While there’s a time and place for more involved stuffings and dressings that call for sausage or bacon or walnuts or dried cranberries, there’s just as frequently a time for the classic, pulled back version that just focuses on the buttery, flavorful bread and sautéed veggies. It’s like the stovetop version we had growing up, but even better – though just as easy to make, so that’s a win! The thing that cuts time with the store-bought stuff is the dried, cubed bread, saving you the step of drying it out yourself…but taking the time to set the bread out so it has time to stale, then baking it to dry it out even further makes a huge difference.

Seriously. While you could make your bread cubes just as small, we like to make them nice and chunky, so we can sink our teeth into ‘em. And you want them as dry as possible so that they absorb the butter and chicken broth without getting mushy; no one wants mushy stuffing, so don’t skip this step! When you can add your own seasoning and cater things to you and your family’s tastes, you end up with a no-nonsense stuffing that’s got a ton of flavor and delivers every time. Make stuffing one less thing you have to worry about when you’re cooking for a crowd – this is our go-to!