The Best Slow Cooker Stuffing

Thanksgiving at the yellow cottage. Year two. The attendance: twenty-six people — two more than last year, because Tee-Claude's family came this time (Mama insisted; Mama knows no stranger). The cottage creaked with the weight of everyone, and the table had to be extended with a folding table from the garage, and the kids ate on the porch because there was simply no more room inside, and it was PERFECT. It was chaos and noise and too much food and not enough chairs and four conversations happening at once in two languages, and it was exactly what Thanksgiving is supposed to be.

The turkey: smoked for five hours over pecan, brined for twelve (TWELVE, Mama), golden, moist, the kind of turkey that makes people say "this doesn't taste like turkey" as a compliment. Mama's gumbo: legendary as always, the subject of zero controversy this year because Claude has learned his lesson about okra. My bread pudding: three servings consumed by Pierre, who said nothing, which is Pierre's three-star review.

After dinner, the kids played football in the yard — Beaumonts vs. visitors, touch football that devolved into tackle within four plays because Beaumont children don't do "touch." Rémy, six years old and the smallest person on the field, scored a touchdown by running between everyone's legs, and the yard erupted, and he did a dance that I believe he learned from YouTube, and Danielle covered her face and laughed.

Mama and I sat on the porch while the football happened. She was quiet — the good quiet, the satisfied quiet. "The floor looks good," she said, meaning the repairs Pierre and I had done. "Oui, Mama." "The house is strong," she said, meaning something larger than the house. I put my hand on hers. She squeezed it. "C'est bon, bébé." It's good, baby. We sat there, mother and son, on the porch of the yellow cottage on Bayou Lafourche, with twenty-six people in the yard and gumbo on the stove and the sun going down in that way it does in November — slow, golden, generous with its final light — and it was good. It was good.

When you’re feeding twenty-six people out of a cottage kitchen with one oven — and that oven is already spoken for by a twelve-hour brined turkey and three pans of bread pudding — you learn real fast to let the slow cooker earn its keep. This stuffing has been on our Thanksgiving table both years at the yellow cottage now, quietly doing its job on the counter while the rest of us make noise. It’s herby and buttery and it doesn’t need me hovering, which means I get to sit on the porch with Mama and watch the sun go down instead.

Prep Time: 20 minutes | Cook Time: 3 hours | Total Time: 3 hours 20 minutes | Servings: 12

Ingredients

1 (14-ounce) bag seasoned stuffing cubes (such as Pepperidge Farm)
1 cup unsalted butter, melted
1 cup diced yellow onion
1 cup diced celery
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
1 tablespoon fresh sage, finely chopped (or 1 teaspoon dried)
1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves (or 1/2 teaspoon dried)
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste
2 1/2 cups chicken broth (or turkey broth if you have it)
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
Nonstick cooking spray

Instructions

Prep the slow cooker. Spray the inside of a 6-quart slow cooker generously with nonstick cooking spray. This prevents sticking and makes cleanup much easier.
Sauté the vegetables. In a large skillet over medium heat, melt 2 tablespoons of the butter. Add the onion and celery and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened and translucent, about 5 to 7 minutes. Add the garlic and cook 1 minute more. Remove from heat.
Combine the stuffing base. In a large bowl, toss the stuffing cubes with the remaining melted butter, the sautéed vegetables, parsley, sage, thyme, salt, and pepper until everything is well distributed.
Add the liquids. Pour the chicken broth and beaten eggs over the stuffing mixture. Stir gently until the bread cubes are evenly moistened — you want them damp but not soggy.
Transfer to the slow cooker. Spoon the mixture into the prepared slow cooker. Press down gently with the back of a spoon to create an even layer. Do not pack it too tightly.
Cook low and slow. Cover and cook on LOW for 3 to 4 hours or on HIGH for 1 1/2 to 2 hours, until the stuffing is set in the center and golden at the edges. Avoid lifting the lid during the first 2 hours.
Rest and serve. Turn off the slow cooker and let the stuffing rest with the lid slightly ajar for 10 to 15 minutes before serving. Fluff gently with a fork. Garnish with extra fresh parsley if desired.

Nutrition (per serving)

The Best Slow Cooker Stuffing — Because Twenty-Six People Need a Side That Makes Itself