Crock-Pot Stuffing

Make this year's Thanksgiving stuffing recipe in a Crock-Pot! This side has aromatic veggies, herbs, and dried bread cubes. It's easy and almost hands-free!

By Erin Merhar Published: Oct 8, 2021

Jump to Recipe

Yields:

8 - 10 serving(s)

Prep Time:

20 mins

Total Time:

2 hr 50 mins

Hector Manuel SanchezYields: 8 - 10 serving(s)Prep Time: 20 minsTotal Time: 2 hrs 50 minsSavePrintAll slow cooker recipes are an absolute life-saver, especially during the holidays. This year, free up a bit more oven space with this easy stuffing recipe. (Your Thanksgiving cooking schedule will thank you!) This stuffing starts on the stove with a quick sauté of aromatic vegetables, then finishes cooking in the slow cooker, leaving plenty of time and free hands to do things like baste the turkey and make the giblet gravy! There's a few secret ingredients in this Thanksgiving side dish that keeps it wonderfully moist. Bonus: you can hold it on warm for up to an hour and it won't dry out one bit.

Let's talk stuffing versus dressing: they are basically the same dish, but the difference is how they're cooked. If it's called stuffing, it should, technically, be stuffed inside the cavity of the turkey. Dressing, on the other hand, is baked in a casserole dish. However, people tend to use the names interchangeably, based on where they live. For example folks hailing from the Northeast and Pacific Northwest often say stuffing. Southerners and Midwesterns might call it "dressing" instead. And that doesn't change, whether it's stuffed inside the Thanksgiving turkey or not! You can call this recipe whichever you please—it's delicious either way.

This stuffing starts with the tried-and-true ingredients of many Thanksgiving recipes: onions, celery, garlic and mushrooms. Once the vegetables are cooked, whisk together chicken broth, cream of mushroom soup, egg and fresh herbs like rosemary, sage and parsley in the base of your slow cooker. This mixture infuses dried bread with moisture and savoriness, while the egg helps the stuffing to set up. Gently fold in the cooked vegetables, then cover and start cooking.

Ingredients

Directions

Step 1

In a large skillet, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the celery, onion, salt, and pepper and cook for 4 minutes. Add the mushrooms and garlic and cook for another 4 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove the vegetables from the heat.

Step 2

Meanwhile, in the base of a 6-quart slow cooker, whisk to combine the soup, broth, egg, parsley, rosemary, and sage. Add the bread and fold together until the cubes are well coated. Gently fold in the vegetable mixture.

Step 3

Cover and cook on high heat for 30 minutes. Then reduce the heat to low for 2 more hours. (Do not open or stir while cooking.) The top of the stuffing should be steaming and the temperature in the center should be around 160°F when finished cooking. Transfer to a serving bowl, or hold on warm heat in the slow cooker, covered, for up to 1 hour.