Tender buttered leeks, sourdough bread cubes, and an herby chicken stock, simple ingredients come together to make Leek and Sourdough Stuffing. This holiday side dish may be simple, but this buttered stuffing with celery and leeks is a great way to use up day old bread and make a stuffing recipe that is unique and everyone will love!
Now I am not one to turn my nose up at boxed stuffing. I know, I know, a homemade thanksgiving stuffing recipe is delicious (trust me, my grandma's is amazing!). But Stouffer's box stuffing is so easy and sometimes you need that on Thanksgiving day.
However, if you do have a little extra time, this homemade recipe is what you want to go for. The leeks give you a nice, light onion flavor, and a soft texture. The sourdough gives just a hint of tang without being too much. This leek stuffing recipe is not difficult, but will make your holiday table a bit more special.
Serve this stuffing alongside the best (seriously) herb buttered turkey, instant pot mashed potatoes, and savory mashed sweet potatoes.
Ingredient Notes
- Bread: I like a rustic, crusty bread that holds up well to being soaked in liquid. My suggestion is cubed sourdough bread, that has been dried out. Try this recipe for rustic sourdough bread.
- Sliced leeks: Both the pale green parts and white parts. For more leek recipes, try out this French Leek Soup or this Cheesy Leek and Potato Au Gratin which is a deliciously creamy and cheesy potato dish.
- Butter: Butter works best here rather than oil, because of the rich taste it gives.
- Dried sage and dried thyme: These are both classic seasonings for stuffing, poultry seasoning or herbs de provence could be used as a substitute.
- Chicken stock: Use a quality store bought chicken stock or homemade stock like this slow cooker bone broth.
For full ingredient list and amounts, see recipe card below.
How to make Leek and Sourdough Stuffing
Step 1. Slice sourdough bread into bite-sized cubes. Dry out bread cubes on the counter for 24 hours or in the oven at 300° for about 20 minutes.
Step 2. In a large skillet over medium heat melt butter and add onions, leeks, and celery.
Step 3. Sauté until soft, about five minutes.
Step 4. Add chicken stock, sage, thyme, and salt and pepper.
Step 5. Stir and add in cubed dry bread.
Step 6. Stir to coat the bread with the liquid. Cover for five minutes until all the liquid is absorbed and the bread is soft.
Recipe Tips
- As far as the best bread for stuffing, you have options. A loaf of sourdough bread is a great option, as the texture is good and it dries out well when making homemade bread cubes. You may find sourdough bread too tangy for your tastes. In which case, feel free to substitute in french bread for this leek stuffing recipe.
- When making stuffing, try to avoid whole wheat bread or a bread with a lot of seeds and nuts, as it will overpower the flavors of the stuffing.
- If you find your stuffing is mushy, there are a few ways to remedy that. If you have more bread cubes available, stir them in and cover the warm stuffing to allow the moisture to soften the new pieces of bread. This should hopefully help absorb some of the excess moisture and improve the texture of the stuffing. If you don't have extra bread available, you can try spreading the stuffing out on a baking sheet and baking it as 300 degrees, to dry it out a bit. The goal isn't to cook it, but just to have some of the liquid evaporate.
- If the stuffing is too dry, simply add warm stock a little bit at a time until you reach your desired texture.
Can you use this buttered leeks stuffing to stuff a turkey?
This stuffing would be great flavorwise to use as a turkey stuffing. The sage, thyme, leeks and celery would are all yummy thanksgiving flavors! A lot of people shy away from filling their turkey with stuffing because it can harbor bacteria or impact the cooking time and potentially cause a dry turkey. Do whatever you are comfortable with, but the flavor would be great!
If you would like an alternative to stuffing your turkey, try stuffing it with lemons, onions, and herbs, like I do for my Herb and Garlic Roast Turkey. I love this method, as it allows enough room for air to circulate, but it also flavors the turkey really well. The drippings that come along with it are delicious too and make a great turkey dripping gravy.
What to serve with leek stuffing?
Stuffing is generally eaten at a holiday meal or special occasions, but you can enjoy it whenever you would like! Some of my favorite dishes to serve with stuffing are Bone in Chicken Breast with Compound Butter Gravy, Air Fryer Turkey Tenderloin, Garlic and Herb Roast Turkey, and Cast Iron Pork Tenderloin with Shallot Cream Sauce.
Recipe FAQs
Yes, easily. You can substitute the chicken stock for vegetable stock to make this a vegetarian stuffing recipe.
Totally. Some people like to place their completed stuffing into a baking dish and finish it off in the oven. This gives in a nice golden brown top and soft, moist underneath. Place completed stuffing into a large baking dish and bake at 350 for 20 minutes.
This is an easy fix. Heat up a half cup of chicken stock and pour it over the finished stuffing, a little bit at a time until the liquid is absorbed and the sourdough stuffing has reached the texture you desire.
More Thanksgiving recipes
If you tried this Leek and Sourdough Stuffing or any other recipe on my website, please please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it goes in the comments below. I love to hear from you.
Leek and Sourdough Stuffing
Ingredients
- 4 cups sourdough bread that has been dried out and cubed
- 2 cups leeks pale green parts and white parts
- 4 tablespoon butter
- ¼ teaspoon sage
- ¼ teaspoon thyme
- 1 ½ cups chicken stock
- ½ onion diced
- 1 celery stalk diced
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Slice sourdough bread into bite-sized cubes. Dry out bread cubes on the counter for 24 hours or in the oven at 300° for about 20 minutes.
- In a large skillet over medium heat melt butter and add onions, leeks, and celery. Sauté until soft, about five minutes.
- Add chicken stock, sage, thyme, and salt and pepper. Stir and add in cubed dry bread. Stir to coat the bread with the liquid. Cover for five minutes until all the liquid is absorbed and the bread is soft.
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