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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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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11of 21

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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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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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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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

Why put eggs in stuffing? ›

Eggs add richness to the stuffing, and makes it cohere better.

What kind of bread is good for stuffing? ›

You can use almost any type of bread when you are making bread cubes for stuffing! Old French bread loaves, buns that weren't eaten, a few slices of bread from a homemade or store-bought loaf all work in this recipe. What is this? I believe stuffing, not turkey, is the crown jewel of an amazing Thanksgiving feast!

What's the difference between stuffing and homemade dressing? ›

"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 is traditional stuffing made of? ›

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

Is stuffing better with eggs? ›

The most important ingredient of stuffing may be the binder, which keeps all the other elements in place. For a fluffy texture, use eggs. Stock is the most-used binder. Less conventional possibilities include fruit juice (such as apple or orange) and alcohol (wine or liqueur).

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? ›

While you can use almost any bread — cornbread, bagels, or even frozen waffles — to make stuffing, it needs to be dried or “staled” first.

Should you toast bread before making stuffing? ›

We start by cubing our bread—for traditional recipes, we favor a simple white sandwich-style loaf—then toast it in the oven at a low 275°F for about 45 minutes, tossing it every now and then to help it dry evenly.

Does bread have to be dried for stuffing? ›

dry!" The reason for this is that stale or dry bread will hold up better after cooking and keep its texture even after adding your broth or liquid. If you use soft, fresh bread, you'll ultimately wind up with a soggy, mushy stuffing.

What makes stuffing unhealthy? ›

Stuffing is not strictly a healthy food, because it is typically high in calories, fat, sodium, and refined carbohydrates. 1 But that doesn't mean you can't enjoy it, All foods can fit into a healthy diet in moderation.

What are the three 3 kinds of dressing? ›

In Western culture, there are three basic types of salad dressing: Vinaigrette; Creamy dressings, usually based on mayonnaise or fermented milk products, such as yogurt, sour cream (crème fraîche, smetana), buttermilk; Cooked dressings, which resemble creamy dressings, but are usually thickened by adding egg yolks and ...

Why is stuffing called dressing in the South? ›

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.

What is British stuffing made of? ›

Stuffing consists of a mixture of savoury ingredients such as breadcrumbs, herbs, fruit, nuts, sausagemeat and onion which are bound together with egg or liquid to form a semi-solid mixture. It is usually cooked with roast meat such as chicken, pork or lamb and is served as an accompaniment to the sliced, cooked meat.

What is the difference between stuffing filling and dressing? ›

To understand the difference between the two, all you have to do is look at the cooking method. Stuffing is stuffed (literally) inside the cavity of the turkey, while dressing is roasted in a separate casserole dish.

How do you keep stuffing moist? ›

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.

Why use an egg as a thickener? ›

Creamy desserts such as crème brûlée also benefit from eggs' ability to emulsify and produce smooth, satiny, hom*ogeneous mixtures. Their ability to hold up to four times their weight in moisture makes eggs a good thickener for sauces, custards and curds. The proteins in eggs coagulate or set at different temperatures.

Why do we need to apply egg yolk in some dressing? ›

Egg yolks are especially recommended for their emulsifying and thickening properties in mayonnaise, salad dressings, ice cream, and baked goods, combined with their coloring properties.

Why add eggs to turkey stuffing reddit? ›

Some say it makes for fluffy texture but others say it increases density.

Why is egg yolk used in dressing? ›

Boiled egg yolks can thicken a dressing without breaking or clumping while creating a silky consistency that thoroughly coats your salad ingredients. Plus, the buttery richness of the yolk can help temper overly acidic or spiced dressings without muting them.

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