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More Sides
Bacon Stuffing
Bacon stuffing is hands down my favourite roast dinner side. I use crusty bread, crispy bacon, onion, herbs, and a splash of stock to bring it all together, then bake until golden on top and soft in the middle. It’s rich, savoury, and packed with flavour – the kind of dish that steals the spotlight from the main event. Whether I’m cooking for a Sunday roast or Christmas lunch, this stuffing is always the first thing people reach for. Comforting, classic, and full of flavour.
Ingredients
- 300g multigrain bread
- 150g unsmoked bacon, diced
- 1 onion, finely diced
- 1 tsp olive oil
- 25g salted butter
- 2 eggs
- 1/2 cup chicken stock or broth
- 1/2 tsp each of dried parsley, sage and thyme (or other herbs you love!)
- Salt and Pepper
Instructions
- Blitz the bread in a food processor for about 30 seconds to create a rough crumb. Tranfer to a large mixing bowl.
- Heat the olive oil in a smal skillet over medium heat, and then cook the onions for 5 minutes, or until soft and golden. Transfer the cooked onions to the mixing bowl.
- Next, cook the bacon in the same skillet for 5 minutes over medium heat, or until golden and crispy.
- Add the butter to the bacon, and stir through until melted. Transfer butter and bacon to the mixing bowl.
- Add the eggs, chicken stock, and herbs to the mixing bowl, and mix well with a wooden spoon.
- Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Transfer to an oven-proof dish.
- Cook on the bottom of the oven at the same time as your roast no hotter than 200C.
- After 1 hour, you can cover with foil and keep it in the oven for an additional 30 minutes. Or you can remove and serve immediatey.
Notes
- This stuffing recipe is designed to cook at the same time as your roast, for roasts with cooking times up to 90 minutes.
- Cooking it at the bottom of the oven means it heats through slowly, creating a perfectly moist, flavoursome stuffing, which still goes crispy and golden on top.
- This stuffing can be made in advance - to reheat, just pour over 1/4 cup of additional stock or broth, and then reheat in the bottom of the oven for 30 minutes.
What I Cook With
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Nutrition Information:
Yield:
6Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 339Total Fat: 17gSaturated Fat: 6gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 10gCholesterol: 98mgSodium: 798mgCarbohydrates: 26gFiber: 4gSugar: 5gProtein: 19g
Please note, this nutrition information is to be used as a guide only. Nutrition information isn’t always accurate.
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Bacon Stuffing Recipe for Roast Dinners
Why Bacon Stuffing Will Always Have My Heart
Let me tell you something very honest: I didn’t just like Christmas growing up. I absolutely adored it – still do.! And if I’m being really honest, I’d even say it’s one of the reasons I fled the sweaty Decembers of Australia and settled in Scotland. Christmas, in my mind, should always come with cold weather, knitted jumpers, and comforting food. Preferably while watching the snow fall gently from the window, mulled wine in hand, and at least one roast cooking in the oven. Which brings me to my favourite part of the festive meal: stuffing. More specifically, bacon stuffing. Because while roast meats and crispy potatoes get all the praise, I’ve always had a soft spot for the sides. And stuffing, for me, has always been the star of the show.
Growing up, I was my mum’s trusty right-hand man when it came to roast dinners, and stuffing was our shared ritual. She would whip up her signature version and stuff it into the cavity of the chicken, then roast the whole thing. Lovely, yes, but completely impractical. Because when there are five people at the table and only a chicken’s worth of stuffing to go around? Someone’s missing out! But never me haha. That’s when I started making my own versions as an adult. I ditched the cavity and went full loaf tin – because let’s be honest, we all want seconds. And thirds. And a bit to sneak later from the fridge.
