This sourdough stuffing casserole is a standard holiday staple at any table. Stuffing is often made with stale bread, so if you have any leftover challah or sourdough you’ve been needing to use up, this is the perfect dish.
If you don’t have stale bread, you can cube your bread and bake it for 10 minutes so that it reaches that desired stale-ness for stuffing, and you can also make it with day old bread year around.
Stuffing, also known as dressing, is a must at any holiday gathering. You can season it any way you’d like. An easy way to season your bread is to grab a packet of poultry seasoning from the grocery store. I advise you stock up during the non-holiday months, since it often sells out during the holidays! Or you can make your own poultry seasoning with your own blend of herbs and spices from your spice drawer.
After your stuffing casserole is baked, serve hot right out of the oven with gravy on right on top!
Ingredients:
- Sourdough bread: Use either baguette, loaf or sliced bread. As long as it has that sour taste, it will work! Second-day bread is best. If you don’t have stale bread, go ahead and make your own stale bread by baking it for 10 minutes at 350. This will dry out the bread.
- Vegetables: Onions, celery, carrots and garlic are classic stuffing ingredients. Want to add in other veggies? Go right ahead and add in mushrooms, potatoes or even corn.
- Herbs: Thyme, parsley and sage are all used in this recipe. Want to add more or different herbs? Go right ahead. I used dried spices to use up what I had in my spice drawer, but you can use fresh if you prefer.
- Broth: I always choose to use low-sodium chicken broth for stuffing recipes. This way you can choose exactly how much salt to add to your stuffing. Make sure your stuffing is very wet, if it is not moist enough after adding the broth, add more.
How to Make Sourdough Stuffing Casserole
The first step when making your stuffing is making sure your sourdough is juuuust right for your dish. Second-day bread is best since it is just stale. If you have a fresh Boudin loaf that you just picked up from the store, go ahead and cube the bread and pop it into the oven at 350 degrees for 10 minutes. This will crisp up the bread perfectly for a country style stuffing.
Heat a couple of tablespoons of oil in a frying pan and then add the onion, carrot and celery. Usually, you would add just the onions into the pan first with some oil. Since these are such fibrous vegetables, they will take some time to cook down, so go ahead and add all three veggies into the pan together. Over-medium high heat, let the veggies cook down for about 10 to 15 minutes. The veggies will begin to release their own juices and caramelize. Once the veggies soften, add the garlic during the last minute of cooking.
If you are making a double or triple batch of this stuffing, cook down the veggies in batches. It’s better to do a couple of batches to cook down the vegetables than to crowd the pan. If you end up crowding the pan, some of your aromatics will be cooked perfectly while others will still be raw.
After the veggies are cooked, add in the chicken broth and herbs and taste. Add salt and pepper to taste. Add the bread and the vegetable mix to a large bowl and use tongs or your hands to massage the chicken broth through the sourdough.
If the bread looks a bit dry, feel free to add more chicken broth to the mix. The bread should look wet and soggy in the casserole dish.
Bake the stuffing casserole at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. The top will be crisp and the middle will be hot and moist. I always test the stuffing in an unseen area (usually around the side) before taking turning off the oven, just in case I decide it needs to go back in for a couple more minutes.
The purpose of baking this casserole is to heat the inside thoroughly. No one wants to eat a cold broth-y stuffing casserole!
Serve the casserole immediately with gravy on right on top.
Make Ahead Instructions
Busy holiday mornings may make you looking for ways to make Thanksgiving and Christmas meals easier. One way to take some of the stress off yourself and your family is to make casseroles ahead of time.
Make this stuffing casserole ahead of time and add it to the casserole dish. Cover it in foil and pop it in the fridge. Write yourself a sticky note with directions (350 degrees for 30 minutes). When you’re ready to bake it, preheat the oven, remove the foil and bake. If the casserole has dried out a bit due to being stored in the fridge, add a bit more broth to the casserole and mix well.
How to Reheat Stuffing Casserole
Holiday leftovers are inevitable and one of the best parts of Thanksgiving and Christmas. If you do end up with leftover stuffing casserole, there are many ways to reheat it and eat it during the next couple of days.
- Microwave: Take your covered leftovers and add them to a plate by itself or with other leftovers. Reheat in the microwave until the center is warm, about 30 seconds.
- Oven: Take the whole casserole dish and cover with foil so that top of the casserole doesn’t burn. Heat in the oven for about 20 minutes at 350 degrees or until heated through.
What to Serve with Stuffing Casserole
There are many options when it comes to deciding what to serve with this casserole. Everyone is familiar with serving stuffing on the side next to a beautifully carved turkey, but it also pairs well with a green bean casserole, a butternut squash and red pepper soup, or even a cornbread sausage stuffing.
This is often seen as a late fall and winter dish, but you can also serve it in the spring and summer months to use up leftovers. Stuffing is my favorite side during the holiday season, so why not serve it year around?
Sourdough Stuffing
Course: SideCuisine: AmericanDifficulty: Easy6
servings10
minutes30
minutes215
kcalIngredients
1 loaf sourdough bread
3 stalks celery, chopped
1 carrot, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 cups low-sodium chicken broth
2 tbsn neutral cooking oil
1 tsp thyme, parsley, sage
Directions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Cube the sourdough. If it’s fresh bread, cube and add to a 350 degree oven for about 10 minutes until it reaches a “stale bread” consistency.
- Add the oil to a frying pan and heat over medium heat. Add the onion, carrot and celery. Fry for about 12 minutes. Then add the garlic.
- When garlic is fragrant, add the chicken broth. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Add the veggie mix to the stale sourdough. Mix well. If it looks too dry, add in more chicken broth. Massage with hands or with tongs. Add to a casserole dish.
- Bake the casserole for 30 minutes. The top will be golden brown and crisp and the inside will be moist. Serve with gravy.
