How to Create the Perfect Stuffing (2024)

If there’s one dinner where tradition reigns supreme, it’s Thanksgiving. For many of us, the dinner might as well be likened to a religious holiday, what with all the fuss about dishes, how they’re served, and who sits at the table (not to mention table seating). As much as we may fantasize about switching things up — even just a little — generally it’s easiest just to leave well enough alone. Mostly.

We may not be able to switch out the turkey — or the green-bean casserole or corn soufflé, dated as they may feel — but we can improve dishes a touch without the changes being too apparent to the eye. But as for flavor? Everyone’s taste buds will thank you.

Let’s talk stuffing.

Or call it dressing. The general idea of the dish is the same, even if regional names vary. It’s a Thanksgiving staple classically built around some sort of starch — bread mostly, but varieties can call for everything from rice to potatoes to other creative interpretations (I’ve seen recipes call for everything from cauliflower to beets and butternut squash). Toss the main ingredient with flavorings — typically vegetables, herbs, and spices — and baptize the creation with no shortage of liquid: stock, broth, gravy. Toss, then bake in the oven until done. Voilà!

Include what you will, or what the family recipe dictates: white bread, wheat bread, rye, sourdough — stale, toasted, or fresh. Or use no bread at all. Bacon or no bacon. Sausage or ground meat or mounds of vegetables. Broth or roux-based sauces. Mushrooms or not. Nuts — maybe? Curry powder … the variations are endless.

While some of us may not be able to play around with the ingredients in the family recipe, we can tweak things just a little to bring out the best in each component.

Let’s start with some almost universally held preferences about the perfect stuffing:

A great stuffing should be light and fluffy, and toasted — even a bit crusty — on top but tender inside. And definitely not soggy.
A great stuffing should be properly seasoned.
A great stuffing should have a variety of textures. Beyond flavor, texture really enhances the dish, giving it depth and personality in a pleasurable way. In chef talk, we call that “mouthfeel.” This can come from both the way it is cooked (think back to a great stuffing being both light and fluffy inside, and yet also crisp and toasty on top), as well as with the ingredients: tender bread and vegetables tossed with meaty bits of sausage and crunchy nuts or seeds.

Below, you’ll a few recipes drawing inspiration from classic stuffings and dressings: a classic bread-based homestyle stuffing with generous chunks of mild Italian sausage and cubes of ciabatta bread; a sweet cornbread stuffing with bacon, fresh herbs, and a touch of maple syrup; and a vegetarian wild-rice stuffing with two types of mushrooms.

Think about what makes a great stuffing for you, and then consider your family’s recipe to see where it can be nipped, tucked, and massaged to bring out the best in each component at your holiday table.

Fresh or stale bread

If you can, cut (or tear) bread in advance to give it time to dry out for a day or two. Alternatively, spread the pieces out on a rimmed baking sheet and toast. Dried bread will absorb more moisture and flavor. Stuffing, like other bread-based casserole-type dishes (bread pudding is another classic), started as a great way to make use of stale bread that no longer tastes good on its own. While you can use fresh bread, stale (or toasted) bread is preferred for these dishes as they are better at soaking up excess liquid, giving them richer flavor.

Moisture

Stuffings are moistened with some sort of liquid, usually one or a combination of these: stock (or broth), gravy, or fat (typically butter). A good rule of thumb is to combine all of your stuffing components together in a bowl before adding the liquid, then add just enough to moisten. You can always add more, but it’s impossible to remove if you’ve added too much. Too much moisture, and your stuffing will be soggy. Should your stuffing come out of the oven too dry, you can often add a little more liquid just out of the oven, giving the dish time to incorporate the added liquid. Additionally, have plenty of extra gravy on hand when serving dinner (you can never have too much gravy).

Taste as you go

Provided the ingredients are cooked or safe to consume, be sure to taste as you go, trying the recipe as each layer of flavoring is added. If you feel it needs a little something extra — crunch, perhaps, or seasoning — toss that in with the other ingredients in the bowl before baking. Stuffing is generally very forgiving, and that added attention will pay off at the dinner table.

