Bread Stuffing

By Mark Bittman

Bread Stuffing
Melina Hammer for The New York Times
Total Time
1 hour
Rating
4(1,702)
Comments
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Mark Bittman writes that this bread stuffing, based on a James Beard recipe, has been a staple on his Thanksgiving table for decades. First you make fresh bread crumbs: just whiz a few cups of slightly stale cubes of decent bread (crust and all, unless it’s super-hard) in a food processor. Keep the crumbs very, very coarse. Cook them with plenty of butter (yes, you can use olive oil) and good seasonings. Baked in a pan, this is delicious, with or without gravy. You could use it to stuff the turkey if you’d like — but once you've tried it cooked on its own, you won't look back.

Featured in: To Stuff or Dress the Bird? James Beard Had It Covered

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Ingredients

Yield:6 to 8 cups, enough for a 12-pound bird
  • ½pound (2 sticks) butter
  • 1cup chopped onion
  • ½cup pine nuts or chopped walnuts
  • 6 to 8cups coarse fresh bread crumbs (see tip)
  • 1tablespoon minced fresh tarragon or sage leaves, or 1 teaspoon dried tarragon or sage, crumbled
  • Salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • ½cup chopped scallions
  • ½cup chopped fresh parsley leaves
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (10 servings)

284 calories; 24 grams fat; 12 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 7 grams monounsaturated fat; 3 grams polyunsaturated fat; 15 grams carbohydrates; 1 gram dietary fiber; 2 grams sugars; 4 grams protein; 182 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Melt butter over medium heat in a large, deep skillet, Dutch oven or casserole. Add onion and cook, stirring, until it softens, about 5 minutes. Add nuts and cook, stirring almost constantly, until they begin to brown, about 3 minutes.

  2. Step 2

    Add bread crumbs and tarragon or sage and toss to mix. Turn heat to low. Add salt, pepper and scallions. Toss again; taste and adjust seasoning if necessary. Add parsley and stir. Turn off heat. (You may prepare recipe in advance up to this point; refrigerate, well wrapped or in a covered container, for up to a day before proceeding.)

  3. Step 3

    Pack into chicken or turkey if you like before roasting, or roast in an ovenproof glass or enameled casserole for about 45 minutes, at 350 to 400 degrees; you can bake this dish next to the bird, if you like. (Or you can cook it up to 3 days in advance and warm it up right before dinner.)

Tip
  • To make the bread crumbs, tear bread into chunks and put them in the container of a food processor; you may need to do this in batches. Pulse until you have coarse, irregular crumbs, no smaller than a pea and preferably larger.

Ratings

4 out of 5
1,702 user ratings
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Comments

shana

I made this twice. The first time I followed the directions exactly and it came out very dry, and burnt. The second time I added minced celery to the onion sautee and about a cup of broth with the scallions at the end. I covered with foil and cooked for 20 mins, then took the foil off for another 15mins. Turned out much more moist but with some crunch and still very flavorful.

CK

I persisted and the results for the 2nd time around make this is my favorite stuffing ever! My modifications based on comments here and elsewhere: -only 1 stick (and a couple tbs) butter -add chopped celery, carrots, and apple to sautéed shallots -2 types of baguette, 8-9 cups (soft, dried, and chopped in different sizes) -1 cup homemade (veg) broth (at this point I wanted to gobble up the stuffing from the pot!) -bake covered for 20 minutes, then uncovered for 20 minutes

KV

How far in advance can this be made

Rheta

I made this for the vegetarians in my family and they loved it! Did not use nuts bc of an allergy. Added a little vegetable broth. Fresh bread is key (bought mine the day before Tday) as well as fresh herbs. Mark never disappoints!

Michael Thaddeus

Crucial to understand that "fresh bread crumbs" means fragments of fresh bread, not toasted or dried out. I made it with toasted "bread crumbs" prepared as in Bittman's book "How to Cook Everything," and it was dry to a comical degree, and burned on the bottom and sides. Definitely use fresh bread without toasting. Some broth is probably a good idea too.

T Cohen

This was the best- glad I read the notes and had accurate expectations. I added chopped parsnips, apple, carrot, and celery to the onion, walnuts, herbs, and scallions. I'll never use a different recipe again than this!

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