The BEST Challah Stuffing for Thanksgiving

Challah stuffing in a baking dish with a serving spoon.

The BEST Challah Stuffing for Thanksgiving

Baked in the oven, this Challah Stuffing is made from toasted challah with dried herbs, onion, celery, apples, and garlic. In addition to being a rich, buttery, sweet-and-savory side dish, it's the perfect combination of comfort and class for your holiday meal! It's a flavorful upgrade from your traditional recipe, and even better, you don't need to worry about stuffing it up a turkey's butt!

Course Side Dish

Cuisine American

Diet Kosher, Low Fat, Low Lactose, Low Salt, Vegetarian

Prep Time 1 20

Cook Time 40

Total Time 2

Servings servings

Calories 506kcal

Author Alana Lieberman

Cost $15

Equipment

Ingredients

2 pounds challah bread *preferably day-old (brioche would work too)
¼ cup olive oil
5 teaspoons dried parsley, divided
3 ½ teaspoons dried ground sage, divided
2 ½ teaspoons kosher salt, divided
¾ teaspoon black pepper, divided
12 tablespoons (1 ½ sticks) unsalted butter
2 ½ cups diced yellow onion (about 1 onion)
2 cups diced celery (about 3 to 4 celery ribs)
2 ½ cups peeled and diced honey crisp apple (about 2 apples)
1 tablespoon minced garlic (about 4 garlic cloves)
¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
4 cups low sodium chicken broth or vegetable broth
4 large eggs

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Cut the challah into small, ½-inch cubes (similar in size to Stovetop Stuffing). Divide cubed challah in a single layer between 2 baking sheets. Over each tray of cubed bread, pour 2 tablespoons olive oil (¼ cup total), ½ teaspoon dried parsley (1 teaspoon total), ¼ teaspoon ground sage (½ teaspoon total), ½ teaspoon salt (1 teaspoon total), and ¼ teaspoon black pepper (½ teaspoon total). Gently toss with your hands to coat the bread.
Toast bread for about 22 to 25 minutes, stirring halfway through, until dried and crispy. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool.
Turn the oven up to 375 degrees F. Grease a 9x13 baking dish with nonstick spray.
In a large skillet, melt the butter over medium heat. Add onion, celery, apples, and garlic, along with the remaining 4 teaspoons dried parsley, 3 teaspoons ground sage, 1 ½ teaspoons salt, ¼ teaspoon black pepper, and ¼ teaspoon cinnamon. Stir to combine and cook for about 10 minutes, until the vegetables soften.
In a large measuring cup, measure the broth and add the eggs. Whisk until the eggs are beaten into the broth.
In a large bowl, add dried bread, cooked vegetables, and broth mixture. Stir to combine until the bread has softened and absorbed some of the liquid. You may need to work with half at a time, depending on the size of your largest bowl.
Pour into the prepared 9x13 dish. Bake for about 40 to 45 minutes, or until lightly browned and the eggs are no longer runny. Lightly cover with foil if the top starts to get too brown (I covered mine about halfway).

Notes

Letting the cubed bread sit out on your counter, uncovered, overnight helps it dry out. If I have the time, I like to dice the challah and place it on the baking sheets the night before. Then I’ll toast it in the oven the next day.
To prep ahead: Just cook the vegetables on the stove, toast the bread, and keep everything stored separately (with the veggies in the fridge and the challah on the counter) until you are ready to make. Then, before serving, just mix everything with the broth and eggs, scoop into a baking dish, and bake until golden!
If you can't get challah, brioche bread would work too!

Nutrition