, but I swear she did something to make it her own. That’s why I’ve fallen so hard for this easy stuffing recipe. I love the butter-cooked onions and fresh sage.
Key ingredients
The best bread for stuffing is dry or stale bread. Fresh bread will make your dish soggy.
⭐️ Better yet, use homemade croutons. We use our garlic and herb croutons to make stuffing and bake cubes of day-old bread with olive oil, garlic, and herbs until crisp and lightly golden.
This process dries out the bread, making them perfect for stuffing (not to mention the added pop of flavor from the garlic and herbs).
Onion, celery, and garlic cooked in butter add classic flavor to our stuffing. If you don’t like celery in stuffing, you can leave it out.
Chicken broth binds the mixture and keeps it moist. We do not use eggs. In other stuffing recipes, eggs act as a binder and help to make the mixture fluffy when baked. We use butter and broth in our recipe for our binder and don’t miss the eggs at all. Here’s our chicken broth recipe. For a vegetarian bread stuffing, substitute the chicken broth for veggie broth.
Sage, thyme, and parsley add fresh herb flavor. I especially LOVE the sage. It’s the sage that reminds me of my Grandmother’s stuffing.
Quick overview. Making the best stuffing
Thanks to the onions and sage, this recipe is the perfect stuffing for turkey. Sage is such a fantastic herb with poultry like chicken and turkey.
To make stuffing, cook your onions, celery, and garlic first. I cook them in a skillet with a lid. We are not trying to brown them, just soften them. Add your broth and the croutons. When your veggies are soft, toss fresh herbs and transfer the stuffing mix to a baking dish.
How long to bake stuffing
Bake stuffing (uncovered) in a 350° F oven for about 40 minutes. I like to rotate the casserole dish halfway through baking. When baked, our stuffing is moist and set in the middle, and the top is golden brown and crispy.
Once your stuffing is perfectly golden and crispy, remove it from the oven and let it cool for 5 to 10 minutes. Allowing it to rest helps the stuffing firm up slightly.
What to serve with stuffing?
You can make this stuffing recipe anytime, but it’s perfect for Thanksgiving. Here are a few more of our favorite side dishes:
What is the best bread for stuffing?
I use country-style white bread or a rustic loaf from my local bakery to make the croutons in this homemade stuffing recipe. Our croutons are great for stuffing as they stay firm when baked, maintaining texture instead of getting mushy.
If you prefer to use plain bread cubes. We recommend tossing them onto a baking sheet and bake for 10 to 20 minutes in a 350° F oven. This short time in the oven will dry the bread, making it stand up better in the stuffing mixture. Remember, though, you will lose a bit of herb flavor when not using the croutons.
Can you stuff this stuffing into turkey?
Yes, but when preparing a turkey, we prefer not to. Stuffing the turkey can affect the overall cooking process. The heat takes longer to penetrate the cavity. Stuffing your turkey pretty much guarantees overcooked turkey meat.
By cooking the stuffing separately, we guarantee we cook the turkey and stuffing perfectly without compromise.
Easy Herb Stuffing
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We love this classic stuffing recipe made with bread! It is especially good served with chicken and turkey. This is an excellent Thanksgiving stuffing recipe.
For the best stuffing, use our homemade herb and garlic croutons. They are easy to make. If you do not wish to use croutons, tips are provided below the recipe for using plain bread.
When buying bread for the croutons and stuffing, choose a sturdy loaf. Some options include rustic French bread, Sourdough bread, or our preferred choice, a good-quality day-old white bread from a nearby bakery.
Makes 4 to 5 servings
You Will Need
4 tablespoon butter
1 ½ cups finely chopped onion, 1 medium
1 ½ cups finely chopped celery, 3 stalks
2 cloves minced garlic, 2 teaspoons
1 ¾ cups chicken broth or veggie broth
5 cups herb and garlic croutons or good-quality day-old white bread, see below
1 teaspoon chopped thyme
1 teaspoon chopped sage
2 ½ tablespoons chopped parsley
6 twists pepper
1/4 teaspoon to 1/2 teaspoon salt
Directions
1Heat the oven to 350° Fahrenheit (176° C).
2Melt the butter in a wide skillet with a lid over medium heat.
3Stir in the onion, celery, and garlic. Cover and cook until translucent, about 5 minutes.
4Pour in the broth and bring to a simmer.
5Toss in the croutons, stirring around the pan to combine. Cook for 5 minutes.
6Stir in the thyme, sage, parsley, and pepper. Taste, and then season with salt — depending on the broth you have used, you may need to add 1/4 teaspoon to 1/2 teaspoon.
7Bake the stuffing, uncovered, for 40 minutes, or until the middle sets and the top turns golden brown and crisp. Rotate the stuffing halfway through baking.
8Let stand on the counter for 5 to 10 minutes before serving.
Adam and Joanne’s Tips
- Plain bread cubes: If you prefer to use plain bread cubes. We recommend tossing them onto a baking sheet and bake for 10 to 20 minutes in a 350° F oven. This short time in the oven will dry the bread, making it stand up better in the stuffing mixture. Remember, though, you will lose a bit of herb flavor when not using the croutons.
- Croutons can be made up to 2 weeks in advance.
- Nutrition facts: The nutrition facts provided below are estimates. We have used the USDA database to calculate approximate values.
Nutrition Per Serving
Serving Size
1/4 of the recipe
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Calories
268
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Total Fat
13.3g
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Saturated Fat
7.6g
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Cholesterol
638.8mg
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Carbohydrate
31.8g
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Dietary Fiber
3.9g
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Total Sugars
5.8g
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Protein
6.9g
