My father-in-law always made his Thanksgiving stuffing from a bag of Pepperidge Farm. No apologies, no from-scratch bread cubes drying on the counter for two days. Just the blue bag, every year.

He was right. The herb-seasoned cubes are a great base: evenly dried, well seasoned and impossible to mess up. But on their own they can taste a little flat, like the stuffing is waiting for something.

So this year I kept his bag and gave it some help. Spicy and sweet chicken Italian sausage and a full pound of browned mushrooms for savory depth. Onion, celery and red pepper softened in butter. A big handful of fresh parsley and some lemon zest to wake it all up, and a splash of maple syrup to balance the spice. Everything gets bound with roasted chicken stock and two eggs, then baked covered until it’s soft inside and uncovered until the top turns golden and crunchy.

It still tastes like the stuffing you grew up with. It just tastes like somebody made it.

A Little Pepperidge Farm History

Pepperidge Farm started in a Connecticut kitchen. In the late 1930s, Margaret Rudkin began baking stone-ground whole wheat bread at her family’s farm in Fairfield, Connecticut, after her son’s doctor recommended he eat less processed food. The farm was already called Pepperidge Farm when the Rudkins moved there, and the name went on the bread. Her loaves sold so well that she outgrew her kitchen, then her garage, and opened her first factory in 1940. The company later grew into the cookies, crackers and stuffing mix that show up on so many Thanksgiving tables today.

Why This Works

• The bag does the hard part. Pepperidge Farm cubes are already dried and seasoned, so they soak up stock without turning to mush.
• Brown everything separately. Sausage first, then mushrooms in the same pan, then the vegetables. Each one gets real color instead of steaming in a crowded pan, and the browned bits carry over.
• Eggs in the stock. Two eggs whisked into the stock bind the stuffing so it scoops like a casserole instead of crumbling.
• Bright finish. Fresh parsley and lemon zest cut the richness; a little maple balances the salt and the spicy sausage.
• Covered, then uncovered. Foil keeps the inside moist; the last stretch uncovered gives you that crunchy golden top.

How to Make It

1. Start with the bag

Two bags of Pepperidge Farm Herb Seasoned Stuffing go into your biggest bowl. This is the part my father-in-law got right.

2. Brown the sausage

One spicy and one sweet chicken Italian sausage, casings off, broken up and browned. Set it aside and keep the pan.

3. Brown the mushrooms

A full pound of sliced mushrooms in the same pan. Let them cook until the liquid is gone and they turn golden.

4. Soften the vegetables

Onion, celery and red pepper in butter, seasoned with sage, oregano, poultry seasoning and a little smoked paprika.

5. Bind it

Whisk two eggs into about 2½ cups of warm chicken stock and pour it over the cubes with the parsley, lemon zest and maple. Then add everything from the pan and toss.

6. Bake

Spread it in a buttered 9×13 dish, dot the top with butter, and bake covered for 30 minutes, then uncovered for 20 until the top is golden and crunchy.

Stuffing Questions

How do you make boxed stuffing taste homemade?

Add fresh aromatics and protein: brown sausage and mushrooms, soften onion, celery and pepper in butter, and finish with fresh parsley and lemon zest. Bind it with good stock and eggs and bake it until the top is golden.

Should I put eggs in stuffing?

Eggs help bind the stuffing so it holds together when you scoop it. Two eggs for this batch is plenty. Make sure the center reaches 165°F.

Can I make Pepperidge Farm stuffing ahead of time?

Yes. Assemble it a day ahead, refrigerate it covered, and add about 15 minutes to the covered baking time.

Why is my stuffing soggy?

Too much liquid or not enough time uncovered. Add stock gradually until the cubes are just moist, and finish the bake uncovered so the top crisps.

Is there a gluten-free version?

Yes. Swap the bag for dried gluten-free bread cubes, or try my Gluten Free Thanksgiving Stuffing.

You Might Also Like

• Dry-Brined Thanksgiving Smoked Turkey
• How to Carve a Turkey
• Mac and Cheese 4 Ways: Which Milk Wins?
• Healthier Gluten-Free Green Bean Casserole

Does your family make stuffing from scratch or from the bag? Tell me in the comments.

The Recipe

Doctored Pepperidge Farm Stuffing

Print Pin

Pepperidge Farm herb-seasoned stuffing upgraded with spicy and sweet chicken Italian sausage, browned mushrooms, onion, celery and red pepper, fresh parsley, lemon zest and a touch of maple, bound with roasted chicken stock and eggs and baked until golden.

Prep25 minutes mins

Cook1 hour hr 15 minutes mins

Total1 hour hr 40 minutes mins

Servings12 servings

Scale

1x2x3x

Ingredients 

• ▢ 2 bags Pepperidge Farm Herb Seasoned Stuffing, 10 oz each
• ▢ 2 links chicken Italian sausage, 1 spicy and 1 sweet, casings removed
• ▢ 16 oz sliced mushrooms, 2 packages
• ▢ 1 large yellow onion, diced
• ▢ 3-4 ribs celery, diced
• ▢ 1 red bell pepper, diced
• ▢ 4 Tbsp butter, plus a few small pats for the top
• ▢ 1 tsp dried sage
• ▢ 1 tsp dried oregano
• ▢ 1 tsp poultry seasoning
• ▢ ½ tsp smoked paprika
• ▢ black pepper, to taste
• ▢ 2½ cups chicken stock, Better Than Bouillon Roasted Chicken Base stirred into hot water
• ▢ 2 large eggs
• ▢ 2 Tbsp maple syrup
• ▢ ½ cup fresh parsley, chopped
• ▢ ½ lemon, zested

Instructions 

• Heat the oven. Heat the oven to 350°F and butter a 9×13 baking dish.
• Brown the sausage. In a large skillet over medium-high heat, cook the sausage, breaking it into small pieces, until browned and cooked through. Move it to a plate.
• Brown the mushrooms. In the same pan, cook the mushrooms without stirring too much until their liquid cooks off and they turn golden, 8–10 minutes. Set them aside with the sausage.
• Cook the vegetables. Melt the butter in the pan and add the onion, celery and red pepper. Season with the sage, oregano, poultry seasoning, smoked paprika and pepper. Cook until soft, 8–10 minutes.
• Make the binder. Whisk the eggs into the warm (not hot) stock.
• Build the bowl. Pour the stuffing cubes into a large bowl. Add the parsley and lemon zest, pour the stock and egg mixture over, and drizzle in the maple syrup. Add the mushrooms, sausage and vegetables with all the butter from the pan. Toss gently until everything is evenly moistened. If you see dry cubes, add a little more stock.
• Bake. Spread the stuffing in the dish and dot the top with a few pats of butter. Cover with foil and bake 30 minutes, then uncover and bake 20 minutes more, until the top is golden and crunchy and the center reaches 165°F.

Recipe Notes

Taste before you salt. The stuffing mix, sausage and bouillon are all salty. Taste after tossing (before baking) and add salt only if it needs it.

Make ahead: assemble the day before, cover and refrigerate. Add about 15 minutes to the covered bake.

Bake it in a dish, not the bird. It cooks evenly and gets a crunchy top.

Gluten-free guests: swap the mix for gluten-free bread cubes dried in a 300°F oven for about 20 minutes, and add extra sage and poultry seasoning to make up for the seasoning in the bag. Check that your sausage and stock are gluten-free.