This simple and classic stove-top stuffing is the most nostalgic recipe on my website. Growing up, that classic red box stove-top stuffing was a staple in my house, an easy favorite for me. The buttery herb (and salty) bread stuffing was perfectly moist and fluffy, simply delicious. It set the bar for stuffing, nothing beats the classic flavors.
I have re-created the recipe so you can make it homemade from scratch rather then out of the box. It takes less than 20 minutes to have a buttery, sourdough bread stuffing, loaded with fresh herbs, on the table. Like the inspirational red box, it is perfectly moist and fluffy, I could eat the whole pan.
Classic Stove-Top Stuffing Artisan Sourdough Bread
To make this homemade stove-top stuffing version, I went all in and made my own bread croutons which is essential for stuffing. I used sourdough because I LOVE the flavor and the slight tanginess of sourdough. You can also use a plain white or wheat bread. I would not use any bread that has seeds or nuts.
I bought a loaf of soft sourdough from Trader Joe’s. It was from the bakery section, rather than a packaged commercial brand.
The first step is to cut the bread into very small cubes, about 1/4 by 1/4 if you can. Lay the cubes out onto a sheet pan in one layer. It may take two sheet pans. Cover the bread cubes with a clean kitchen towel and let them harden over night and become slightly stale.
If you don’t want to make your own, you can always buy a bag of unflavored bread croutons.
Make it Vegetarian
The recipe below calls for chicken or turkey stock. You can also use vegetable stock to get the same great stove-top stuffing.
Fresh Herbs/Poultry Seasoning
The recipe below used fresh rosemary, fresh sage and fresh thyme. You can buy these individually in the grocery store or you may find a fresh herb package labeled poultry seasoning, it’s usually the same herbs bundled together.
I love fresh herbs, the aroma and brightness/freshness they give a dish is unbeatable but you can also use dry herbs if you already have them in the pantry.
The dry herbs are stronger in flavor so the rule of thumb is to use 1 tsp of dry herbs per 1 TBSP of fresh herbs.
Homemade Classic Stove-Top Stuffing (copy cat recipe)
Ingredients
- 20-24 oz Sourdough Bread - cut into ¼ cubes (about 10 cups) See blog notes for other bread options.
- ½ cup Butter
- 1 cup Celery - small diced
- 1 cup Onion - small diced
- 1 TBSP Fresh Rosemary
- 1 TBSP Fresh Sage
- 1 TBSP Fresh Thyme
- 1 tsp Garlic Salt
- 1 tsp Black Pepper
- 1 tsp Salt
- 2 cups Chicken, Turkey or Vegetable Stock
- Chopped Fresh Parsley for Garnish
Instructions
- A day or two before: make sourdough bread croutons. Cut up the bread into about ¼ cubes. Using a sheet pan, lay the bread cubes out in one layer, it may take two sheet pans. Cover with a towel and let them become hard and stale - overnight on the counter will do the trick.
- In a large pan with high sides, over medium low heat, add in your butter, celery, onions, carrots, herbs and seasoning (rosemary, sage, thyme, garlic salt, black pepper and salt). Cook over medium heat until the butter is melts, the celery and onions are soft and herbs are fragrant, about 7-10 minutes. Try to not color the celery or onions, if they start to brown, turn down the heat.
- Add in the bread croutons. Pile them high, it will be about 10 cups of croutons.
- Over medium low heat, start to stir to combine and mix the croutons in with the butter, celery and onion mixture.
- Pour in 1 cup of stock and stir. If the stuffing is still too hard and not coming together, pour in more stock until it's moist and perfectly fluffy. Keep over a low warm heat until it's hot all the way through.
- Garnish with fresh parsley.
Other stuffing favorites:
Sourdough Stuffing and Pomegranate
Family Favorite Oat Stuffing
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