Whole Grain Classic Homemade Stuffing Recipe

This classic homemade stuffing recipe is a healthy take on the traditional. Featuring whole grain bread and olive oil, it’s even more delicious!

With Thanksgiving creeping ever nearer, we wanted to continue to share some holiday-related recipe ideas — though they can just as easily be enjoyed without the holiday as an excuse! For Alex and me, stuffing has always the highlight on the Thanksgiving table. It’s funny to think about mushy bread being something to write home about, but there’s something about the savoriness of the mush that can’t be beat. We’ve enjoyed everything from stuffing straight from the box, with those perfectly symmetrical cubes, to my grandparents version with giblets (which I always picked around).

How to make this classic homemade stuffing recipe

This year, we wanted to create a classic homemade stuffing recipe with a healthy twist. We wanted to redo our traditional family recipe without the gobs of butter and flimsy white bread! So for our classic homemade stuffing recipe, we used an artisan whole grain bread instead of the typical white typical white bread.

Instead of butter, we went for a healthy fat: olive oil! (This also makes it a plant based / vegan stuffing.) We also cut down on the fat quantity by compensating with bringing up the flavor of the celery and leeks. The entire classic homemade stuffing recipe has only 2 tablespoons olive oil. With reasonable portion sizes, it’s a good option for a healthy Thanksgiving table.

Do you have a favorite Thanksgiving treat? Or, if you’re not based in a country that celebrates this holiday, a favorite food for a holiday celebration meal?

It’s also a vegan stuffing recipe!

Now that vegan and plant-based eating has become more popular, there are more people asking us for vegan Thanksgiving recipes. This recipe is also a vegan stuffing recipe, since it’s made only with olive oil: no butter or other dairy! It’s a great choice for holidays since it can work for many diets around the table. For gluten-free, use the highest quality gluten-free bread you can find.

Looking for more Thanksgiving recipes?

This classic homemade stuffing recipe is one of our favorite Thanksgiving recipes. Here are a few more Thanksgiving recipes on A Couple Cooks:

• Pumpkin Sage Stuffed Shells
• Pumpkin Goat Cheese Baked Gnocchi
• Spaghetti Squash Mac & Cheese
• Roasted Cauliflower and Apples with Dill
• Pumpkin Pecan Parfaits
• Apple Pomegranate Galette
• Healthy Thanksgiving Side Dishes
• Instant Pot Thanksgiving Recipes
• Vegan Thanksgiving Recipes

This whole grain classic stuffing is…

Vegetarian, vegan, plant-based, and dairy-free.

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Whole Grain Classic Stuffing

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This classic homemade stuffing recipe is a healthy take on the traditional. Featuring whole grain bread and olive oil, it’s even more delicious!

• Author: Sonja Overhiser
• Prep Time: 25 minutes
• Cook Time: 45 minutes
• Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
• Yield: 8 1x
• Category: Side Dish
• Method: Baked
• Cuisine: American

Ingredients

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• 1 loaf artisan whole grain bread, cubed (9 to 10 cups)
• 1 large onion
• 3 stalks celery
• 2 leeks
• 2 tablespoons fresh sage leaves, chopped
• 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• Fresh ground black pepper
• 3 cups vegetable broth

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Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 375°F. Cut bread into cubes. Place on a baking sheet and bake for 15 to 25 minutes until browned and toasted, stirring and checking occasionally.
2. Meanwhile, dice the onion and celery.
3. Chop the leeks (watch the video!): Chop off the dark green stems and the root of the leeks, then slice them in half length-wise. Place each leek half cut-side down on the cutting board, then chop it into thin half-moon shapes. Rinse thoroughly in a colander to remove any dirt. Chop the sage and parsley.
4. In a skillet, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add celery, onion and leeks with a few pinches kosher salt; cook 6 to 8 minutes, stirring frequently, until tender. Remove from the heat and stir in the herbs.
5. Place the bread cubes and vegetables in a bowl, add 1 teaspoon kosher salt and a generous amount of fresh ground black pepper, and mix to combine.
6. Pour the mixture into a 9 x 13 baking dish and add 3 cups vegetable broth. Cover and bake for 20 minutes. Uncover, and bake for about 25 minutes, until browned.