The Best Vegetarian Herb Stuffing Recipe 2023

I used to hate stuffing; who wants to eat soggy bread? This vegetarian stuffing recipe is a total gamechanger. It is all about nailing the textures and letting a special herb shine: sage. Toasting the bread in this recipe transforms this Thanksgiving or Christmas side dish from something to pass over to something you can’t pass on!

When you toast the bread during prep to dry it out makes for way better stuffing than store-bought or too-crusty bread. By using a toasting method, you can make sandwich bread taste way better than that bakery sourdough from last week.

Thanksgiving/Christmas Day Pro-Tip:

Complete steps 1 & 2 of this recipe first thing in the day. Oven and cutting board real estate is precious, so when timing out your day, it is best to get this basic prep done ahead of time to make the most of your space. 

On herbs: the only herbs in the recipe are sage and parsley. While the sage is absolutely non-negotiable, feel free to add or mix up your own herbal concoctions to flavor this satisfying dish! If you have some amazing rosemary or thyme on hand to toss in – go for it! Note: if you are using dried herbs, they tend to be more resilient, so you will need about half of the quantities for the same level of flavor. (I really recommend fresh herbs for this dish.) No matter what you do, always trust your nose and taste buds to adjust this delightful dish to your fancy or pantry!

Dressing or stuffing?

I wound up preparing this vegetarian stuffing dish as a dressing, which is to say that this recipe was not prepared and then stuffed into the bird. I think this works really well as a dressing because the additional moisture from steaming the turkey with the stuffing inside would make it too soggy. If you plan on consuming this as a STUFFING (goes in the bird) instead of a DRESSING (follow instructions as is and don’t put it in the bird), half the stock in the recipe.

Did you say vegetarian stuffing? When you prepare this as dressing, you can use veggie stock to have a winning side dish all of your guests can enjoy!

Where’s the meat?

Feel free to use your own turkey stock and some choices delectable bits of dark meat by cooking your turkey first, then adding the stock along with the recipe and stirring in turkey morsels to the dressing during step 10. Remember that the dressing takes about an hour to bake when planning your timetable if you want to use the extra turkey method.

Alternatively, be a time saver and use whatever stock you have on hand and top the cooked dressing with the dark meat when you are ready to eat Thanksgiving dinner. As a meat lover, I didn’t mind having the turkey next to me instead of baked in this stunning dish!

Looking for a festive drink to make alongside your stuffing? Check out my Apple Cider Sangria recipe!

Equipment:

1 oven pan lined with foil (simplify clean up)

1 Dutch oven or cast-iron skillet

1 wooden spoon

1 whisk

Aluminum foil

Ingredients:

2 loaves of sandwich bread or leftover soft loaf bread cut into ¾-in diced pieces

½ stick of butter

1 large onion 

4 stalks of celery

2 cloves garlic

¼  cup minced fresh sage leaves

Salt & pepper to taste

4 cups of stock (vegetarian, low-sodium chicken, turkey, or bouillon cube)

2 large eggs

¼  cup parsley

Directions:

1. Spread the cubed bread evenly on the foil-lined oven pan. Toast the cubed bread at 300 degrees until it is completely dry (like a crunchy crouton) for about 40 minutes. Stir every 10 minutes for even cooking.
2. Finely chop or mince all vegetables and herbs (onion, celery, sage, parsley).
3. On medium heat on the stovetop, melt butter in Dutch oven. 
4. Add garlic and stir for 1 minute. 
5. Add onion and stir until onion is sweating (about 4 minutes).
6. Add celery and stir until it is cooked (about 5 minutes). Season with salt and pepper.
7. Add 2 cups of stock.
8. In a separate bowl, whisk together the remaining 2 cups of stock, eggs, and herbs.
9. Turn off the heat on the stove. Add the wet ingredients to the Dutch oven. Stir until evenly coating, careful not to scramble the eggs.
10. Add bread and evenly distribute all ingredients.
11. Cover in foil and cook at 350 degrees for 45 minutes.
12. Remove foil and cook for 15 to 20 more minutes.

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