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Classic Sage and Onion Bread Stuffing

Toasted bread cubes with butter-soft onions, celery, fresh sage and thyme, moistened with broth and baked in a dish until crisp on top. Baked outside the bird, it’s often called dressing.

⏱ 1 hr 20 min (25 min prep, 55 min cooking) 🍽 Serves 10 · about ¾ cup make aheadfreezer friendly

Part of our Thanksgiving dinner: menu, timeline and shopping list β†’

πŸ“… Add to my plan

ContainsMilk, Eggs, Wheat. Check the labels on what you buy; brands differ.

Ingredients

Make 10 servings
  • 1 lb Sandwich bread, white, about 16 slices, or a 1-lb loaf of homemade or Italian bread, in ΒΎ-inch cubes
  • Β½ cup Butter, unsalted, 1 stick, plus more for the dish
  • 2 Yellow onion, chopped
  • 4 stalk Celery, chopped, with some leaves
  • 2 tbsp Ground sage, chopped, or 2 teaspoons dried
  • 1 tbsp Fresh thyme, leaves, or 1 teaspoon dried
  • ΒΌ cup Fresh parsley, chopped
  • 1 tsp Table salt
  • Β½ tsp Ground black pepper
  • 2Β½ cup Turkey broth or stock, or chicken or vegetable broth; up to 3 cups
  • 2 Eggs, large, beaten

Make it yourself

Make the sandwich bread yourself β†’ Make the butter yourself β†’ Make the turkey stock yourself β†’

In the planner, Make it on the shopping list swaps the store item for these ingredients and puts the work on your prep day.

Nutrition

Nutrition coming: the USDA numbers for these ingredients are being added.

Steps

You’ll need: 2 rimmed baking sheets (to dry the bread), large skillet, very large bowl, 9 Γ— 13-inch baking dish, foil, food thermometer.

  1. Dry the bread: spread the cubes on the baking sheets and bake at 300Β°F for 20 to 25 minutes, stirring once, until dry but not brown. Or leave them out uncovered overnight. Dry bread soaks up the broth without turning to mush.
  2. Melt the butter in the skillet over medium heat. Cook the onions and celery with a pinch of salt, stirring now and then, until soft and sweet, about 10 minutes. Stir in the sage and thyme for the last minute.
  3. Heat the oven to 350Β°F and butter the baking dish. Toss the bread, vegetables (scrape in all the butter), parsley, salt and pepper in the big bowl.
  4. Whisk the eggs into 2Β½ cups of the broth and pour it over the bread, tossing gently until it’s evenly moist. Add up to Β½ cup more broth if it seems dry; it should be damp, not soggy.
  5. Spread it in the dish. Cover with foil and bake 30 minutes, then uncover and bake 15 to 20 minutes more, until the top is golden and crisp and the center reaches 165Β°F on a food thermometer (it has egg and broth).
  6. To stuff the bird instead (USDA): mix the wet and dry ingredients only just before stuffing, spoon it in loosely (about ΒΎ cup per pound of turkey), roast right away, and check that the center of the stuffing reaches 165Β°F. Let the bird stand 20 minutes before taking the stuffing out. Never stuff a turkey ahead of time.

🌑 Safe temperaturesStuffing and dressing 165°F. Check the thickest part with a food thermometer (USDA). More on food safety.

Make aheadDry the bread cubes up to 3 days ahead and keep them in a bag. Cook the vegetables a day ahead and refrigerate them. Mix everything with the broth and eggs just before baking (USDA advises against making stuffing ahead).
❄️ FreezerFreeze baked leftover stuffing up to 1 month for best quality. Reheat to 165Β°F.
β†Ί LeftoversRefrigerate within 2 hours; use within 3 to 4 days (USDA). Reheat to 165Β°F, with a splash of broth.
πŸ§’ With kidsKids can tear or cube the bread, strip the herbs and toss everything together in the bowl.
Gluten-free swapUse a 1-lb loaf of gluten-free sandwich bread, dried the same way.
Meatless swapUse vegetable broth for a vegetarian stuffing.
Mushroom swapCook 8 oz sliced mushrooms with the onions.

Goes well with

πŸ¦ƒ Classic Roast TurkeyπŸ₯£ Turkey Gravy from the Drippings

Good to know

Cooking Fats Compared Salted vs. unsalted butter Fresh vs. dried herbs Table salt vs. kosher salt vs. sea salt Stock vs. broth Food Safety Basics

An original Teddy Rook Book recipe, written for our Thanksgiving dinner; safety steps follow USDA. Nutrition is estimated from USDA FoodData Central and changes with brands and portions.