A holiday classic made easy, this savory vegetable stuffing recipe is prepped in the crockpot. It’s rich, flavorful, loaded with veggies, and made with day-old sourdough bread!
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GUYS. Don’t finalize your Thanksgiving menus just yet!! Nope, not until you put this Slow Cooker Vegetable Stuffing on there!!
I have to admit, I was never really much of a stuffing gal. I mean, it’s perfectly fine, but not my favorite. But seeing that it was requested by some Veg World readers, I was willing to experiment with this classic holiday dish.
It seemed like the perfect recipe to “stuff” with veggies, after all. See what I did there?
Ha, I digress. Now, after making this veggie-loaded stuffing, I am proud to report that I have been converted to a STUFFING LOVER!
Reasons to Love Slow Cooker Vegetable Stuffing
Here’s why I have a newfound interest in stuffing…but not just any stuffing…this recipe in particular!
- It’s a CROCKPOT stuffing recipe. Which means it can help you free up some much needed oven space on Thanksgiving, Christmas, or any other holiday.
- This bad boy has FIVE veggies in there, including some finely chopped kale that adds beautiful color and extra flavor.
- It uses a loaf of sourdough bread, instead of store-bought bread cubes. I have nothing against packaged stuffing mix, but if you can make your own, it makes a big difference in taste!
Pssst…this isn’t my only sourdough + veggie recipe! Check out my Sourdough Breakfast Strata with Kale for another holiday dish.
How to Make Vegetable Stuffing
First, you need to get your bread right. You want it to be stale and noticeably old, but not rock hard.
The easiest way to do this is to buy a loaf of sourdough bread the day before and let it sit out on the counter. For even better results, slice it up into cubes before you let it dry out overnight.
If you don’t have time to do this, you can spread the bread cubes on baking sheets and toast in the oven at 300 degrees F for 20-30 minutes. Easy peasy.
Next, dice your veggies and cook them for a few minutes in a whole bunch of melted butter (YUM) in a skillet. Then add a layer of bread cubes, followed by a layer of veggies, to the crockpot. And so on and so forth until it’s all in there.
Whisk together the eggs, broth, and seasonings and pour over the bread and veggies. Let the vegetable stuffing cook while you do other, more important things!
FAQs and Expert Tips for Vegetable Stuffing
- I found that large, roughly chopped bread pieces worked really well with this stuffing. You can slice the bread into whatever size you want, but bigger pieces are my preference!
- Add the broth slowly to make sure you’re not adding too much at first. I only needed 2 cups total for the recipe, especially since my slow cooker is fairly small. If you add too much, you can add another handful of bread cubes.
- To make vegan, skip the eggs and use a plant-based butter (like Earth Balance).
- Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-5 days and reheat in the microwave.
Can you make stuffing ahead of time and reheat?
Absolutely! However, since this is a slow cooker stuffing recipe, it’s actually easiest to make it the morning of Thanksgiving (or as close to dinner as possible) and just flip the slower cooker to “warm” after it’s finished cooking.
But if you want to make it a day in advance, you can prepare the whole recipe and transfer it to a baking dish. Cover with foil and store in the fridge. Keep it covered and reheat in a preheated oven for ~30 minutes or until it’s warmed through.
How do you keep slow cooker stuffing warm and moist?
As I noted, you can flip your slow cooker to the warm setting to keep vegetable stuffing hot until it’s time to eat. I found that the slow cooker actually helps to keep the stuffing moist too, but if you find that it’s drying out, periodically add some broth and stir.
If you prefer to make the top layer crispy, transfer to a baking dish and put it in the oven for ~10 minutes before serving.
More Veggie-Loaded Holiday Dishes
- Healthier Green Bean Casserole with Almonds
- Gluten Free Sweet Potato Casserole with Pecan Oatmeal Topping
- Low Sugar Cranberry Sauce with Parsnips
- Homemade Spiced Carrot Pie
- Vegan Mushroom and Cranberry Wild Rice Pilaf
- Healthy Tater Tot Casserole with Veggies
If you’re making this vegetable stuffing for Thanksgiving, you may also find this post on my menu and prep guide helpful!
