Note: I have updated this recipe since originally posting it. I’ve added sausage as an optional ingredient, reduced the amount of olive oil, and improved the cooking method slightly. I highly recommend the sausage, which gives the stuffing a wonderful savory flavor– but if you’d prefer to keep it vegetarian, it’s still a great stuffing without it.
When Thanksgiving rolls around, we expect certain foods to be on the buffet. Like stuffing. Or dressing. Dressing, or stuffing? A stuffing by any other name…
Some people say that it should be called dressing unless it’s cooked inside the bird. But in our family, it’s always been called stuffing, so that’s what I call it. I don’t actually stuff my turkey, though. I follow the Alton Brown school of thought; he stuffs the turkey with aromatics, because he feels that stuffing draws moisture out of the bird (making the meat drier). But everybody expects a little stuffing with their Thanksgiving meal, whether you’re stuffing a turkey or not, so I like to prepare a batch in the slow cooker. This frees up oven space and makes the holiday prep just a little less manic. Knowing that the stuffing is slowly cooking, filling the air with delicious herby aroma, gives me one less thing to worry about.
I make my Thanksgiving stuffing with the ultimate Jewish bread– challah! When cubed and toasted, this eggy bread becomes the perfect sponge for savory chicken broth and herbs. This Challah Slow Cooker Stuffing doesn’t need butter or margarine (and those unnecessary calories) to taste great. It has plenty of flavor and mouth-watering aroma from fresh herbs, a good quality chicken broth, and sautéed vegetables.
Think of this stuffing recipe as a base; you can add unique touches to make it your own. Some people integrate different spices, dried cranberries or roasted turkey giblets. This year I’m thinking about adding some kosher Merguez sausage to mine for a spicy kick!
Tip: If you want an extra savory flavor in the stuffing, omit the 1 tsp salt added with the broth. Instead, dissolve 1 tsp of chicken consomme powder (or a bouillon cube) into the broth before adding to the challah cubes. Taste the stuffing and season with additional salt at the end of cooking, if desired– chicken powder can be quite salty, so be sure to taste and season with care.
So what do you call it… stuffing? Dressing? Or both?
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Challah Slow Cooker Stuffing
Ingredients
- 12 ounces turkey or chicken sausage, ground or removed from casing (optional - omit for vegetarian or vegan)
- 1 large challah (about 1 ½ lbs - use a vegan challah for vegan)
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (or 6 tbsp if not using sausage)
- 1 large sweet yellow onion, chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 pound carrots, peeled and chopped
- 1 pound celery, peeled and chopped
- 1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
- 1 tablespoon fresh sage, chopped (or 1 ½ tsp dried sage)
- 1 tablespoon fresh marjoram, chopped (or 1 ½ tsp dried marjoram)
- 2 teaspoons fresh oregano, chopped (or 1 tsp dried oregano)
- 1 quart chicken broth (you probably will not need all of the broth, start with 2 1/2 cups per instructions below - substitute vegetable broth to make vegetarian or vegan)
- 1 pound sliced white mushrooms
- 2 large eggs, beaten (use 6 tbsp aquafaba for vegan)
- Salt and pepper
NOTES
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Cut the challah into ½ inch cubes. Spread the cubes out across two baking sheets. Place the trays in the oven for about 12 minutes, switching trays on racks halfway through cooking. The challah cubes should be toasted and slightly golden. Remove from oven and allow to cool.
- Heat 2 tbsp of olive oil in a large sauté pan over medium high. Add sausage to the pan and cook until browned. Transfer to a bowl using a slotted spoon and reserve for later. If you are not using sausage, see note at the end of this recipe.
- Add the onions, carrots and celery to the same pan and sauté for 5-6 minutes until softened and fragrant. Add garlic and sauté for an additional 2 minutes.
- Pour 2 ½ cups of chicken broth into the pan along with 1 tsp of salt and ½ tsp of black pepper. Remove from heat. Reserve remaining chicken broth.
- Heat the remaining 2 tbsp of olive oil in a clean skillet over medium high heat. Add sliced mushrooms to the skillet. Sauté for 10 minutes, until the mushrooms begin to brown and shrink in size. Remove from heat. You may need to cook the mushrooms in two batches depending on the size of your skillet.
