21 Earthy Dressing and Stuffing Recipes (2024)

Whether you're a Thanksgiving stuffing traditionalist or need a new family side dish, Food & Wine's stuffing recipes are ideal for any holiday dinner. Find something vegetarian-friendly, quick and easy, or indulgently delicious (we're partial to bacon). From classic sausage-and-bread stuffing to upgrades that use tarragon, prosciutto, and cranberries, these Thanksgiving stuffing recipes will become family and friend favorites.

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Rustic Bread Stuffing with Swiss Chard and Chestnuts

21 Earthy Dressing and Stuffing Recipes (1)

Swiss chard lends a pleasant earthiness to this hearty vegetarian stuffing; meaty chestnuts add texture and richness.

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02of 21

Pastrami and Rye Stuffing

21 Earthy Dressing and Stuffing Recipes (2)

Earthy rye, smoky and meaty pastrami, sweet onions, and sharp mustard round out the layers of flavor in this deeply savory, deli-inspired stuffing.

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03of 21

Cheesy Scallion Stuffing with Sesame Seeds

21 Earthy Dressing and Stuffing Recipes (3)

Cookbook author Eric Kim prepares a sourdough-scallion casserole topped with a mixture of Parmesan cheese and toasted sesame seeds that evokes the sweet umami richness and slight crispness of Korean pajeon (pancakes). The combination of ingredients is well calibrated and delicious.

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04of 21

Sweet Onion Challah Stuffing

21 Earthy Dressing and Stuffing Recipes (4)

Baked in thin layer in a sheet pan, this nostalgic stuffing has plenty of deliciously crispy edges. The addition of orange juice adds a lightly sweet, floral flavor to this otherwise-traditional dish.

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05of 21

Cranberry-Walnut Stuffing

21 Earthy Dressing and Stuffing Recipes (5)

Tart cranberries and toasted walnuts add flavor and a crunch to this crowd-pleasing holiday side dish. Rustic hunks of toasted bread form the backbone of this stuffing; a buttery sauteed mixture of onion, celery, herbs, and cooked sausage fills it out with rich flavor.

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06of 21

Mushroom-and-Chestnut Stuffing with Giblets

21 Earthy Dressing and Stuffing Recipes (6)

This rich and delicious make-ahead Mushroom-and-Chestnut Stuffing with Giblets from Anthony Bourdain gets flavor from fresh herbs. The dish also gets a boost from a super simple homemade stock made from turkey wings and necks. It's a definite crowd-pleaser.

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07of 21

Sourdough Stuffing with Sausage, Red Onion and Kale

21 Earthy Dressing and Stuffing Recipes (7)

Folding kale into this delicious and easy stuffing is a nice surprise, especially when you get crispy bites of it (as well as crunchy bits of sourdough) off the golden top.

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08of 21

Chestnut Stuffing with Fennel

21 Earthy Dressing and Stuffing Recipes (8)

When Suzanne Goin was a child, making stuffing for the holidays was one of her first forays into cooking. "My mom always used store-bought crumbs, and it became my job to doctor them up," says Goin. "I'd just raid the spice cabinet and the first batches were a little [wild]. But I figured out what I liked best." This chestnut-laced stuffing with pancetta and fennel is adapted from Sunday Suppers at Lucques. The crispy olive oil-soaked bread cubes on top are especially delectable.

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09of 21

Multigrain Bread Stuffing with Sausage and Herbs

21 Earthy Dressing and Stuffing Recipes (9)

This is the perfect stuffing — moist in the middle and crisp on the top. Two bonuses: It's made with healthful multigrain bread and can be assembled one day ahead.

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10of 21

Sausage-and-Bread Stuffing

21 Earthy Dressing and Stuffing Recipes (10)

Gary Vaynerchuk's mother, Tamara, makes Stove Top stuffing every Thanksgiving, and he proudly admits loving it. Its simplicity inspired this recipe by former F&W editor Grace Parisi. Using homemade turkey stock gives it a rich flavor ⁠— for a shortcut, use chicken broth instead.

