Name: Simple Classic Stuffing
Cook time: 20 minutes
Total time: 3 hours
Yield: 8–10 servings
Ingredients: ¾ cup (1½ sticks) unsalted butter, plus more for baking dish; 1 lb. good-quality day-old white bread, torn into 1" pieces (about 10 cups); 2½ cups chopped yellow onions; 1½ cups (¼" slices) celery; ½ cup chopped flat-leaf parsley; 2 Tbsp. chopped fresh sage; 1 Tbsp. chopped fresh rosemary; 1 Tbsp. chopped fresh thyme; 2 tsp. Diamond Crystal or 1 tsp. Morton kosher salt; 1 tsp. freshly ground black pepper; 2½ cups low-sodium chicken broth or vegetable broth, divided; 2 large eggs

Classic homemade Thanksgiving stuffing with craggy torn bread and herbs in a white baking dish with one serving on a...

Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Prop Styling by Alex Brannian, Food Styling by Ali Nardi

With all the other side dishes on your holiday table, does your Thanksgiving stuffing recipe really need all those extras? Our best stuffing recipe leaves the sausage, pecans, cornbread, sweet potatoes, and dried fruit—we love a cranberry, but save it for the relish—on the cutting room floor. The result is a buttery, vegetarian-friendly jumble of torn country or sourdough bread and aromatics perfectly suited to sidle alongside roast turkey and mashed potatoes.

The only prep you’ll need to do is dry the torn loaf of bread in a low oven and sauté the diced onions and celery. Toss it all together with beaten eggs, store-bought chicken stock (or vegetable broth for vegetarian stuffing), and a quartet of fresh herbs, including parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme, and slide it into the oven. Want to simplify this classic stuffing recipe even further? Go ahead and substitute dried herbs for the fresh ones; we won’t tell.

For truly crispy stuffing, it’s important to oven-dry the bread cubes rather than letting them simply go stale on the counter. (But that doesn’t mean you can’t use stale bread!) Stale bread isn’t actually dry, it’s just hard, and it won’t absorb stock at the same rate—so go ahead and give it a spin in the oven too if that’s the kind of bread you’re using.

Finally, traditional stuffing is baked inside the bird on Thanksgiving; baking this version in a casserole dish technically makes it dressing, but it’s your Thanksgiving dinner, so call it whatever you want. Feel free to bake this homemade stuffing recipe ahead of time, refrigerate after letting it cool down, then reheat the stuffing at 350° while the turkey rests, just until warmed through.

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What you’ll need

13x9 Baking Dish
$70 $65 At Amazon
12-Inch Stainless Steel Skillet
$220 $100 At Amazon
Instant-Read Thermometer
$69 At Thermapen
Balloon Whisk
$11 At Amazon

Recipe information

Total Time
3 hours
Yield
8–10 servings

Ingredients

¾ cup (1½ sticks) unsalted butter, plus more for baking dish

1 lb. good-quality day-old white bread, torn into 1" pieces (about 10 cups)