- In a very large mixing bowl, combine challah cubes, sausage, vegetable/chicken broth mixture, mushrooms and herbs. Stir to blend all ingredients, making sure the challah cubes are evenly moistened. Add the beaten eggs to the mixture and stir until they are fully incorporated into the stuffing. The mixture may seem dry now, but wait to add more broth until it’s had a chance to cook—the liquid will slowly be absorbed by the bread.
- Spray the slow cooker with nonstick cooking spray; then pour in the challah mixture.Set slow cooker on high heat and cover the pot. Cook for 30 minutes. Remove the cover and stir to redistribute the liquid throughout the stuffing, then check the stuffing for dryness. If it still seems dry, drizzle a little more broth over the top of the stuffing and stir again. Return the lid and reduce heat to low.
- Let cook on low for 4 hours, checking and stirring every hour to make sure the stuffing isn’t too dry. If it is, add more broth—carefully, as it can easily go from the right texture to overly wet and mushy.After 4 hours, stir, taste, and add more salt or pepper, if desired. Switch to warm setting until ready to serve.
- Variation: If you prefer to make your stuffing without sausage, skip that step and begin by first sautéing the onions, carrots and celery in 6 tbsp of olive oil, then continue the recipe as written, omitting the sausage.
Nutrition
i am making stuffing and going to freeze and reheat. Should i add a little more broth when i reheat it. Which way should i reheat it, in slow cooker or oven. .
Hi Joyce, Tori’s assistant Ashley here. If you find that the stuffing has become dry when reheating, you can add more broth. It can be reheated in the slow cooker or the oven, but I recommend the slow cooker so that you can free up some oven space.
If I were to cook this in the oven, at what temperature, time, and would the recipe need any tweeks? My wife likes the crispier top. Thanks.
Hi Jeff, this recipe is developed specifically for the slow cooker. If you’re looking for a similar recipe with challah that bakes in the oven, I recommend this one: https://toriavey.com/toris-kitchen/savory-challah-stuffing/ You can omit the chestnuts if you like, and feel free to add the cooked sausage to the mix. Enjoy!
Can the Challah bread be frozen before making the dressing? And will it effect the consistancy because its been frozen?
Thank you,
Kim
Hi Kim, Tori’s assistant Ashley here. Yes, it’s fine to freeze the challah first.
Hello,
Your recipe sounds great…Should i freeze my bread cubs for later and make the dressing closer to the holiday or make it now and freeze.
I went last week to make Challah Bread.. Their was thousands of Jewish woman all over the world that night making bread. It was fun.. We mixed the dough, .brought it home and braided it and baked it.I live in Colorado.
Hi Joyce, Tori’s assistant Ashley here. Stuffing freezes quite well, so you can do this either way. Whichever works best for you.
Love this stuffing! I also added almonds and dried cranberries to it. I will definitely be making this again. ♡
Since there will only be two of us, and it looks like this recipe would serve 7 or so, can I half it or make the whole thing and freeze the left overs?
If I do cut it in half, would I adjust the cooking time?
Thanks and have a wonderful Thanksgiving.
Wonderful recipe, and have never thought of using a crock pot before, instead have always put in casserole dishes in the oven. I didn’t have time to make my own challah bread, so bought it at the bakery, and I omitted the sausage, opting for giblets instead, and it was amazing! I love the way it crusts all around the crock-pot edges and top, everyone loved it. This was printed, laminated and went right into my recipe box! When it’s just hubby, my 90 year old mom and I at home cooking a large chicken, I will be making this again, this time with the sausage. Very very good! Thanks
Fabulous Jan! We love it too <3
Could this be made the day before and warmed the day of?
Yum
It is amazing!!!!
Ive tried this recipe. It’s amazing!
Tori – Would the recipe work without the sausage?
