Use your crusty artisan bread to make this simple sourdough stuffing for Thanksgiving! It features buttery sauteed vegetables, fresh herbs, and crusty sourdough bread for a classic, flavorful side dish.
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No holiday meal is complete without stuffing. We joined the world over the last few years and fell in love with all things sourdough. We love it for sourdough rolls and it makes the best stuffing.
Sourdough, as the name suggests, has a sour, or tangy, flavor that balances well with the rest of the stuffing ingredients. Not to mention, sourdough bread dries out well and gets crunchy, making it perfect to hold up to the wet ingredients. Make a loaf or two of homemade sourdough bread and let it dry out! You will not regret adding this to your holiday table (along with our favorite sweet potato casserole).
Ingredient Notes
Here are the key ingredients to make this sourdough stuffing recipe. It features all the best ingredients like butter, celery, onion, and fresh herbs!
- Sourdough bread: make homemade sourdough a few days in advance with your sourdough starter or purchase fresh bread from the store or local bakery.
- Vegetables: also known as a mirepoix, this mixture of onion, celery, and carrot are sautéed to add extra flavor.
- Broth: use vegetable stock, vegetable broth, or chicken broth for this recipe. It softens the bread and helps bind everything together. You can also purchase extra turkey stock from the store and use that to bring the Thanksgiving flavors together.
- Eggs: this is the binder in the recipe that holds it all together
- Fresh herbs: a mixture of our favorite fall herbs is the final touch on this classic stuffing.
Best Bread for Stuffing
The best kind of bread for stuffing is one that can hold up to the moisture and has a bold or sweet flavor. I love using sourdough bread because it dries out and hardens really well and it has a bold sour taste.
How Long to Let Bread Dry for Stuffing
It's important to let the bread dry out because it's mixed with wet ingredients like chicken stock. Start with dry bread so it absorbs all that good stock and doesn't become soggy. Ideally, dice and dry your bread out 1-2 days in advance.
How to dry it out: cube your bread then spread it out onto a large baking sheet. Jump down to recipe notes to dry it out quickly in the oven.
How to Make Sourdough Stuffing
Here are the step-by-step instructions and photos to make sourdough bread stuffing. Jump down to the recipe card for the full printable recipe.
- Prep the bread: Slice the 1-2 day-old bread (or baked bread) into 1-inch cubes and dry it out by leaving it on a sheet pan for a few days. If you don't have time, bake at 400°F for 20 minutes.
- Prep the equipment: Grease a 9x13 inch (3-quart) casserole dish, or large baking dish, with nonstick spray and set aside.
- Saute veggies: Melt a few tablespoons of the butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onion, celery, and apple and cook, stirring frequently, until softened and translucent, 2-3 minutes. Add the minced garlic and cook for 1-2 more minutes, until fragrant, then add the salt, pepper, and all of the herbs and stir well.
- Mix the bread: In a separate large mixing bowl, whisk the eggs until completely combined then add the onion mixture and vegetable broth. Finish with the crusty bread cubes and toss everything until the bread is completely coated. Transfer the bread mixture to the prepared baking dish.
- Bake: Melt a few more tablespoons of butter in the same skillet and pour it evenly over the stuffing. This helps give is a buttery, crispy top. Bake at 350°F for 30-35 minutes.
Frequently Asked Questions
Sourdough bread is a century old technique used to ferment dough and bake bread with wild yeast. The slow fermentation process while baking sourdough breaks down the peptides in gluten that often give people trouble. Although it's not gluten free it is a better option for those with gluten sensitivities.
Spread your diced bread evenly onto a large-rimmed baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and then bake at 400°F for 20 minutes, stirring halfway through.
You want your bread to be moist but not wet or soggy. If there is a puddle of broth in the bottom of your pan you probably have too much liquid. Fix this by adding more bread to soak up the moisture.
Storage and Make-Ahead Instructions
Make-ahead: Dry out the bread and make the vegetable mixture according to the directions. Mix the bread and vegetable mixture together in your baking dish and store in the fridge for up to 3 days. When you're ready to bake, whisk the eggs and broth together and toss with the bread mixture then bake according to instructions.
Traveling with this dish: I recommend making this recipe from start to finish. Cover it well before traveling to your holiday destination. Reheat in the oven before serving.
Storage: If you have any remaining from your Thanksgiving dinner, store leftover stuffing in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days. Warm in the microwave or the oven until heated all the way through.
I’d love for you to give it a star rating ★ below if you make this recipe. You can also tag me on Instagram so I can see it!
More Thanksgiving Stuffing Recipes
Simple Apple and Herb Sourdough Stuffing
Ingredients
For the sourdough:
- 11 cups 2-3 day old sourdough bread
- 2 tablespoons olive or avocado oil * only if you need to dry out the bread
For the stuffing:
- 6 tablespoons grass-fed or vegan butter divided
- 1 small yellow onion diced
- 3 celery stalks diced
- 1 medium apple diced
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 2 tablespoons fresh chopped parsley
- 4 fresh sage leaves chopped
- 1 tablespoon fresh chopped thyme
- 1 tablespoon fresh chopped rosemary
- 2 ¼ cups reduced sodium chicken broth
- 2 eggs beaten
Instructions
If you don't have crusty bread and need to dry it out:
- Preheat the oven to 400°F and line a large baking sheet with foil or a silpat mat. Add the cubed sourdough to the baking sheet then drizzle with olive oil or avocado oil then toss gently. Place in the oven for 20 minutes, stirring halfway through, until the bread crisps and turns golden, but doesn’t brown.
Make the stuffing:
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and spray a 9x13 inch baking pan with cooking spray.
- Melt 3 tablespoons of grass-fed butter (or vegan butter) in a large saute pan or skillet over medium heat. Once it's melted, add the onion, celery and apple and cook, stirring frequently, until softened and translucent, 2-3 minutes. Add the minced garlic and cook for another then finish with the salt, pepper and all of the herbs and stir well. Remove from the heat and set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs then add the prepared celery, onion and apple filling. Add the crusty bread cubes and toss everything to coat. Add the chicken stock and stir again.
- Pour the stuffing mixture into the prepared pan and spread it out evenly. Cut the remaining 3 tablespoons of butter (or vegan butter) into chunks and place them on top of the stuffing. Cove
- Cover the stuffing with foil and bake in the preheated oven for 25 minutes. Remove the foil from the top and cook for another 8-12 minutes, until it's golden brown.
frugalfeeding says
Sourdough stuffing! A great idea - this looks fantastic.
Molly Thompson says
Thank you!!