To stuff, or not to stuff, the turkey

I never stuff, for safety reasons. Both the stuffing and the turkey must come to a safe temperature in the oven — 165 degrees — before they can be served. Remember: Even if the stuffing consists of cooked ingredients, by adding them to a raw bird, they must now also be cooked thoroughly, just like the bird. By the time the stuffing has come to a safe temperature, the turkey is well past 180 degrees, and overcooked. And not even gravy can save an overdry turkey, no matter how succulent the stuffing.

Make ahead

These stuffing recipes can be prepared up to a day in advance, placed in their baking dishes, and cooked the next day with little to no difference in flavor from those baked right after assembly — just give them a few extra minutes. In fact, the added time in the fridge gives the bread even more time to soak up moisture and soften slightly before cooking. If baking ahead, simply give the stuffing a few extra minutes to bake, or place under the broiler for a few moments for some beautiful coloring before parading before the guests.

Homestyle Stuffing with Italian Sausage and Ciabatta

Prep and cook time: 1 hour, 20 minutes. Yield: serves 8 to 10.

Ingredients

3 tablespoons olive oil
1 large onion, chopped (about 2 cups)
1 cup chopped celery
¼ teaspoon fennel seeds
Pinch chile flakes, optional
1 tablespoon minced garlic
½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, divided
1½ pounds fresh mild Italian sausage, casings removed
½ cup dry white wine
2 tablespoons chopped fresh oregano
1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme
1 pound stale cubed ciabatta or similar bread (about 9 cups)
2 to 3 cups turkey or chicken broth
Salt and pepper

Instructions

Heat the oven to 350 degrees.
In a large skillet heated over medium-high heat until hot, add the oil, then the onion and celery. Sauté the vegetables, stirring frequently until softened and lightly colored, 6 to 8 minutes. Stir in the fennel seeds, chile flakes, and garlic and cook until aromatic, about 1 minute. Remove from heat and place the vegetable mixture in a bowl.
In the same skillet, melt ¼ cup (½ stick) of butter over medium heat. Crumble the fresh sausage into the pan and cook, stirring until the sausage is lightly browned and cooked through, 4 to 6 minutes. Add back the vegetables and remaining butter, and increase the heat to medium-high. Stir the mixture together, cooking for a minute or two to melt the butter and marry the flavors.
Add the wine, stirring and scraping any flavorings from the bottom of the pan. Gently simmer the mixture for 2 to 3 minutes, then remove from heat. Stir in the fresh oregano and thyme.
In a large bowl, toss the cubed bread with the sausage and vegetable mixture, drizzling in just enough broth to moisten the mixture but not make it soggy. Taste and season as desired with salt and pepper.
Gently dollop the mixture into a 13-inch by 9-inch casserole or baking dish and bake until it’s warmed through and crusty and lightly browned on top, 30 to 45 minutes.

Note: From Noelle Carter.

Cornbread Stuffing with Maple and Smoked Bacon

Prep and bake time: 1½ hours. Yield: serves 8 to 10.

Ingredients

1½ pounds bacon, cut crosswise into ¼-inch strips
¾ cup (1½ sticks) butter, melted and divided
2 tablespoons olive oil
1½ cups corn, from about 2 medium cobs
2 onions, cut into ½-inch dice
2 teaspoons minced garlic
1½ teaspoons minced fresh rosemary
10 cups cubed cornbread, cut into 1-inch pieces, preferably stale
1¼ teaspoons salt, divided
Freshly ground black pepper
⅓ cup dry white wine
1 bunch green onions, thinly sliced crosswise
¼ cup maple syrup
2 to 3 cups chicken broth