Naomi- yes! The recipe notes that the sausage is optional. 🙂
Challah is what are family has always made the stuffing with…( Over 80 yearsI ) I can taste it as i am writing this…can’t wait till next week:)
This stuffing was unbelievable. All through the cooking process the smell of the herbs was just delicious. When I served it at our thanksgivukkuh dinner people were raving about my ‘turkey dish’. Not being an American crowd they aren’t used to turkey any more than they are to stuffing… but were shocked to discover that it was meat-free! (I opted out of using sausages simply because I forgot to buy any 🙂 )
I did a double recipe, which just-just fit into my slow-cooker, but it cooked like a dream and was simply yum!
I did a double recipe too, and somehow it all managed to disappear. This one is always a hit!
Made this yesterday, and it was fabulous! I toasted the challah and chopped everything on wednesday and put it all in the crockpot on Thanksgivukkah. I left out the mushrooms and used veggie broth because of a vegetarian in the fam. I think everyne liked it. All I know is my husband loved it! I don’t really like stuffing, and I loved it. Thanks for sharing this recipe.
Also, i sauteed the veggies and put them in the broth the day before. I did keep the herbs separate though.
I made it yesterday too– it is my favorite way to make stuffing now. I love that it frees up the oven for other things, and the results are consistently delish. The only trouble was I kept snacking on stuffing as we cooked, and I barely had room for dinner!
Love many of your recipes and your thoughts. As you share so much I would be pleased to share the secret ingredient in my stuffing, that is always a requested and crowd pleasing dish
always moist and delicious
I also have a few other additions that I alwayss add to you basics.
Grated apple, chopped pecans
Less carrot and celery
For years I have used challah. An d I Also mix breadss.
Optional additions. fruit. I have used craisins, Or chopped apricots, and yesterday I had dried cherries so chopped and used them. At thanksgiving I roast and add chestnuts
. Also have used waterchwstnuts they give great texture
As to cooking I have a heavy rectangular ceramic terrine. I use this. A loaf pan can be used. I bake this. For serving turn out you have a loaf that allows you to slice and serve, and makes a beautiful presentation Feel free to share these thoughts if you would like.
The zucchini suggestion was mad to me when I was a young newly we’d. In those days we still stuffed our birds. That was over 40 years ago. Once stuffing the bird went out of favor it took me several years to come up with the terrine I have to say over the yearsvitnhas been a great investment.
Enjoy
This looks so delicious! Can’t wait to try it out. Just wondering, have you ever sautéed the veggies a day before? I’m thinking of sticking them in the fridge with chicken broth to save time?
Hi Caitlyn, I haven’t but I actually might do that myself this year. I’m trying to cut down on prep the day of as much as possible. I don’t think it will be a problem at all. Good luck!
i will be trying this recipe for thanksgivukah!!! looking forward to it. 😀
I just made my first batch of dressing. I’ve always had dressing made from seasoned bread crumbs, so I think I’ll add the appropriate seasoning to my challah dough before baking next time. Today is our Thanksgiving pot luck at work, so I took advantage of the opportunity to do a test run! Truly homemade dressing – I made the challah AND chicken stock! Just not the sausage, although I’ve done that before. Looking forward to lunch – I have the crock pot on my desk so I can stir occasionally, and the smell is about to drive me nuts! It’s all I can do not to pick at it, like I would do at home.
I love that smell too!!
Hi Tori!
So I’m once again stalking this site daily, preparing for our community thanksgivukuh dinner. I’m so excited to try the recipes I’ve chosen so far (and I’ve been doing some trial-runs – those curry veg latkes, mmm!!). What do you suggest for doing larger amounts? I’m cooking for about 50 people, and though I was initially attracted to this slow-cooker stuffing recipe, I wonder if it’ll take too many batches in my crock-pot to be worth it. Should I rather go for an oven-baked version? And does this stuff keep well? I’d love to be able to do SOME things in advance, but for turkey and latkes that’s obviously out of the question…
Hi Batya, here’s an oven baked version if you prefer: https://toriavey.com/toris-kitchen/2010/11/savory-challah-stuffing/ I don’t recommend making stuffing ahead, in my experience it tastes so much better freshly cooked. Maybe you can borrow a slow cooker or two to have several batches going? That’s a big group you’ve got there!