2½ cups chopped yellow onions

1½ cups (¼" slices) celery

½ cup chopped flat-leaf parsley

2 Tbsp. chopped fresh sage

1 Tbsp. chopped fresh rosemary

1 Tbsp. chopped fresh thyme

2 tsp. Diamond Crystal or 1 tsp. Morton kosher salt

1 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

2½ cups low-sodium chicken broth or vegetable broth, divided

2 large eggs

Preparation

Step 1
Preheat oven to 250°. Grease a 13x9x2" baking dish with unsalted butter and set aside. Scatter 1 lb. good-quality day-old white bread, torn into 1" pieces (about 10 cups), in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet. Bake, stirring occasionally, until dried out, about 1 hour. Let cool; transfer to a very large bowl.
Step 2
Meanwhile, melt ¾ cup (1½ sticks) unsalted butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat; add 2½ cups chopped yellow onions and 1½ cups (¼" slices) celery to melted butter. Stir often until just beginning to brown, about 10 minutes. Add to bowl with dried bread cubes; stir in ½ cup chopped flat-leaf parsley, 2 Tbsp. chopped fresh sage, 1 Tbsp. chopped fresh rosemary, 1 Tbsp. chopped fresh thyme, 2 tsp. Diamond Crystal or 1 tsp. Morton kosher salt, and 1 tsp. freshly ground black pepper. Drizzle in 1¼ cups low-sodium chicken broth or vegetable broth and toss gently. Let cool.
Step 3
Preheat oven to 350°F. Whisk 2 large eggs and remaining 1¼ cups low-sodium chicken broth or vegetable broth in a small bowl. Add to bread mixture; fold gently until thoroughly combined. Transfer to prepared baking dish, cover with foil, and bake until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the center of dressing registers 160°, 35–40 minutes.
Step 4
Uncover dressing; continue to bake until set and top is golden brown and crisp, 35–45 minutes longer.
Make Ahead: Dressing can be baked (before browning) 1 day ahead. Uncover and let cool, then cover and chill. Uncover and bake until top is browned and crisp, 45–60 minutes.

Editor’s note: This Thanksgiving stuffing recipe was first printed in 2012 as "Simple Is Best Dressing.” Head this way for more of our best Thanksgiving side dish recipes →

TagsThanksgiving Stuffing American Onion Root Vegetable Vegetable Celery Sage Herbs & Spices Side Dinner Nut Free Vegetarian Oven Bake Epicurious

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Reviews (258)

I usually "wing it" with my stuffing using a combination of torn-up bread, celery, onions, butter, rubbed sage, salt and pepper. All that is combined the night before and allowed to sit covered overnight. This year I decided to try this recipe instead - my family was not happy. We all thought the amount of herbs was a bit overwhelming.
- Anonymous
- O'Fallon, IL
- 11/26/2023
So what's the parsley for? Decoration? Have not made yet.
- Jan Campbell
- Tucson az
- 7/11/2023
I grew up w/ cornbread stuffing inside the bird. I still make it the same as my mother did 37 years later. As an adult married to a Soldier I spent 30 years eating savory bread dressing served in military dining facilities (DFAC) across the US and Germany. Like my mother’s, the DFAC’s dressing was also consistent in ingredients and taste through the decades. It’s been 9 years since I’ve had what I call DFAC dressing. And for those 9 years I’ve missed it as I’d always bring an extra helping home to have on my plate. That is until I discovered this wonderful yet “simple is best stuffing” recipe. No apples, sausage, chestnuts, or mushrooms as add ins. Just a few fresh herbs, day-old bread…I used French…and some other staples and voila, my holiday table/plate is complete and my tastebuds are happy. Thank you for closing the loop on a missing holiday tradition. Simple is Best Stuffing is delicious!
- Lucille Pittard
- Carmel, IN
- 11/25/2022
This is a recipe that I make that has people who don’t like dressing asking for the recipe. The fresh herbs are a huge part. I add sausage, carrots and potato bread pieces. This time I used bone broth I made that had cinnamon sticks in it. I think it was my favorite batch!
- Anonymous
- Idaho
- 11/25/2022
The most delicious and simple stuffing recipe; have made this for several years now. One tip: don't add all the butter at the beginning, because the vegetables won't brown, they will essentially just boil in the butter. Start with a good pat and then add the rest when the veggies are close to the desired "doneness." Don't underestimate how long the herbs take to chop, but don't you dare use dried herbs!
- Anonymous
- MA
- 11/15/2022
This was delicious! I was worried it would be soggy with all of the broth, but it cooked up beautifully. Mu daughter is vegetarian and it's nice to have a stuffing she enjoyed.
- Linda M
- Sooke, BC
- 4/18/2022
I searched and. searched for a dressing as hood as grandmas, but could not find one until I used this tecipe! It was really over the top. If I make dressing this is it!!! Just wonderful and the make ahead feature is perfect!!!
- Photobabe
- Zephyrhills, FL
- 4/14/2022