Vegetarian Herbed Stuffing/Dressing

This traditional version of Thanksgiving “stuffing” – or dressing – will satisfy all appetites during your feast; vegetarians and meat-eaters alike will scarf down this herb-filled dressing.

How is Thanksgiving only like… 4 days away?  I meant to share this recipe with you all approximately 2 WEEKS ago, but you know, life’s been crazy.

If you know any teachers, you may have seen the meme going around that so kindly reminded us all this is how the last several weeks have gone:

Halloween Week

Election Week

Super Moon Week

Thanksgiving Week

Basically, that sums it up.  The past 3 weeks have been insane, and I’m just happy to be bringing you my absolute favorite Thanksgiving dressing/stuffing recipe just in the nick of time.

Let’s get this out of the way first – dressing vs. stuffing.  I know the literal difference and why one is called stuffing (because it’s stuffed in the bird) and the other dressing (because it’s not stuffed in a bird).  Now, to me, it’s a soda vs. pop thing – and I still call it stuffing even though my family has never put it into a bird.  Old habits die hard.

However, you totally could stuff it in a bird, I just can’t really provide any guidance there.

Moving on from our technicalities now… Isn’t stuffing/dressing the BEST on Thanksgiving?  If you disagree, or if you’re still buying it out of a box, you must absolutely try this recipe.  It’s so simple: Italian bread, celery and onions, plenty of Thanksgiving herbs and vegetable or chicken stock to make it extra moist.

My mom has been making this version of stuffing/dressing for ever (and helped me with this shoot, too – thanks, Mom!).  I didn’t realize other people actually put meat in it until we started expanding our holiday locations (yes, I was living in my own stuffing/dressing world for a long, long time).

This recipe takes nearly no time to put together, and even less time to devour.

First you get to tearing some Italian bread (preferably a little dried out or a day old)…you could also cut it into bite-sized pieces, but I love the rustic feel of tearing the bread…crust is also optional, but I highly recommend keeping it on for the chewy/crunchy bits…

…cook the onions and celery, add the herbs – stay close while your house begins to smell like Thanksgiving…

…toss it in with the bread…add your eggs (they help keep it together!)…

…and the stock…

…stir it up, and bake it!

SERIOUSLY, THAT EASY.  And who doesn’t want just one easy recipe on Thanksgiving?

Oh, and drenched in gravy it’s about the greatest thing since sliced bread (yes, haha, right?!).

So if you’ve been following along for long, you know I don’t eat a lot of meat.  I’m super picky about it.  And maybe then my gravy comment right there confused you >> Thanksgiving with my family is an exception to my meat restriction – we brine our turkey overnight and it gets super juicy and salty.  My mom makes a gravy that’s to die for, and I basically pour it over EVERYTHING.  Because if there’s one part of Thanksgiving that’s better than this stuffing/dressing, it’s the gravy.

Oh and the pumpkin pie.

Ok, I have a hard time choosing.

But this stuffing/dressing… the crispy edges mixed in with the soft bread pieces, the herbs, oh the herbs!!!  The stock keeps the bread moist so you’re not going to have dried out stuffing that no body wants to eat – and you don’t need actual meat in it to do whatever people put the meat in to do – it’s just too good without.

How are you celebrating Thanksgiving this year?!  What’s your must-have dish?

Vegetarian Herbed Stuffing/Dressing

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• Author: Fork in the Kitchen
• Prep Time: 15 mins
• Cook Time: 45 mins
• Total Time: 1 hour
• Yield: 8-10
• Category: Side Dish

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Description

This traditional version of Thanksgiving stuffing – or dressing – will satisfy all appetites during your feast; vegetarians and meat-eaters alike will scarf down this dressing!

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Ingredients

• 1 large loaf of Italian bread
• 3/4 cup butter
• 1 medium yellow onion, chopped
• 2 large (or 3 medium) celery stalks, chopped
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt (to taste)
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper (to taste)
• 1 Tablespoon fresh thyme, chopped
• 2 teaspoons fresh sage, finely chopped
• 2 eggs, beaten
• Approximately 2 cups vegetable broth (chicken broth is OK too if you’re not vegetarian)

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Instructions

1. Grease 9×13 pan with butter. Pre-heat oven to 375°F. Tear bread into bite sized pieces and set aside in a large bowl.
2. In a large skillet, melt butter over medium-high heat. Add onion and celery. Cook 4-7 minutes, until tender. Add salt and pepper to taste. Remove from heat, set aside, and stir in freshly chopped herbs.
3. Mix onion mixture and bread together. Add beaten eggs and stir until combined. Stir broth into mixture in increments of 1/2 cup – you want to pour enough in so the mix is soft, but not mushy. We use approximately 2 cups, but do use your judgement as well.
4. Add mixture to greased pan and cover with foil. Cook for 20 minutes covered and then remove the foil. Cook for an additional 20-25 minutes until golden brown and crispy on top. The edges will also begin to pull away from the pan. If it isn’t crisping to your liking, broil for 3-5 minutes.