Name: Classic Stuffing Recipe
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 40 min
Total time: 55 min
Yield: 10
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 1/2 cup butter; 2 cups onion (chopped, white or yellow); 2 cups celery (chopped); 1/2 teaspoon salt; 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper; 10 cups dried bread cubes ((16 ounces)); 2 teaspoons dried poultry seasoning; 1 1/2 cups chicken or turkey stock

Classic Stuffing Recipe

Classic, traditional stuffing is bare-bones but full of flavor, and you can cook it either inside your turkey or separately in a baking dish.

Prep15 min

Cook40 min

Total55 min

Serves10

Published 19 Nov 2019

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Thisclassic stuffing recipeis for a traditional stuffing, bare-bones but full of flavor. You can cook it either inside your turkey or separately in a baking dish. There’s plenty of room for customizing with apple, sausage, or chopped nuts!

Cooked stuffing with browned bread crumbs, celery and other spices are in a rectangular white dish with a blue outline resting on a blue and white checkered towel and garnished by some parsley.

We are on a roll withThanksgiving and other holiday dishesand recipes lately, but a holiday feast just wouldn’t be as festive without stuffing, right?! This one is thetraditional stuffing that you’ve probably had from the time you were a kid,and it’s one that never gets old.

Made with stale bread cubes,chicken or turkey broth, butter, onions, celery, and some flavorful seasonings,it’s a classic holiday comfort foodthat I’ll always crave this time of year. Whether you’rebringing it as a side and need to cook it by itself, or you’re in charge of the entire meal and want to cook it inside the turkey, I made sure to give you both options for making your stuffing how you like it in the recipe card directions below.

A white rectangular pan with blue outline is filled with pieces of dried out bread, celery, and other spices and four slices of butter rest on top.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

With simple, hearty ingredients,this stuffing recipe is a classic and is incredibly easy to makewith your turkey or completely on its own as a side!
You can leave this recipe as is, and it’s delicious oryou canadd other additions to amp up the flavor and creativity,like minced apple, crumbled and browned sausage, or chopped nuts for more texture. I know you’ll love how easy this classic holiday dish is to make and customize, and how yummy it is to eat!
Thebread cubes can be made ahead of timemaking this dish easy to whip up during the busy holiday season!

Recipe Ingredients

Butter –try your hand with thiseasy homemade butter!
Onion –white or yellow
Celery
Bread cubes
Poultry seasoning
Chicken or turkey stock

See the recipe card below for full information on ingredients and quantities.

close up of stuffing in a white rectangular dish

How to Make Classic Stuffing

Melt the butter in a skillet and add onions and celery.
Place the dried bread cubes in a mixing bowl and add cooked vegetables.
Add poultry seasoning and chicken broth and stir to combine.
Can be baked in a pan or inside the turkey, whichever you prefer!

Recipe FAQs

Do you put eggs in stuffing?

You certainly can—it creates a more casserole-like consistency where everything sticks together and is less crumbly. If you’d like that kind of consistency, just whisk two eggs in a small bowl and pour it over your stuffing in the baking dish when you add the 1/4 cup of broth before popping it into the oven.

Can I make stuffing the day before?

You sure can! I would recommend making it in a baking dish if you want to make it the day before. Just follow the instructions below, let it cool completely, and cover it tightly to store in the fridge overnight. Reheat it in a 350-degree oven for 20 minutes, or until heated through.

What kind of bread is best for stuffing?

I recommend a hearty, high-quality bread that you’d use to make a really good sandwich—not the flimsy, cheap kind. To dry it out, cut it into cubes with a serrated knife, place it in a single layer on a baking sheet, and bake at 300 degrees for about an hour.

A white dinner plate with a dark green outline is filled with stuffing, mashed potatoes with butter melting on top, a few slices of roasted turkey, and some sweet potato casserole are resting on a white dish towel with blue stripes and part of a piece of pumpkin pie is resting on a fancy white salad plate.

Expert Tips

A traditional Thanksgiving stuffing generally has onion, celery, dried bread pieces, chicken or turkey broth, butter, and some seasonings.You can buy dried bread cubes or you can make them yourself using leftover bread, the choice is yours.
Adding eggs creates a more casserole-like consistencywhere everything sticks together and is less crumbly if you prefer your stuffing like that.
The bread crumbs should be very dry and a bit toasted.You can do this step up to 3 days ahead of time. Just cool completely and store in an airtight container.

A close up of a white dish with a blue outline filled with browned bread crumbs, celery, onion, and pieces of parsley on a blue and white checkered towel and garnished with some parsley.

More Thanksgiving Recipes to Consider

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Classic Stuffing Recipe

This recipe for classic, traditional stuffing is bare-bones but full of flavor, and you can cook it either inside your turkey or separately in a baking dish. You also have plenty of room for customizing with apple, sausage, or chopped nuts!

Ingredients

1/2 cup butter

2 cups onion (chopped, white or yellow)

2 cups celery (chopped)

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

10 cups dried bread cubes ((16 ounces))

2 teaspoons dried poultry seasoning

1 1/2 cups chicken or turkey stock

Instructions

In a large skillet or dutch oven, over medium-high heat, melt the butter.

When the butter is melted, add the onions and celery, and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions are tender, about 5 minutes.

Add the salt and pepper, and stir to combine.

Place the dried bread cubes in a large mixing bowl.

Add the cooked vegetables to the mixing bowl.

Sprinkle the poultry seasoning over the veggies, and then stir to combine everything well.

Drizzle with the chicken broth, and stir again gently to combine.

To bake in a pan: Place the bread cube mixture in a bottom of a large baking dish that has been greased well (a 9x13-inch pan works great). Drizzle with an additional 1/4 cup of broth. Cover tightly with foil, and bake at 400 degrees F. for 25 minutes. Remove the foil, and bake uncovered for an additional 10 to 15 minutes, or until golden-brown.

To bake inside your turkey: Place 3 to 5 cups inside the cavity of your raw, thawed, and ready to go into the oven turkey. Do not over fill. Follow the cooking instructions for your turkey. When the turkey is done, be sure that the stuffing has reached 165 degrees F. before serving. If you have extra stuffing that didn't fit in the turkey, bake it in a smaller serving dish, and follow the directions above.

Serve hot.

Notes

I love this bare-bones stuffing recipe because it's simple and it's classic. Feel free to add a grated apple, sausage (cook while the onions are cooking), and/or a cup of chopped nuts. You have lots of flexibility for flavor and additions. To make homemade bread cubes, simply buy a favorite loaf of hearty bread (high-quality sandwich bread—the super cheap stuff doesn't have enough bulk to it). Cut it into cubes with a serrated knife, place it in a single layer on a baking sheet, and bake at 300 degrees for about an hour. The bread crumbs should be very dry and a bit toasted. You can do this step up to 3 days ahead of time. Just cool completely and store in an airtight container. To bake in a pan: Place the bread cube mixture in the bottom of a large baking dish that has been greased well (a 9x13-inch pan works great). Drizzle with an additional 1/4 cup of broth. Cover tightly with foil, and bake at 400 degrees for 25 minutes. Remove the foil, and bake uncovered for an additional 10 to 15 minutes, or until golden-brown To bake inside your turkey: Place 3 to 5 cups inside the cavity of your raw, thawed, and ready to go into the oven turkey. Do not overfill. Follow the cooking instructions for your turkey. When the turkey is done, be sure that the stuffing has reached 165 degrees before serving.

Nutrition

Calories265

Carbohydrates32

Cholesterol25

Fat12

Fiber3

Protein8

Saturated fat6

Sodium523

Sugar5