This bacon stuffing recipe is the one I make when I want something a little extra special. It’s not fancy or fiddly. It’s just good. A twist on my mum’s classic, but with additions that make it more satisfying. Like using seeded or multigrain bread instead of plain white. It gives the stuffing texture and a lovely rustic vibe. And bacon – crispy, salty bacon. It lifts the whole thing! Plus, I pour over a little chicken stock before baking to keep it beautifully moist on the inside. The trick is to bake it on the very bottom of the oven, not on a shelf, but actually on the oven floor. The gentle heat works its magic and it can stay in for an hour or more without burning. Perfect if you’re juggling roast potatoes, parsnips, or whatever else your heart desires.
Traybake Over Tradition
I used to think the best stuffing was the one cooked inside the bird. That was the tradition! That’s what made it stuffing and not a casserole! But then I got older, moved into tiny rentals with dodgy ovens, and started cooking for more than two people – the maths just didn’t work. That’s when I had my stuffing epiphany. Make it in a loaf tin or baking dish. More room. More edges. More stuffing.
The other issue with cooking stuffing inside poultry is that it never quite gets that golden, crunchy top. You know, the bit everyone fights over. By making it in a baking dish, you get a glorious crust on top and soft, flavourful stuffing underneath. It’s the best of both worlds. And you can control how moist or crispy you want it, depending on how long you leave it in the oven and whether you cover it with foil or not.
Also, it’s just practical. I cook mine at the same time as the rest of the roast dinner. It slots neatly on the bottom of the oven and doesn’t take up precious shelf space. The gentle heat means it can stay in longer, which is ideal when you’re juggling roast veg and making gravy from scratch. You don’t need to fuss with basting or temperature checking. It’s the kind of set-it-and-forget-it dish that feels like a little kitchen miracle.
Stuffing Memories and New Traditions
I can’t make bacon stuffing without thinking of my mum. Her stuffing wasn’t anything fancy – no herbs you can’t pronounce, no artisanal bread. Just classic Aussie home cooking. But it was always good, and it always tasted like love. These days, I’ve taken those memories and made them my own. I love how cooking does that – you carry the flavours of your childhood but add in little touches that reflect your own tastes and experiences.
Like bacon. My mum didn’t use it in her stuffing, but once I started adding it, I never looked back. It adds saltiness and richness that pairs beautifully with roast chicken or turkey. And using multigrain or seeded bread? That’s a very me thing. I like the extra bite, the earthiness, the way it holds up when soaked in stock and baked until golden. And no, I’m not apologising for being the kind of person who insists on using a tray. It’s practical and delicious and gives you leftovers for stuffing sandwiches the next day.
Christmas in Scotland gave me a new way of looking at the holiday. The cold, the lights, the long nights. It makes the meal feel more special. More earned, somehow. And this stuffing is a big part of that for me – it’s not complicated, i’s not trying too hard. It just works, and it belongs on your Christmas table, tucked beside the turkey or nestled next to a nut roast. And it deserves to be the thing people go back for. Again and again.
Ingredients Breakdown
Let’s talk ingredients. This bacon stuffing keeps things straightforward but full of flavour. The base is a good-quality seeded or multigrain bread. I find it adds body and texture in a way that plain white bread just doesn’t. It soaks up all the stock but doesn’t go mushy. Next, bacon. I usually go for streaky, diced and crisped up in a pan beforehand. It adds that smoky savouriness that makes the stuffing feel indulgent. Then we’ve got the usual suspects: onion, sautéed gently until soft and sweet. A bit of butter, for richness and flavour. Herbs, of course. I tend to lean towards thyme and parsley, but I keep it flexible depending on what’s in the fridge.
The key is the stock. Chicken stock works best here as it brings everything together and gives the stuffing that beautiful, moist centre. Not soggy, not dry, just right. You’ll want enough to coat the bread without turning it into a soup. Once everything’s mixed, it goes straight into a baking dish, packed in tightly. I leave it uncovered for a good crust, but if I’m cooking it longer or prepping ahead, I’ll cover it with foil and remove it later to crisp up.
You could absolutely make this vegetarian by skipping the bacon and using veggie stock. But when it’s Christmas, and I want a stuffing that feels like a hug and a celebration all at once, it’s the bacon version every single time.
