Classic Thanksgiving Stuffing
This classic thanksgiving stuffing is a staple for your holiday table! Filled with carrots, celery, rosemary and thyme, it bakes up crisp on top and perfectly soft underneath. Dairy free and vegetarian.
This classic thanksgiving stuffing was originally posted in November 2012. The post has been updated as of November 9, 2017 with new photos, text and a slightly modified and improved recipe.
Stuffing stuffing stuffing! Or otherwise known as a critical part of any turkey day feast.
Well, at least according to me. No stuffing, no dice.
So, in light of my feelings on this subject, today we are resurrecting this classic but fantastic thanksgiving stuffing.
There’s no frills, no unique twists, but dang it sure is delicious.
And I will say that today’s recipe is a classic for a reason. And it totally reminds me of the stuffing my grandma made every single year growing up.
So, let’s discuss the dish, shall we?
We start with a simple base of some sauteed onion, carrot and celery. We pump up the flavor by adding in some dried herbs, like rosemary and thyme.
It all gets tossed together with some bread cubes and broth, before being baked off in the oven until crispy on top yet still perfectly soft underneath.
Oh yes. Turkey day carbs for the win.
Tips & Tricks For This Classic Thanksgiving Stuffing
- Please please please be sure to use stale bread. Preferably, it should be at least one day old.
- Totally optional, but if you happen to have some on hand, I like to garnish the stuffing with some chopped fresh parsley or cilantro. Gives it that kick of freshness.
- Additionally, I like to cube up the bread in advance to save some time on turkey day. This also helps it get stale a bit faster … double win.
- You can also cook the veggies ahead of time so all you have to do is assemble and bake when ready to enjoy.
Additional Thanksgiving Recipes You Might Enjoy:
- Dairy Free Apple Walnut Stuffing
- Cranberry Orange Sauce
- Dairy Free Mashed Potatoes
- Dairy Free Mashed Sweet Potatoes
- Maple Roasted Vegetables
- Fresh Herb Dinner Rolls
- Green Beans with Almonds and Shallots
- Dairy Free Sweet Potato Casserole
Did you make this recipe? Rate and review it down below! I’d love to hear from you.
Classic Thanksgiving Stuffing
This classic thanksgiving stuffing is a staple for your holiday table! Filled with carrots, celery, rosemary and thyme, it bakes up crisp on top and perfectly soft underneath. Dairy free and vegetarian.
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter or non dairy butter*
- 1 medium onion, finely chopped
- 2 medium ribs celery, finely chopped
- 2 medium carrots, peeled and finely chopped
- 2 teaspoons dried thyme
- 1 teaspoon dried rosemary
- ¾ teaspoon fine sea salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- 1 (1 pound) loaf stale crusty bread, cut into ½ to ¾ inch cubes**
- 1 ¼ cups low-sodium vegetable or chicken broth
- 1 large egg
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375ºF. Grease a 9×13 inch baking dish with nonstick or olive oil spray. Set aside.
- Add the butter to a large skillet set over medium heat. When melted and warm, add in the onion, celery, carrots, thyme, rosemary, salt and pepper. Cook for about 6 to 8 minutes, until tender.
- Transfer the mixture to a large bowl along with the bread cubes, then toss gently to combine.
- In a small bowl or liquid measuring cup, whisk together the broth and egg. Pour into the bowl with the bread and toss until everything is evenly coated.
- Transfer the mixture to the prepared baking dish and cover with aluminum foil.
- Bake for 30 minutes. Remove the aluminum foil and bake for about 20 additional minutes, until the top layer is golden brown and crisp. Serve!
Notes
*You can also use olive oil in place of the butter.
**Be sure to use a nice and firm (i.e. crusty) bread here. I’ve used multigrain, whole wheat, sourdough, etc. and they all work well, so just choose whatever loaf looks best!
To keep this dairy free - be sure to use bread that is dairy free.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 8 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 213Total Fat: 7gSaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 3gCholesterol: 35mgSodium: 525mgCarbohydrates: 32gFiber: 2gSugar: 5gProtein: 6g
Nutrition data shown is an estimate provided by an online calculator and is for informational purposes only. It should not be considered a substitute for a medical professional’s advice.
I made this on Thanksgiving so delicious!
Thank you for taking the time to let me know!
Is egg necessary? I’ve never used egg in my grandmother’s stuffing recipe . Also; could I make it ahead so all I need to do is pop it in the oven tomorrow?
You can omit the egg (it just won’t scoop quite as “together” if that makes sense) and add extra broth if needed to make sure everything is coated. As far as making it ahead, this is what I usually do: Cube the bread and either store in a baggie or let it sit out overnight if you want to stale it up a bit more. Make the veggie mixture and then store in the fridge. Then all you have to do is quickly assemble when ready to bake!
I plan to make stuffing day before thanksgiving.Should I wait to put in oven until thanksgiving to cook?don’t want it to be to dry but not sure.This recipe sounds just like my lost grandmothers recipe so excited to try…
Hey Gina! So here’s what I do to prep this ahead. The day before, cube up the bread (keep at room temp in a baggie) and cook all the veggies for the filling (store in the fridge). Then on Thanksgiving all I do is quickly assemble in the baking dish and bake off (takes like 5 minutes to get it ready!). This way nothing dries out 🙂
Classic is always the way to go! I have to make 2 stuffings at my house— a vegetarian stuffing and a sausage stuffing for my dad and brother. It is CRUCIAL for them lol 😉
haha stuffing is definitely a serious subject when it comes to turkey day!!
I was looking for a simple, traditional stuffing recipe and this is it. I linked to this post in my thrifty Thanksgiving recipes post. Thanks!
Thanks Melissa!
Stuffing is my favorite part of Thanksgiving meal, too. 🙂 In our family, I am usually the one who always puts extra stuffing on my plate, and then I usually ask for seconds. 🙂 This looks like a good old classic stuffing. I do tend to add some frills to mine, such as nuts, dried fruit, mushrooms, you name it. 🙂
Nice! Mushrooms sound awesome. Someday I’ll get to add other things to mine… too many picky eaters in my family lol. Maybe I should try sneaking them in… : )
I would never be able to “sneak” mushrooms into anything in my house lol.
I don’t think it would go over too well at mine either lol. My husband and I both love mushrooms but at thanksgiving it’s a no go. My mother-in-law is really picky … she even picks the onions out of this stuffing!