Joanna Gaines' Homemade Thanksgiving Stuffing

You've set your Thanksgiving table like Joanna Gaines. Now what? Make the Empress of Waco's Thanksgiving stuffing recipe, of course.

Thankfully, she was kind enough to share her signature homemade stuffing recipe in a recent post in her Magnolia at Home blog. "One dish you can always count on to complement your Thanksgiving meal is stuffing. This recipe takes a little bit more time from start to finish, but trust us, it's worth the wait!" Gaines writes, noting that you can make the french bread and chicken broth from scratch or opt to go for store-bought versions. Vegetarian? Simply swap in vegetable broth for chicken broth.

So what makes this stuffing such a winner? "The texture of the toasted bread and the creaminess of the mixture makes this particular stuffing dish stand out," writes Joanna. We're also partial to the flavor notes from the addition of fresh thyme, sage, and parsley. Joanna's homemade stuffing also includes mushrooms for an added hit of savoriness, but those who are mushroom-averse can leave them out with no replacement. Scroll down for the full homemade stuffing recipe.

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Joanna Gaines' Homemade Stuffing Recipe

Makes 8-10 servings

Ingredients

• 16 oz loaf of french bread (get the homemade recipe card here)
• 2 sticks unsalted butter
• 2 tsp minced garlic
• 1 medium yellow onion diced
• 1 8oz package of whole mushrooms sliced in half
• 4 stalks celery diced
• 1 tbsp fresh thyme leaves
• 1 tbsp fresh sage leave chopped
• 1 tbsp ground poultry seasoning
• 1 tbsp salt
• 2 tsp coarse black pepper
• 3 cups chicken broth (2 cups for soup mixture + reserve one cup to pour over mixture until you bake) (get the homemade recipe card here)
• 2 cups heavy cream
• 1 tbsp flat leaf parsley for finished garnish

Directions

1. Tear bread into bite sized pieces, place on a baking sheet and toast in oven for 20-25 minutes at 350 degrees, tossing once.

2. In a large soup pot melt butter and add garlic. Then add onions and sauté until tender, about 3-4 minutes.

3. Add mushrooms and celery and sauté until mushrooms are tender, about 3-4 minutes. Celery will be a little firm.

4. Add thyme, sage, poultry seasoning, salt and pepper. Reduce heat.

5. Add chicken or vegetable broth and heavy cream and stir occasionally for 15 minutes.

6. Remove toasted bread from oven and toss into the pot until well coated.

7. Pour bread mixture into a 13×9 and 4" deep baking dish. Evenly pour one cup of chicken broth over dish until mixture is completely covered.

8. Put back in the oven and bake for 30-35 minutes at 375 degrees.

9. Top with extra thyme leaves and flat leaf parsley. Serve hot. Store leftovers in an airtight container for 3-5 days.

For the full post, visit the Magnolia at Home blog here. For more inspiration, check out our Thanksgiving dressing and stuffing recipes.