I’d love to hear how you like this recipe! Rate/review using the stars on the recipe card or in the comments, and follow the Veg World on YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest. Looking for something totally different? Browse the recipe library.
📖 Recipe
Slow Cooker Vegetable Stuffing with Sourdough
Equipment
- cutting board and knife
- skillet
- mixing bowl and whisk
Ingredients
- 1 loaf sourdough bread - day-old/stale preferred; roughly chopped into ~1.5" cubes, ~10 cups total
- 1 cup butter - 2 sticks
- 1 yellow onion - diced
- 4 stalks celery - sliced
- 2 carrots - sliced
- 8 ounce white button mushrooms - sliced, ~2 cups
- 2 cups lacinato ("dinosaur") kale - stems removed and chopped
- 2 eggs - beaten
- 2 cups vegetable broth - more as needed to prevent drying out
- 2 teaspoon dried rosemary
- 1 teaspoon dried sage
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- ¾ teaspoon sea salt - use less if using salted butter or a high-sodium broth
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
Instructions
- For best results, purchase the loaf of bread the day before making this stuffing and let it sit out on the counter overnight. You can roughly chop or tear it into cubes (you want ~10 cups) and let it sit out in a bowl. If you do not do this, you can toast the cubes yourself. Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F and put the sourdough cubes on 2 baking sheets. Bake for 20-30 minutes, or until they are toasted/dried out but not rock hard.
- Prepare the onion, celery, carrots, mushrooms, and kale, and melt the sticks of butter in a large skillet. Add the veggies and let them cook for 5-7 minutes, or until slightly tender. While the veggies are cooking, whisk together the eggs, broth, rosemary, sage, thyme, salt, and pepper.
- Grease your slow cooker. Add a layer of sourdough cubes to the slow cooker, followed by large spoonfuls of veggies, and then the rest of the bread and veggies. Pour the egg mixture over the top and stir. Cover, set the slow cooker to low and cook for 3-4 hours or cook on high for ~2-3 hours.
- Check the stuffing periodically to see if it needs a dash of broth. I did not have issues with this, but every slow cooker is different. You can serve the finished stuffing right from the slow cooker, and can flip it to the "warm" setting while you're waiting to eat. Or you can transfer it to a baking dish, and put it in a preheated oven for a few minutes to make the top layer crispier, if desired.
Notes
- If you want to make this a day in advance, prepare the entire recipe and then transfer to a serving dish. Cover tightly with foil and store in the fridge. Reheat in a preheated oven for ~20-30 minutes, covered, until it’s warmed through. You may need to add more broth while it’s reheating.
- Large, roughly chopped bread pieces taste great in this stuffing.
- Add the broth slowly to make sure you don’t overdo it. I only needed 2 cups total. If you add too much, add another handful of bread cubes.
- To make vegan, skip the eggs and use a plant-based butter (like Earth Balance).
- Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-5 days.
Nutrition
Enjoy this wonderful, savory dish!
Lizzie
William J Strein
Hello there, I have not made this but all mt favorite ingredients are there and love the slow cooker
I may adjust some ingredients to my taste but I love the concept of sneaking in veggies.
Have a great holiday,
Bill
Lizzie Streit, MS, RDN
Hi Bill, thanks for the note and I hope you enjoy the recipe if you make it! Happy Holidays :-).
Michele
Are there carrots in the recipe? It looks like it from the picture but I don’t see it listed in the ingredient list? Going to make this for Thanksgiving! Thanks for sharing!
Lizzie Streit, MS, RDN
Hi Michele! Thank you so much for pointing this out. Looks like I forgot to add them to the ingredient list. It does include 2 large carrots (sliced). I will update the recipe card right now. I appreciate you alerting me to the mistake! Hope you enjoy this recipe :-). Happy Thanksgiving.