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Active Time
20 minutes
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Total Time
3 hours
With all the other side dishes on your holiday table, does your Thanksgiving stuffing recipe really need all those extras? Leave the sausage , pecans , cornbread , sweet potatoes , and dried fruit—we love a cranberry , but save it for the relish —behind in favor of this easy, buttery, vegetarian-friendly mix of torn country or sourdough bread and fresh herbs.
The only prep you’ll need to do is dry out the torn loaf of bread in a low oven and sauté diced onions and celery in melted butter. Toss it all together with beaten eggs, store-bought chicken stock (or vegetable broth for vegetarian stuffing ), and a quartet of herbs , including fresh 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°F just until warmed through while the turkey rests.
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What you’ll need
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13x9 Baking Dish
$70 $65 At Amazon
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12-Inch Stainless Steel Skillet
$220 $100 At Amazon
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Instant-Read Thermometer
$69 At Thermapen
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Balloon Whisk
$11 At Amazon
Ingredients
8–10 servings
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Step 1
Preheat oven to 250°F. Butter a 13x9x2" baking dish and set aside. Scatter bread 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 butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat; add onions and celery. Stir often until just beginning to brown, about 10 minutes. Add to bowl with bread; stir in herbs, salt, and pepper. Drizzle in 1¼ cups broth and toss gently. Let cool.
Step 3
Preheat oven to 350°F. Whisk 1¼ cups broth and eggs in a small bowl. Add to bread mixture; fold gently until thoroughly combined. Transfer to prepared dish, cover with foil, and bake until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the center of dressing registers 160°F, about 40 minutes.
Do Ahead: Dressing can be made one day ahead up to this point. Uncover the dressing, let cool, then cover again and chill. The next day, proceed with the final bake as described below.
Step 4
Uncover dressing and continue to bake until set and top is golden brown and crisp, 40–45 minutes longer (if chilled, add 10–15 minutes for a total time of 1 hour 30 minutes–1 hour 40 minutes).
Editor’s note: This recipe was originally printed in the November 2012 issue of ‘Bon Appétit’ as "Simple Is Best Dressing” and first appeared online in October 2012. Head this way for more of our best Thanksgiving side dish recipes →
How would you rate Simple Classic Stuffing?
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Reviews (194)
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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!
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Anonymous
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MA
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11/15/2022
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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.
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Linda M
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Sooke, BC
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4/18/2022
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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!!!
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Photobabe
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Zephyrhills, FL
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4/14/2022
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I love all the fresh herbs. I used only about half the butter for a lighter version, and it was still delicious.
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Kathleen Sutherland
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Iowa City, IA
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1/13/2022
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This stuffing is phenomenal... but do NOT use regular sandwich bread is it will end up soggy. If you use a sturdy/crusty bread like sourdough it's the best stuffing ever!!
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Oakville Jen
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Oakville, ON
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1/1/2022
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I made this stuffing on Christmas Eve up to the first bake, then put it in the fridge for easier prep on Christmas Day. It looked really great after the first bake and puffed up like a scuffle, but unfortunately did not look quite as appetizing after the second bake. I recommend putting it in a 9-13 baking dish and also DO NOT use potato bread cubes (too dense).
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Lisa Longoria
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Gainesville, FL
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12/29/2021
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I made a version of this for Christmas dinner this year. It was exactly what I was hoping for. I forgot to use the eggs, so it was just broth, but it was awesome. I also couldn't find fresh herbs except for the rosemary, so used dried ones...it was STILL awesome. Got lots of compliments. Thank YOU!
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laurelfleming
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Ontario Canada
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12/26/2021
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Great recipe - easy to find ingredients - easy to follow directions. Delicious, balanced dressing that matches any chicken or Turkey focused meal.
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Primrose
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San Miguel de Allende, MX
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12/25/2021
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I love this recipe! I changed the ingredients to include the flavours my mom always uses in her stuffing; apples, sage, mushrooms, celery and onion, and use turkey stock instead of chicken but follow the method exactly. Top is crispy and golden, bottom is soft but not soggy, truly delicious.
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Chuck Pavlov
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Ontario, Canada
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12/25/2021
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Simply the Best! The first year of my marriage 22 years ago I had stuffing at Thanksgiving for the first time. I was hooked. My grandmother always made cornbread dressing. When my husband and I started having our own Thanksgiving with our family he insisted upon stuffing. I searched for years for a recipe that was simple and just like the one his Aunt made. I finally found it about 3 years ago and this is it. I've made it every year since. I even use dried sage and poultry seasoning and it turned out great! This is a keeper.
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Erika Melrose
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Dallas, Tx
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12/19/2021
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I made this for Thanksgiving this year and it was a hit--making it again for Christmas. The only thing I changed was that I added leeks in addition to the celery and onions and I am not sad about that! Everyone loved it.
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Kelly
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Tacoma, WA
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12/18/2021
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I make this every year exactly as written with whatever plain bread crumbs I can find at the store or fancy bakery artisan bread that I dry out, and it always turns out amazing, regardless of the bread (except when I forgot I wasn't using low-sodium stock, used the written salt amount, and it turned out a touch too salty). This year, my husband wanted me to use Ezekiel bread (sprouted whole-grain bread) and to my surprise, it still turned out wonderfully despite my hefty skepticism. Highly recommend.
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Flying Pancake
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Nashville, TN
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12/12/2021
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It's true: simple is best! My stuffing was voted "best" at our Friendsgiving party! And, it was vegetarian!! Used mushrooms instead of pork. Word to the wise: DO know how many pounds of bread you're drying -- use the recipe as a proportion guide. Unfortunately, I cut & dried 3+ lbs of bread -- only realized this when I went to put the wet ingredients over the bread cubes!! Fortunately, had enough onions/celery/herbs to make x2 more. So, 4 hours in, finally had everything in proper proportions to make the stuffing. Added fresh fennel and dill -- on top of the fresh herbs the recipe called for -- (needed to due to aforementioned mistake in lbs of bread) and ultimately, a whole stalk of celery. Turned out moist, delicious, herbaceous. Used a combo of country bread and corn bread -- adding to the variety of textures and flavors that shone through. Did use store-bought broth: combo of mushroom & vegetable broths. I'm glad stuffing's only a once a year escapade -- it's a lot of work but I do love it so....
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Yasiss
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SF, CA
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11/28/2021
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I made the dressing for the first time this Thanksgiving. It’s delicious (all that butter!). I doubled the recipe, using a combination of rustic french and sour batard bread, fresh herbs and homemade chicken broth (much more flavorful than the stuff off the shelf). I’ll definitely make this recipe again.
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Maggie
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Alamo, CA
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11/26/2021
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This was so good. Good enough to replace my old favorite for Thanksgiving every year.
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Cassandra
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Mendocino, Ca
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11/26/2021
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