Simple Dressing

½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, plus more for baking dish

1 pound good quality day-old white bread, torn into 1-inch pieces (about 10 cups)

2½ cups chopped yellow onions

1½ cups ¼-inch slices celery

½ cup chopped fresh flat leaf parsley

2 tablespoons chopped fresh sage

1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary

1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme

2 teaspoons kosher salt

1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

2½ to 4 cups low-sodium chicken broth, divided

2 large eggs

Preheat oven to 250 degrees. Butter a 9x13x2-inch baking dish and set aside. Scatter in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet. Bake, stirring occasionally, until dried out, about 1 hour. Let cool; transfer to a very large bowl.

Meanwhile, melt ¾ cup butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat; add onions and celery. Stir often until just beginning to brown, about 10 minutes. Add to bowl with bread; stir in herbs, salt and pepper. Drizzle in 1¼ cups broth and toss gently. Let cool.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Whisk 1¼ cups broth and eggs in a small bowl. Add to bread mixture; fold gently until thoroughly combined. Transfer to prepared dish, cover with foil, and bake until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the center of dressing registers 160 degrees, about 40 minutes.

Continue to bake dressing, uncovered, until set and top is browned and crisp, 40-45 minutes longer.

Dressing can be baked (before browning) 1 day ahead. Uncover and let cool, then cover and chill. Uncover and bake until the top is browned and crisp, 50-60 minutes.

Penny Kazmier