Sourdough and Herb Stuffing
Bread stuffing is a canvas for your gravy, turkey and cranberry sauce, but it needs its own flavor too. Lots of hardy winter herbs and loads of celery and onions give this sourdough bread stuffing flavor to spare. Any type of lean bread works here: sourdough, country white, sesame, even focaccia. This recipe is intentionally vegetarian, but feel free to use chicken stock in place of the vegetable stock and butter in place of the olive oil. To make the stuffing vegan, simply omit the eggs; the stuffing won’t hold together as well, but it will still taste great.
This recipe is part of our Guide to Classic Thanksgiving, a collection of simple recipes for timeless holiday dishes to make this year and for years to come.
Heat ¼ cup olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the celery and onions, followed by 1 tablespoon salt and the pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are softened and translucent, beginning to brown at the edges and just starting to stick to the bottom of the pan, about 20 minutes. Add the rosemary, sage, thyme and garlic and continue cooking until the herbs and garlic are fragrant, about 2 minutes more. Remove the pot from the heat and stir in the stock.
Heat the oven to 375 degrees. Grease a 9-by-13-inch baking dish with olive oil. Place the bread in a large bowl, then pour over the stock and aromatics. Stir to combine, then let the bread stand, stirring once halfway through, to let it soak in the stock, about 10 minutes. Add the remaining 1 teaspoon salt, the vinegar and eggs and stir to combine evenly. Spoon the stuffing into the greased dish and cover tightly with foil.
Bake the stuffing for 30 minutes. Remove the foil and drizzle the top of the stuffing with the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil. Continue baking, uncovered, until the top of the stuffing is golden brown and crisp, 40 to 45 minutes more. Remove the dish from the oven and let cool for 5 minutes before serving.
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