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A close-up of a white baking dish filled with golden-brown bread cubes, celery, onions, and cranberries, garnished with fresh parsley. This is a classic stuffing recipe.

Why Everyone Loves This Stuffing Recipes (+ Make-Ahead Tips)

This recipe offers a delicious and comforting stuffing perfect for holiday meals. It features a blend of fresh herbs, diced apple, celery, sweet onion, and dried cranberries, all brought together with toasted whole wheat bread. Enjoy make-ahead tips for stress-free holiday cooking.
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 45 minutes
Make-Ahead Storage 24 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 5 minutes
Servings: 8 servings
Course: Side Dish, Thanksgiving
Cuisine: American
Calories: 240
Ingredients Equipment Method Nutrition Notes

Ingredients
  

For the Bread
  • 16 slices whole wheat bread cut into 1 inch cubes
For the Flavor Base
  • 3/4 cup unsalted butter
  • 1 tbsp chopped fresh rosemary
  • 1 tbsp fresh thyme leaves
  • 1 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1 1/2 tsp salt-free chicken seasoning
  • 1 tsp dried parsley
  • 1/2 tsp black pepper
  • 1/2 tsp garlic powder
  • 1 Honeycrisp apple cored and diced
  • 3 stalks celery diced
  • 1/2 medium sweet onion diced
  • 1/4 cup dried cranberries
For Assembly
  • 2 cups chicken broth

Equipment

  • 9x13 baking dish
  • Large baking sheet
  • Parchment paper
  • Medium saucepan

Method
 

  1. Preheat your oven to 325°F (160°C). Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
  2. Cube the bread slices and place them in a single layer on the prepared baking sheet. Bake for 30 minutes until toasted.
  3. While the bread toasts, melt the butter in a medium saucepan over low heat. Stir in the rosemary, thyme, salt, chicken seasoning, parsley, pepper, and garlic powder until combined.
  4. Add the diced apple, celery, onion, and dried cranberries to the butter mixture. Stir to combine and bring to a simmer. Let it simmer for 10 minutes.
  5. Transfer the toasted bread cubes to a 9x13 baking dish. Pour the butter mixture over the bread and toss to coat. Cover with aluminum foil. You can proceed to bake now, or for make-ahead, cover and refrigerate for up to 24 hours. If making ahead, proceed to step 6 when ready to bake.
  6. Preheat your oven to 425°F (220°C). Stir the chicken broth into the stuffing mixture, tossing to combine. Cover the dish and bake for 20 minutes. Uncover and continue to bake for another 15 minutes, or until golden brown and heated through. Serve warm.

Nutrition

Calories: 240kcalCarbohydrates: 25gProtein: 6gFat: 13gSodium: 529mgFiber: 4g

Notes

This stuffing can be prepared a day in advance. Store the assembled, unbaked stuffing in the refrigerator. When ready to bake, follow step 6, adjusting the initial covered baking time if necessary based on how cold the mixture is.

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