A delicious Thanksgiving Dressing with thick, crusty sourdough, a winning combination of fresh herbs, and aromatics sautéed in butter. I'm a huge believer in less is more for Thanksgiving dressing, and this recipe definitely delivers. Simple, high-quality ingredients with fresh herbs makes for the best dressing.
10cupsgood quality, day-old white bread(we love sourdough best), cut into 1-inch wide by 1/2-inch thick cubes
2mediumyellow onionsdiced (~2 and 1/2 cups)
6-8stalkscelerythinly sliced (~1 and 1/3 cups)
2teaspoonsminced garlic
1/2cupflat-leaf parsleyfinely diced
1packagefresh poultry herb blend mix(by other packaged fresh herbs in the refrigerated produce section of the grocery store or See Note 1 for individual herbs needed)
1teaspoonfresh oreganofinely diced (or use 1/4 teaspoon dried)
Fine sea salt and freshly cracked pepper
2 and 1/2cupshigh quality (low sodium) chicken stock
PREP: Preheat the oven to 250 degrees F. Generously grease a 9x13-inch baking pan with nonstick spray and set aside.
DRY OUT BREAD: Cut the bread into equal one-inch pieces and place in one layer on a large rimmed baking sheet. Place in the preheated oven and bake for 45 minutes, stirring the bread cubes every 15 minutes, or until completely dried out. Set aside to let the bread cool. Now increase the oven temperature to 350 degrees F.
BUTTER AND VEGGIES: Meanwhile, melt the butter in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add the diced onions, celery, and garlic. Stir often until just beginning to lightly brown and the ingredients have become tender-- about 10-15 minutes. Prepare all the herbs by chopping finely. Once the veggies are tender, stir in all of the herbs: 2 tablespoons sage, 1 tablespoon rosemary, 1 and 1/2 tablespoons thyme, and 1 teaspoon fresh oregano. Add salt and pepper to taste (I use about 1 teaspoon fine sea salt and 1 teaspoon pepper). Remove pot from heat and allow to cool until warm.
EGGS AND STOCK: In a separate bowl, add the eggs and whisk with a fork. Stir in the chicken stock until combined. Pour this mixture into the pot with the veggies and herbs (make sure the pot isn't super hot or it will scramble the egg mixture; pot should be warm or room temperature). Very gently stir everything to combine. Pour the toasted bread cubes into the pot and gently mix until bread is well coated.
BAKE: Gently transfer this mixture to the prepared 9x13-inch baking dish and press into one even layer. Bake for 45-55 minutes or until browned and crisp on top. Remove and serve immediately.
Notes
Note 1: I buy 1 package of fresh poultry blend which has sage, thyme, and rosemary. You'll want to have a total of 2 tablespoons fresh sage, 1 and 1/2 tablespoons fresh thyme, and 1 tablespoon rosemary. Prep ahead: Bread cubes can be baked up to 1 day in advance. Store in an airtight container at room temperature.Make ahead: Completely assemble the ingredients according to the recipe right up until baking it. Instead of baking, cover the casserole dish tightly and refrigerate. The next day, remove the dressing from the fridge, allow it to come to room temperature and bake in a preheated oven. You may need to add some additional baking time to the dressing. I wouldn't recommend making this Thanksgiving dressing more than 1 day in advance.