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Bacon, Onion, and Rye Bread Stuffing

21 Earthy Dressing and Stuffing Recipes (11)

After tossing the ingredients and spreading them in a pan, Melissa Rubel Jacobson chills the stuffing for at least an hour before baking. This ensures that the bread soaks up the liquid — key to a stuffing that's crisp on top and moist within.

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12of 21

Smoky Chorizo Stuffing

21 Earthy Dressing and Stuffing Recipes (12)

Rather than traditional sausage stuffing, chef George Mendes of NYC's Aldea serves a smoky version using chorizo and hot pimentón de la Vera (smoked paprika).

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13of 21

Cornbread Stuffing with Country Sausage

21 Earthy Dressing and Stuffing Recipes (13)

Enrich traditional stuffing with country sausage and cornbread and add a kick with poblano chiles. This can be made two days in advance.

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14of 21

Mushroom, Sourdough, and Poblano Stuffing

21 Earthy Dressing and Stuffing Recipes (14)

F&W's Justin Chapple keeps the big day stress-free by baking his stuffing the day before and then reheating it just before serving. The trick to make-ahead Thanksgiving stuffing is adding a little stock before reheating it.

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15of 21

Cornbread Stuffing with Bacon and Greens

21 Earthy Dressing and Stuffing Recipes (15)

Chef David Tanis grew up in the Midwest, with rich corn bread stuffing for Thanksgiving. He tweaks his mother's recipe by adding a smoky element. "She'd roll over if she saw the bacon," he says. But it's not critical to the stuffing, which also gets savory flavor from hearty kale, so you can leave it out.

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16of 21

Shiitake Mushroom and Fresh Herb Stuffing

21 Earthy Dressing and Stuffing Recipes (16)

Tender and browned mushrooms add an earthiness alongside sage and thyme in this golden side dish.

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17of 21

Whole-Grain Stuffing with Mustard Greens, Mushrooms, and Fontina

21 Earthy Dressing and Stuffing Recipes (17)

This wonderfully hearty stuffing can double as a vegetarian main dish for Thanksgiving. Just substitute mushroom broth or water for the chicken stock.

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18of 21

Sausage-and-Apple Stuffing Bites

21 Earthy Dressing and Stuffing Recipes (18)

Since stuffing is one of the most popular parts of a Thanksgiving meal, try doing it as fun little hors d'oeuvre bites.

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19of 21

Sticky-Rice Dressing

21 Earthy Dressing and Stuffing Recipes (19)

Joanne Chang says, "A Chinese meal isn't complete without rice; Thanksgiving isn't complete without stuffing. This sticky-rice dressing combines the best of both worlds." Chinese sausage makes the rice deliciously sweet and savory.

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20of 21

Spiced Lamb-and-Rice Dressing with Chickpeas

21 Earthy Dressing and Stuffing Recipes (20)

Instead of the more common bread-based dressing, Sam Mogannam's mother, Mariette, always serves turkey with this hearty, savory Palestinian stuffing, traditionally used as a filling for grape leaves or halved zucchini.

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21of 21

Pumpkin Seed Bread Salad

21 Earthy Dressing and Stuffing Recipes (21)

Combine crusty country Italian bread with timely pumpkin seeds and sherry for a rich, warm bread salad.

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21 Earthy Dressing and Stuffing Recipes (2024)

FAQs

Should eggs go in stuffing? ›

Eggs: Two lightly beaten eggs help hold the dressing together and add moisture. Water: You can add a few tablespoons of water, if you'd like, to achieve your desired consistency. Seasonings: This turkey dressing recipe is seasoned with salt, pepper, rubbed sage, and garlic powder.

What bread is best for stuffing? ›

I love using sourdough bread, but really any neutral bread will work fine. White sandwich bread from the grocery store is the most common choice, and it works perfectly here!