Instructions

Heat the oven to 375 degrees.
In a large heavy-bottom skillet heated over medium-high heat, add the bacon and cook, stirring frequently until the fat is rendered and the bacon is crisp, 8 to 10 minutes, stirring frequently. Remove from heat, strain the bacon, and place it into a bowl. Pour out the grease and save for another use.
In the same pan, combine 2 tablespoons butter with the olive oil. Stir the corn and onions into the pan. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the corn is crisp-tender and the onions have softened and are translucent, about 5 minutes. Stir in the garlic and rosemary and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Stir in the white wine and cook, scraping any flavoring from the base of the pan, and cook until the wine has almost evaporated, 2 to 3 minutes. Stir back in the bacon, along with the remaining melted butter and the maple syrup, and 2 cups chicken broth, cooking just until the liquids are warmed through. Remove from heat.
In a large bowl, gently toss the cubed cornbread with the bacon and vegetable mixture, ½ teaspoon salt, and several grinds of pepper, adding additional broth if needed to keep the stuffing moist but not soggy.
Place the stuffing in a buttered 13-inch by 9-inch casserole or baking dish and place in the oven. Cover with foil and bake for 20 minutes, then remove the foil and continue to bake until the topping is lightly toasted, another 20 to 25 minutes. Remove and cool slightly before serving.

Note: From Noelle Carter.

Wild Rice and Mushroom Stuffing

Prep and cook time: 1½ hours. Yield: serves 8 to 10.

Ingredients

½ ounce dried porcini mushrooms
½ pound wild rice
Salt
1 bay leaf
2 tablespoons plus ½ cup (1 stick) butter, divided
1 onion, finely chopped
1 cup finely chopped celery (from 2 to 3 large ribs)
1 shallot, minced
Freshly ground black pepper
1½ pounds cremini or button mushrooms, thinly sliced
Pepper
½ teaspoon (1 clove) finely chopped garlic
⅓ cup dry white wine
1 tablespoon chopped fresh sage
¼ cup chopped fresh parsley
⅓ cup flour
3 cups half-and-half
Vegetable broth, if needed

Instructions

Rinse the dried porcini mushrooms well and soak in 1 cup of hot water until tender, 20 to 30 minutes. Drain and reserve the water. Chop up the porcinis and set aside.
Rinse the wild rice very well, then boil the rice, along with the bay leaf, according to the manufacturer’s directions, in salted water, using the reserved porcini water as some of the boiling water. Cook the rice until it just begins to “pop,” 40 to 50 minutes, and be careful not to overcook. Drain any excess water, and place the rice in a large bowl.
Heat the oven to 375 degrees.
In a large sauté pan heated over medium-high heat until hot, melt 1 tablespoon of the butter. Cook the onion, celery, and shallot just until the onion is translucent, about 6 minutes. Remove from heat, and season with ¼ teaspoon of salt and several grinds of black pepper. Toss the onions and celery with the rice, and set aside.
In the pan, melt 1 tablespoon butter, then add the cremini mushrooms. Sauté the mushrooms, stirring frequently, until cooked through and lightly browned, about 6 minutes. Stir in the garlic, then the wine, and cook, scraping any flavoring from the base of the pan. Continue to cook until the wine is absorbed by the mushrooms or evaporates, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from heat and toss the mushrooms, along with the fresh sage and parsley, with the rice mixture.
In a large saucepan, melt the remaining ½ cup butter over medium heat. Whisk in the flour to form a roux. Slowly add the half-and-half, whisking constantly to get rid of any lumps. Stir in the chopped porcinis, and bring the mixture to a very low simmer, whisking frequently, to form a mushroom sauce. Reduce the heat if needed and gently cook for 10 minutes to thicken.
Remove the sauce from the heat, and stir in with the rice mixture. Depending on how you like your stuffing, add vegetable broth as desired for a more moist dressing, but be careful not to add too much or it will become soggy. Taste and adjust the seasoning if desired.
Place the dressing in a buttered 13-inch by 9-inch casserole or baking dish and bake until bubbly and lightly toasted on top, about 30 minutes. Cool slightly, then toss the stuffing to fluff it before serving.

Note: From Noelle Carter.

Noelle Carter is a chef, food writer, and culinary consultant at Noelle Carter Food. She was the longtime test kitchen director and food writer at the Los Angeles Times and a contributor to The Splendid Table, a nationally syndicated radio program from American Public Media. A native Southern Californian, she also holds a degree in film from the University of Southern California. Follow Noelle on Twitter @noellecarter.

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