How To Make Thanksgiving Stuffing in a Slow Cooker

When it comes to Thanksgiving side dishes, stuffing (or dressing, if you prefer) ranks up there at the top of my list. Holiday dinner simply isn’t complete without it.

At its core, stuffing isn’t a tricky dish to make, and the homemade version really is far superior to the store bought stuff. That’s okay for a weeknight, but when it comes to Thanksgiving dinner, there’s no reason to cut corners here. You want a real stuffing recipe.

But that doesn’t mean it needs to be difficult. This version is delicious, pairing perfectly with turkey and mashed potatoes, but it saves you the stress of stovetop cooking or vying for oven space by using your Crock Pot or slow cooker.

This set-it-and-forget-it Crock Pot stuffing requires just a little room on the counter and a few hours. And what you get in return is a classic stuffing filled with homey flavors, and plenty of crispy, toasty edges.

Stuffing can take on many different iterations, so we thought it best to start with something basic and classic — a stuffing loaded with cubes of extra-dry bread, onion, celery, fresh herbs, chicken broth (or another broth or stock), and a couple eggs to bring it together. It feels homey and comforting, with plenty of savory flavors; exactly the kind of stuffing I grew up eating year after year.

But should you want something more in your stuffing — diced apple, dried fruit, chopped nuts, crumbled sausage — there’s room for that, too. This is just your starting point. Go ahead and add in all the delicious ingredients you grew up loving. Just remember that if you’re adding sausage or any other type of meat, it should be cooked before mixing it into the stuffing.

My favorite part of oven-baked stuffing is getting the crisp, crunchy, extra-toasty layer that blankets the top of the dish. And it seems like everyone in my family loves this layer — it’s a race to make sure we all get our share.

But I also love the soft pieces of well-seasoned bread soaked in stock and infused with flavor from the fresh herbs and seasoning. Really, I want a little bit of each on my plate.

And here is where slow-cooker stuffing does not disappoint: The mix and blend of textures, both crisp and toasty, and soft and squishy, is really well-balanced. While this version doesn’t yield a crunchy, toasted layer on top, that layer exists across the bottom and all around the sides of the slow-cooker bowl. Yes, you get even more crisp cubes of bread than you would when using the oven. And of course, the center of the bowl is packed with all the well-soaked, soft pieces. There’s something for everyone, and plenty of it.