Classic Traditional Thanksgiving Stuffing

🥘 Ingredients

• bread (day-old white french, diced into 1/2-inch cubes and dried)
  1 pound
• butter (unsalted, 2 sticks, divided)
  1 cup
• celery (diced small)
  1 1/2 cups
• eggs (large)
  2
• fresh sage leaves (finely minced)
  1/4 cup
• leave (italian flat-leaf parsley, finely minced)
  2/3 cup
• low-sodium chicken broth (divided)
  2 1/2 cups
• onions (sweet vidalia or yellow, extra-large, about 2 1/2 cups, diced small)
  1
• pepper (or to taste)
  1 teaspoon
• rosemary (fresh, sticks discarded, finely minced)
  3 tablespoons
• salt (or to taste)
  1 teaspoon
• thyme (fresh, sticks discarded, finely minced)
  2 tablespoons

🍳 Cookware

• baking sheet
• bowl
• pan
• baking dish
• skillet

1. 1

   Gather fresh sage leaves .

   fresh sage leaves: 1/4 cup (finely minced)
2. 2

   Preheat oven to 250F. Place cubed bread on a baking sheet and bake, stirring occasionally, until dried out, about ⏱️ 45 minutes . You must begin with very dry bread or it'll turn to mush. Tip - To save time on the day of, bake and dry out the bread the night before and leave uncovered on the counter uncovered until the morning you're ready to make the stuffing.

   bread: 1 pound (day-old white french, diced into 1/2-inch cubes and dried), leave: 2/3 cup (italian flat-leaf parsley, finely minced)
3. 3

   When you're ready to make the stuffing, transfer bread to a very large bowl ; set aside.
4. 4

   Preheat oven to 350F and spray a 9x13-inch pan or 3-quart baking dish with cooking spray; set aside.
5. 5

   To a large skillet , add 3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) butter and heat over medium-high heat to melt.

   butter: 1 cup (unsalted, 2 sticks, divided)
6. 6

   Add the onions , celery , and cook until vegetables have softened and are just beginning to lightly brown, about ⏱️ 10 minutes . Stir frequently. Transfer vegetables to bowl with bread.

   onions: 1 (sweet vidalia or yellow, extra-large, about 2 1/2 cups, diced small), celery: 1 1/2 cups (diced small)
7. 7

   Add the parsley, sage, rosemary , thyme , salt , pepper , 1 1/4 cups chicken broth, and toss well to combine; set aside. Note about salt - the saltiness level of low-sodium chicken broth varies, and so do personal preferences, so salt to taste.

   rosemary: 3 tablespoons (fresh, sticks discarded, finely minced), thyme: 2 tablespoons (fresh, sticks discarded, finely minced), salt: 1 teaspoon (or to taste), pepper: 1 teaspoon (or to taste), low-sodium chicken broth: 2 1/2 cups (divided)
8. 8

   To a small bowl, add the remaining 1 1/4 cups chicken broth, 2 eggs , and whisk to combine. Pour mixture over bread and toss well to combine. Turn mixture out into prepared baking dish.

   eggs: 2 (large)
9. 9

   Dice the remaining 1/4 cup (half of 1 stick) butter into 8 to 10 pieces and evenly dot the butter over the top of the stuffing. Cover with foil and bake for ⏱️ 40 minutes . Uncover and bake for an additional ⏱️ 40-45 minutes , or until top is as lightly golden browned as desired. Serve immediately. Stuffing is best warm and fresh but will keep airtight in the fridge for up to 5 days. Reheat gently as desired.