Traditional Gluten Free Thanksgiving Stuffing. That’s right! I don’t know about you, but it doesn’t feel like Thanksgiving without stuffing. Just thinking about stuffing makes me feel all warm and fuzzy. The buttery seasonings and herbs coating little pieces of bread. A bit of crispiness on the outside and soft, flavorful bread in the center. Each bite brings me back to every Thanksgiving I’ve celebrated. Except for a few when I was first diagnosed with celiac and hadn’t figured out how to make a good gluten free Thanksgiving stuffing yet. But I try to forget about those years;-)
Making Traditional Gluten Free Thanksgiving Stuffing
This recipe is based off of the recipe my mom always used to make stuffing while I was growing up. My mom always used an easy to find, soft wheat sandwich bread. It was very absorbent and easily soaked up all of the seasonings and chicken stock without becoming pure mush. Anyone who has had a slice of gluten free bread knows that it will not react the same way to liquids.
Therefore, the most important thing to do to ensure that you have wonderful gluten free stuffing is to dry it out. I do this by simply cutting the bread into cubes, spreading it out on a baking sheet(s) and popping it into the oven on a low heat. They don’t need to be turned into toasted croutons, but definitely crisp to the touch. This can be done a day or two in advance and stored in a bag at room temp. I will often use the bread bag that the loaf came in to store it.
Give It Flavor!
These cubes of bread need flavor and we will get it by cooking up celery, onion and garlic in a bit of butter. Add the fresh herbs and a little salt and pepper to taste.
In a separate bowl, combine the eggs and chicken stock. The eggs are an important ingredient for gluten free stuffing because it will hold everything together. Gluten free bread has a tendency to crumble when wet instead of holding its cube form. The egg will keep this from happening as much and will add richness and flavor.
Bring it Together
Place the cubes of dry bread in a large bowl. Pour the onion & herb mixture on top and stir it to combine everything as well as possible. Then add in a little of the egg mixture at a time. The liquid will sink to the bottom of the bowl, so dig deep as you stir gently to incorporate the liquid into the bread as evenly as possible. Continue this until the mixture seems wet, but not dripping. You may not need all of the egg mixture. However, if you use all of the egg mixture and it still seems a bit dry, add more chicken stock until it becomes wet enough.
And Bake!
Transfer the mixture to a well greased baking dish. Drizzle the melted butter and garlic powder mixture on top. Then bake until it is heated through, browned and crisp on top. Remove from the oven and dig in!
More Gluten Free Deliciousness to Celebrate With
- Ginger Apple Pie
- Creamy Vegan Pumpkin Pie
- Gotta Have It! Cornbread Stuffing
- Boneless Thanksgiving Turkey
- Drunk as a Sailor Gravy
- Brined & Buttered Boneless Turkey
- Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes
- Browned Butter Mashed Sweet Potatoes
Traditional Gluten Free Thanksgiving Stuffing
Ingredients
- 18 ounce loaf of gluten free sandwich bread I use Canyon Bakehouse brand
- 4 tbsp butter or dairy free alternative For more butter flavor add up to 8 tbsp to the pan
- 1 cup celery small dice
- 1 heaping cup sweet onion small dice
- 3-4 tsp garlic finely chopped
- ⅓ cup fresh parsley finely chopped
- ¼ cup fresh sage leaves finely chopped
- 2 tbsp fresh thyme leaves pulled from tough stems
- 2 eggs
- 3 cups chicken stock or broth you can sub vegetable broth
- 1 tbsp chicken bouillon I use Better Than Bouillon Roasted Chicken Base
- salt and pepper to taste
Drizzle Topping:
- 4 tbsp butter
- 1 tsp garlic powder
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 275 degrees. Grease a 9 x 13 pan.
- Cut slices of bread into 1/2" to 1 " cubes. Spread cubes of bread out on dry baking sheets and toast in the oven for 30-40 minutes. They need to be dried out some, but don’t need to be as dry as croutons. The length of time in the oven will depend on how moist the bread is to begin with.
- In a saute pan over medium heat, melt the butter. Cook the onions and celery until they are slightly softened. Season with salt & pepper. Add the garlic and stir. Once it becomes fragrant, add the fresh herbs. Turn off the heat and stir it all to combine the ingredients evenly.
- In a medium bowl, mix your eggs, chicken bouillon and 2 cups of the chicken stock.
- Place your bread cubes in a very large bowl. Pour the onion and herb mixture over the bread cubes and stir to incorporate them.
- Begin slowly adding the egg mixture to the bread mixture. Make sure to get what is in the bottom of the bowl mixed to the top because the egg mixture will sink right to the bottom. Continue adding the egg mixture and go on to the additional chicken stock if needed. When the bread is softened and looks pretty wet, stop adding the egg/stock. You may not need all of it. Season with additional salt and pepper if your chicken stock is low in salt & mix through. Pour the bread mix into a greased 9 x 13 pan.
- Increase the heat on your oven to 350 degrees.
- In a small microwavable bowl, combine the butter & garlic powder. Heat for 30 seconds to a minute until the butter melts. Stir well and drizzle over the top of the stuffing mixture.
- Place the stuffing in the oven and bake for 30-40 minutes or until the center is fully cooked and it is browned on top. You may need to cover it with foil part way through baking to prevent it from over browning.