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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Pastrami and Rye Stuffing

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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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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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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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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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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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Chestnut Stuffing with Fennel

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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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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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Sausage-and-Bread Stuffing

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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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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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Cornbread Stuffing with Country Sausage

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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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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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Cornbread Stuffing with Bacon and Greens

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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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Shiitake Mushroom and Fresh Herb Stuffing

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

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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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Sausage-and-Apple Stuffing Bites

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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

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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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