What is the difference between cornbread dressing and stuffing? ›

"Stuffing is cooked in the cavity of the turkey, so the juices soak into the ingredients, making it more flavorful. Dressing gets cooked on its own and needs extra liquid to make it flavorful." So stuffing is cooked inside the bird. Dressing is cooked outside the bird, usually in a casserole dish.

What can I add to stuffing mix? ›

Mix in specialty flavors.

The sausage adds flavor and moisture to the stuffing when you cook it all together in the same pan. Some of my specialty stuffing recipes have sweet flavors mixed in to balance the savory dish like cubed apples, chopped figs, or dried raisins or craisins.

Why add eggs to dressing? ›

Should you add egg to stuffing or dressing? It's a matter of preference, but adding a beaten egg to your stuffing mixture acts as a binder and keeps the bread moist. Moisture is what holds all the ingredients together, rather than turning it into something resembling croutons and roasted vegetables.

What can you use as a binder instead of eggs in stuffing? ›

16 egg substitutes
  1. Mashed banana. Mashed banana can act as a binding agent when baking or making pancake batter. ...
  2. Applesauce. Applesauce can also act as a binding agent. ...
  3. Fruit puree. Fruit puree will help bind a recipe in a similar way to applesauce. ...
  4. Avocado. ...
  5. Gelatin. ...
  6. Xanthan gum. ...
  7. Vegetable oil and baking powder. ...
  8. Margarine.
Mar 30, 2021

Is it better to make stuffing with fresh or dry bread? ›

Any attempts to make stuffing with soft, fresh baked bread will result in a bread soup with a soggy texture. Follow this tip: Stale, dried-out bread makes the best stuffing.

Is it okay to make stuffing a day ahead of time? ›

Can you prepare stuffing ahead of time and reheat? YES! This stuffing is baked to golden perfection the day before the big meal. You store it in the fridge overnight and then simply warm it in the oven before dinner.

Is it better to toast or dry bread for stuffing? ›

The Best Bread for Stuffing Is Oven-Dried | Epicurious.

What do southerners call stuffing? ›

But for the Thanksgiving side dish in the South, the term dressing was adopted in place of stuffing, which was viewed as a crude term, during the Victorian era. Although dressing and stuffing are interchangeable terms, the signature ingredient of this Thanksgiving side dish in the South is cornbread.

Do Southerners eat stuffing or dressing? ›

This is down to a science: A 2015 survey conducted on behalf of the poultry company Butterball revealed that, regardless of how the dish was cooked, most of the country—including 100 percent of New Englanders—refers to the side as stuffing, while Southerners are devoted dressing fans.

What is the difference between stuffing and dressing black folks? ›

The stuffing mixture may be cooked separately and served as a side dish, in which case it may still be called 'stuffing', or in some regions, such as the Southern US, 'dressing'. This is from Wiki. Basically, everyone except a tiny percentage of Black people with family in Alabama calls it stuffing.

What is traditional stuffing made of? ›

Classic stuffing made with bread cubes, seasonings, and held together with chicken stock and eggs. A holiday staple!

What makes stuffing mushy? ›

You'll need day-old loaves to get stale so that the stuffing doesn't get too mushy. Don't cube that bread! Ragged, imperfect pieces of bread have more surface area; it's those nooks and crannies that give you good texture. Speaking of texture, that's what stuffing is all about--you want a mix of crispy and soft pieces.

How do you keep stuffing moist when baking? ›

Typically, baking the stuffing inside the bird helps keep the mixture moist. “I prefer stuffing (in the bird) to dressing (outside of the bird) because all those delicious drippings that come off the turkey gets absorbed right into the stuffing,” Bamford says.

How do you keep stuffing moist after cooking? ›

Add Butter and Broth Before Reheating

Often upon refrigeration, the stuffing will soak up any excess moisture and will appear drier than when originally served. Depending on the amount of stuffing you plan to reheat, drizzle a few tablespoons or up to 1/4 cup of chicken or turkey broth into the stuffing to moisten it.

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