Can I make stuffing ahead of time?

Yes! To make-ahead, I assemble everything as directed, cover the baking dish tightly with foil, and store it in the refrigerator. When ready to finish it, I let the dish sit at room temperature for 20–30 minutes. Then I bake as directed, adding an extra 5–10 minutes to make sure it gets crispy on top. I don’t recommend preparing the ingredients more than a day ahead, however, or it’s likely to become too soggy.

How can I make stuffing gluten-free?

For gluten-free stuffing, use a soft gluten-free bread as the base. As long as the bread is dry, there’s really no difference.

What are common stuffing mistakes to avoid?

The biggest mistakes are using bread that’s too soft, not adding enough liquid, or overbaking. Fresh bread that isn’t slightly dried out will turn too mushy instead of fluffy. If the stuffing mixture looks too dry before baking, add a splash of extra broth or homemade melted butter . Then, keep an eye on the oven. Stuffing should be golden on top but still moist inside. Cover with foil if it’s browning too quickly.

Easy Stuffing Recipe

Servings: 8-12 (10 cups) 1x

Scale

Ingredients

1 loaf of bread, torn or cut into cubes, then toasted or slightly stale (10-12 cups)
½ cup unsalted butter
4 medium celery stalks, diced (2 cups)
1 small white onion, diced
1–2 medium-large leeks, chopped (about 1 cup) (may sub additional 1 cup white onion)
4 garlic cloves, finely minced
1 teaspoon fine salt
½ teaspoon black pepper
1 tablespoon fresh sage, roughly chopped
1 tablespoon fresh rosemary, rough chopped
1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
2 cups low-sodium chicken broth, divided
2 large eggs
Optional for garnish: chopped fresh parsley or other fresh herbs

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Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350℉ and mist a 9×13-inch baking dish (or other 2½- to 3-quart baking dish) with cooking spray.
In a large skillet over medium heat, heat the butter. Once the butter is melted, stir in the celery, onion, leeks, garlic, salt, and pepper. Cook until onions and celery are softened, 8-10 minutes.
Stir in the chopped fresh sage, rosemary, thyme, and 1 cup of the broth.
In a large mixing bowl, add the bread cubes. Transfer celery-onion mixture to the bowl with the bread. Toss well to coat the bread.
In a small bowl whisk together the remaining 1 cup broth and the eggs.
Pour the broth-egg mixture over the ingredients in the bowl and toss until thoroughly combined.
Transfer the stuffing mixture to the prepared baking and bake for 45-50 minutes or until stuffing is set and starts to turn golden brown on top. (If the stuffing is getting too browned too quickly, cover it loosely with foil).
Serve warm and garnish with chopped fresh parsley or other fresh herbs, if desired.

Notes

*Stale or toasted bread works best for this recipe. Cut bread into pieces and let it sit at room temperature overnight, covered loosely with foil, or make your own croutons. Alternatively, you can buy already prepped toasted large bread cubes at most grocery stores.

For gluten free, use gluten free bread cubes and certified gluten free broth.

For vegetarian, use vegetable broth in place of chicken broth and plant-based butter.

Can’t find leeks? Substitute an additional 1 cup of chopped white onion.

Nutrition Information

Serving Size: 1 cup
Calories: 216
Fat: 12 g
(Sat Fat: 6 g)
Sodium: 450 mg
Carbohydrate: 23 g
(Fiber: 2 g
Sugar: 4 g)
Protein: 6 g
Cholesterol: 59 mg

Dietary

Gluten-free Nut-free Vegetarian

Recipe By: Molly Slama