This traditional homemade Thanksgiving stuffing recipe is moist and crunchy, flavorful and packed with earthy herbs and spices. The very best stuffing for Thanksgiving turkey, duck, chicken or Cornish game hen!
I made this stuffing for a small Thanksgiving with friends, and it was the perfect complement to the roasted duck with blackberry sauce that I served instead of turkey. It can be made a whole day in advance and is actually even better the next day!
How to Make This Stuffing – Step by Step
1. First, grease an 8” x 8” pyrex baking dish with butter or cooking spray and set aside. Preheat your oven to 350 F. Make 4 cups of bread croutons by cutting and pulling apart the bread into tiny pieces. Place them in a large bowl.
2. Chop ½ cup of celery, 1 cup of red onion and 1½ cups baby bella mushrooms into tiny pieces separately. Set aside.
3. Chop 1 medium-large Anjou pear into tiny pieces, mince 5 large garlic cloves, and remove 1 tbsp. of thyme from its stems. Set aside.
4. Add 2 tbsp. of butter to the pan and sauté mushrooms until brown. About 5 minutes. Make sure there’s some space between them so the liquid they release evaporates. Otherwise, they won’t brown nicely. When done, remove from pan. Set aside.
5. Add 2 more tbsp. of butter to the pan and add the celery, pear and red onion. Sauté for 5 minutes or until starting to brown. Then add minced garlic, stir and sauté for 1 more minute.
6. Add the mushrooms, thyme, and a sprinkle of garlic powder to the pan and stir. Cook for 1 more minute. Remove from heat.
7. In a small mixing bowl, add 1 large egg and beat. Then, add 1½ cups of chicken broth, 1 tsp. pepper and 1 tsp. of table salt.
8. Add all of the cooked fruit and vegetables to the large mixing bowl with the bread and egg-broth mixture. Mix thoroughly. Evenly distribute into the greased pyrex and bake for 1 hour.
If you’re using the stuffing to stuff a turkey, chicken, duck or Cornish game hen, make sure to leave some to serve on the side!
Common Questions
Not for this recipe. Store-bought croutons are far too dry and already seasoned. They won’t absorb the broth like fresh/semi-stale bread and when combined with the other ingredients, the recipe will be far too salty and over-seasoned.
This recipe calls for semolina, which works fantastically, but you can also use a traditional baguette, focaccia or ciabatta.
Nope! As long as you cut your bread and make your “croutons” first, before preparing your other ingredients, they’ll be just stale enough to be perfect by the time you mix everything together.
Once it’s been baked, cover with cellophane or tin foil and refrigerate. To reheat, uncover and bake at 325 F. for 20 minutes.
It will last for 7 days in the fridge in a container with a lid or covered with cellophane.
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Homemade Thanksgiving Stuffing with Anjou Pear and Mushroom
Equipment
- cutting board & sharp knife
- sauté pan
- large mixing bowl
- small mixing bowl
- 8” x 8” pyrex baking dish
Ingredients
- 4 cups semolina bread croutons – bread ripped into small pieces
- 1 cup red onion – 2 to 3 chopped
- 1 pear – medium to large
- ½ cup celery – chopped
- 1½ cup baby bella mushrooms – chopped
- 5 garlic cloves – minced
- 1 egg – large
- 4 tbsp. butter – and a little to grease your pyrex
- 1 tbsp. thyme – fresh
- 1 tsp. salt
- 1 tsp. pepper
- Garlic powder – just a sprinkle
- 1½ cups chicken broth
Instructions
- Grease an 8” x 8” pyrex baking dish with butter or cooking spray and set aside. Preheat your oven to 350 F.
- Make 4 cups of bread croutons by cutting and pulling apart the bread into tiny pieces. Place them in a large bowl.
- Chop ½ cup of celery, 1 cup of red onion and 1½ cups baby bella mushrooms into tiny pieces separately. Set aside.
- Chop 1 medium-large Anjou pear into tiny pieces, mince 5 large garlic cloves, and remove 1 tbsp. of thyme from its stems. Set aside.
- Add 2 tbsp. of butter to the pan and sauté mushrooms until brown. About 5 minutes. Make sure there’s some space between them so the liquid they release evaporates. Otherwise they won’t brown nicely. When done, remove from pan. Set aside.
- Add 2 more tbsp. of butter to the pan and add the celery, pear and red onion. Sauté for 5 minutes or until starting to brown. Then add minced garlic, stir and sauté for 1 more minute.
- Add the mushrooms, thyme, and a sprinkle of garlic powder to the pan and stir. Cook for 1 more minute. Remove from heat.
- In a small mixing bowl, add 1 large egg and beat. Then, add 1½ cups of chicken broth, 1 tsp. pepper and 1 tsp. of table salt.
- Add all of the cooked fruit and vegetables to the large mixing bowl with the bread and egg-broth mixture. Mix throughly. Evenly distribute into the greased pyrex and bake for 1 hour.
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