Homemade Stuffing with French Bread
Homemade Stuffing with French Bread is an herby and classic side dish that’s golden and crispy on the top and soft and moist on the inside. It’s easy to make using a baguette and simple pantry ingredients.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
You are going to love this perfectly seasoned, old fashioned stuffing recipe. Not only is it simple to make, but you could even make it ahead of time.
If you’re hosting a larger holiday meal, simply double the recipe and bake in a large casserole dish. If you’re hosting a smaller thanksgiving, just cut the recipe in half and bake in a small baking dish!
It’s perfect for both Thanksgiving and Christmas! Serve it with an easy roast turkey and your favorite side dishes like fluffy mashed potatoes, maple balsamic brussels sprouts, and honey wheat dinner rolls. Finish off your meal with this wild maine blueberry pie.
Ingredients
Homemade Stuffing with French Bread uses your typical bread stuffing ingredients, with a french baguette as the star.
- French Baguette: A baguette, cut into 1/2-inch cubes. Use your favorite type of baguette, white, multi-grain, or whole wheat. The bread cubes should be dried on the counter overnight or using the oven method below.
- Olive Oil: To sauté the celery, onion and garlic.
- Celery, Onion, and Garlic: Diced celery, diced onion, and minced garlic are aromatics that add flavor to the stuffing.
- Butter: Unsalted butter for a rich and buttery flavor.
- Chicken Broth: Low sodium chicken broth to make it moist and flavorful. You can substitute for vegetable broth if you prefer.
- Egg: A large egg to help bind the stuffing together.
- Herbs and Seasoning: Dried sage, parsley, and thyme for an herby flavor. One small sprig of fresh rosemary, minced. Finish off with salt and pepper, to taste.
*The full ingredient list with amounts is in the recipe card below.
Step-By-Step Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly grease a medium baking dish with oil or butter. Set aside.
- Heat the olive oil in a small skillet over medium-low heat. Add the onion, celery and garlic. Cook until softened, about 5-6 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Place the bread cubes in a large bowl. Add the onion mixture, butter, chicken broth, egg, parsley, rosemary, sage, and thyme. Season with salt and pepper. Stir to combine. Be sure the bread cubes are completely coated. Add more broth if needed.
- Pour the mixture into the prepared baking dish. Bake uncovered for 35-45 minutes, or until golden and crispy on the top. If the top is getting too crispy, cover with foil.
- Serve warm and enjoy!
Expert Tip: Make sure your bread cubes are very dry before using them. You can leave them in a bowl or baking sheet on the counter overnight to dry them out. Another option is to use the oven-method by baking them at 300°F for 20-25 minutes, flipping halfway, until dried out.
Stuffing with French Bread Variations
- Use your favorite bread. Swap out the french baguette for your favorite type of bread, like french bread or sourdough. A crusty bread works best for homemade stuffing.
- Add a diced apple or pear for a sweeter flavor.
- Stir in your favorite nuts, like pecans or walnuts.
- Use fresh herbs instead of dried. If using fresh, double the amount.
- Make it vegetarian. Simply use vegetable broth instead of chicken broth.
Serving Suggestions
Serve this French Bread Stuffing with your next holiday meal. It’s especially great for Thanksgiving or Christmas with a turkey, ham, or roast beef. You can even make it on a weeknight or Sunday dinner with a roast chicken or pork tenderloin.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ’s)
Yes, you can make homemade stuffing ahead of time. Simply make the stuffing, then refrigerate, covered with saran wrap or bees wrap, for up to 3 days. Reheat just before serving. Alternatively, you could also prep the stuffing in the morning, refrigerate, then bake it just before serving.
The best type of bread for stuffing is a sturdy, crusty bread. Good options are sourdough and french bread. White, whole wheat, and multi-grain all work well. Whatever bread you choose, be sure it is cut into cubes and dried out before using it. Moist and soft bread will make your stuffing soggy.
More Thanksgiving Side Dish Recipes
- Fall Kale Salad with Sweet Potato
- Honey Cranberry Sauce
- Roasted Butternut Squash with Brussels Sprouts and Dried Cranberries
- Roasted Carrots and Green Beans
- Creamy Butternut Squash Soup
To get even more recipes straight to your inbox, sign-up for the Fresh Apron Weekly Newsletter.
If you make this recipe, don’t forget to come back and leave a 5-star rating with a comment below.
Homemade Stuffing with French Bread
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 45 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour
- Yield: 8 servings 1x
- Category: Side Dishes
- Method: Bake
- Cuisine: American
Description
Homemade Stuffing with French Bread is an herby and classic side dish that’s golden and crispy on the top and soft and moist on the inside. It’s easy to make using a baguette and simple pantry ingredients.
Ingredients
- 1 (15 ounce) baguette (cut into 1/2″ cubes and dried- see note)
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- 1 yellow onion, diced
- 2 celery stalks, diced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 5 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
- 1 1/2 –2 cups low sodium chicken broth
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon dried parsley
- 1 teaspoon fresh rosemary, minced
- 1/2 teaspoon ground sage
- 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
- salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly grease a medium baking dish with oil or butter. Set aside.
- Heat the olive oil in a small skillet over medium-low heat. Add the onion, celery and garlic. Cook until softened, about 5-6 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Place the bread cubes in a large bowl. Add the onion mixture, butter, chicken broth, egg, parsley, rosemary, sage, and thyme. Season with salt and pepper. Stir to combine. Be sure the bread cubes are completely coated. Add more broth if needed.
- Pour the mixture into the prepared baking dish. Bake uncovered for 35-45 minutes, or until golden and crispy on the top. If the top is getting too crispy, cover with foil.
- Serve warm and enjoy!
Notes
I used a 10″ x 7″ baking dish for this recipe. You could alternatively use an 8″ x 8″ baking dish.
Make sure your bread cubes are very dry before using them. You can leave them in a bowl or baking sheet on the counter overnight to dry them out. Another option is to bake them at 300°F for 20-25 minutes, flipping halfway, until dried out.
For a more moist stuffing, add up to an extra 1/2 cup of chicken broth.
Nutritional values (per serving) are approximates only.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 235
- Sugar: 4.3 g
- Sodium: 387.3 mg
- Fat: 11 g
- Saturated Fat: 5.3 g
- Carbohydrates: 25.7 g
- Fiber: 4.5 g
- Protein: 9.2 g
- Cholesterol: 42.3 mg
One Comment