One of my top Thanksgiving recipes is this sage stuffing. I’ve tried others but this one is a favorite for a reason. It’s a classic, a crowd pleaser and SO good. Plus, it’s inexpensive to make.
Until I devised a game plan, I used to get overwhelmed cooking an entire Thanksgiving meal from scratch. I also realized that many dishes, like stuffing, can be cooked or prepared in advance which lowered my stress level for that day.
Recipe notes
Stuffing, or dressing, is pretty easy to make. I adapted this recipe from multiple sources. It’s part Martha Stewart and part Epicurious.
In the past, I used pre-made bread cubes. It saved time but a good quality one is not cheap so I switched to using an organic pre-sliced bread instead. I’m pretty happy with the results. It’s fairly inexpensive and also soaks up the ingredients nicely. If you want to be a little fancier, you can use a rustic white bread or multigrain loaf as an alternative.
When it comes to herbs, I’ll always recommend using fresh herbs if given the choice. For this particular dish, it enhances the flavor and the look. (And, if you have any leftovers, try making this herb salad.)
If you’re feeling adventurous, try adding a minced turkey liver when you saute the onions. It’s one of the “extras” that usually come in a bag with your turkey along with the gizzard and neck so it won’t cost you anything additional but it’ll add so much more flavor to your dish. It’ll give your stuffing that extra boost of umami that your guests will absolutely love.
I didn’t know how good stuffing could be until I made it from scratch. Until I was an adult, my favorite stuffing was Stove Top. This recipe is very reminiscent of that boxed version but a hundred times more delicious and healthier. After making your own, there’s no going back to packaged stuffing! At least, not for me. 🙂
Thanksgiving Recipe: Sage Stuffing
Ingredients
- 1 loaf sliced white bread, cubed ($3.49)
- 4 stalks celery, diced ($0.80)
- 4+3 tbsp butter, unsalted separated ($0.75)
- 1 large onion, diced ($1.00)
- 2 eggs ($0.65)
- 2 cups turkey, chicken or vegetable stock ($1.15)
- 1/4 cup flat leaf parsley, fresh, finely chopped ($0.10)
- 3 Tbsp sage, fresh, finely chopped ($0.00) from the garden
- 3 sprigs thyme, fresh ($0.00) from the garden
- 1 1/2 tsp salt ($0.01)
- 1/2 tsp black pepper ($0.01)
Instructions
- Prepare all your ingredients.
- Preheat oven to 350° F. Spread a single layer of bread cubes onto 2 baking sheets. Bake until dry for about 10-15 minutes rotating the baking sheets about halfway through. Make sure the bread cubes don’t brown. Let cool for a few minutes and transfer to large mixing bowl.
- Melt butter in large pan over medium heat. Add onions and saute until softened, about 8 minutes.
- Add celery and cook for another 5 minutes.
- Add sage, parsley, thyme, salt and pepper. Stir together and cook for a minute.
- Add onion mixture to bowl with bread cubes and mix well.
- In a separate bowl, whisk eggs and stock. Slowly add to bread mixture until you reach desired consistency and toss well.
- Transfer stuffing to a buttered baking dish. Dot top of stuffing with small bits of remaining butter. Cover with buttered foil. Bake covered for 30 minutes. Remove foil and bake for another 15-20 minutes until golden.
- Enjoy!
Recipe Notes
Sage stuffing can be assembled but not baked a day in advance. Cover with buttered foil and refrigerate. Bring to room temperature before baking. You may need to bake longer * Note regarding pricing: The sage and thyme used in this recipe are from our garden which is why there is no price listed. The price of the pantry items such as salt and pepper takes into account the cost of the amount used for the recipe and not the cost if you had to purchase the entire jar or bottle. ** All prices in US dollars.