Slow Cooker Herb Stuffing

Why is stuffing primarily a Thanksgiving dish? I mean, it uses up leftover bread (extra points for that, for sure) and is a truly delicious and filling side dish. I am totally an advocate of year-round stuffing. For Thanksgiving dinner this year, I was busy cooking other things, so I tossed all of this in the slow cooker (Stirring occasionally? I think I can handle that) and let it do its thing. This recipe was inspired by A Year of Slow Cooking & fills a 4-quart slow cooker. Enjoy & happy Thanksgiving!

Prep Time: 10-15 minutes
Cook Time: 2+ hours

Ingredients
One (1) loaf of your favorite bread -- I used a sourdough loaf, but this is up to you. I even saw someone use everything bagels for their stuffing this year & I look forward to trying this immediately.
Two (2) small cooking onions, chopped finely
One (1) Macintosh apple, chopped finely -- this is also an option. You can add cranberries, celery, carrots, whatever you'd like!
1/4 cup of unsalted butter, melted -- If you use vegan butter, this can be a completely vegan recipe
Three (3) cloves of garlic, minced
Two (2) cups of vegetable stock
Three (3) springs of rosemary, chopped finely**
Two (2) springs of thyme, chopped finely**
A small handful of sage leaves, chopped finely**
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions
Slice your bread into small 1/2-inch cubes. If the bread isn't already hard, put into the oven at 300F degrees and toast for 10 minutes.
Spoon the onions, apple, garlic, herbs, and melted butter into a large mixing bowl.
Toss the bread cubes into the mixing bowl and stir (or shake) until completely coated with onion mixture.
Place the uncooked stuffing into your slow cooker and pour 1 1/2 cups of vegetable stock over the stuffing.
Cook on high for two hours, stirring the mixture occasionally.
At around the one-hour mark, pour the rest of the vegetable stock into the slow cooker (this is up to you, depending on if you like moist stuffing or dry stuffing).
Serve warm and enjoy!

**Note - While I really enjoyed using fresh herbs, you can also use poultry seasoning, which has all of these herbs dried in it. If you decide to do that, completely omit the herbs and use one tablespoon of the poultry seasoning.