Sensational Stuffing and Dressing Recipes for Thanksgiving

Stuffing (or dressing) is one of the most eagerly anticipated dishes on the Thanksgiving table. Here's a collection of our favorite recipes—all guaranteed to pair perfectly with a bird prepared using our easy and complete turkey tutorial and keep guests requesting seconds.

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Julia Gartland

When Americans gather on Thanksgiving, it's not just food we're eating and thanks we're giving; many of us are also enjoying a taste of tradition. As it turns out, we are creatures of habit, and one of the most beloved dishes on the Thanksgiving table is the reliable side dish known as dressing—or stuffing.

Have you ever wondered what the difference is? The origin of the two terms might seem pretty obvious: Stuffing is baked inside the bird and scooped onto our plates, while dressing is baked in a separate dish, right? In fact, whether you're baking it in or out of the turkey, the dish is almost always called dressing down South. And if you're in the Northeastern United States or parts of the Midwest, you're likely to hear it called stuffing, and that's true no matter how it's baked. Of course, over time many families move and recipes go with them, but the terms seem to be rooted in those regions.

Essentially, these are two words for the same thing: a savory mixture of bread, crackers, or grains tossed with vegetables and seasoned with herbs before being moistened and baked. Everything else depends on your preferences—and what region you're from. Additions to the dish, such as sausages, ham or bacon are popular nationwide, and mushrooms and root vegetables are, too. Oysters, fresh or smoked, and occasionally mussels, mixed with crackers, are served up and down the Eastern seaboard. Cracker stuffings and dressings were common in Colonial times. Nuts and fruit have always had a place in dressings and stuffings: Hazelnuts (known as filberts in the Northwest), and walnuts are delicious, and pecans are a real classic when paired with the crumbled cornbread that is essential to most Southern and Southwestern dressing recipes. Dried fruits and fresh, seasonal fruits such as apples and pears, add their tender texture and an element of sweetness.

So, choose from one of these satisfying recipes for your Thanksgiving table and say it your way: Whether you call it dressing or stuffing, everyone will agree it's a delicious slide.

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Sausage Pear Stuffing

Marcus Nilsson

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Sensational Stuffing and Dressing Recipes for Thanksgiving

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Sausage Pear Stuffing

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Dried-Fruit and Nut Cornbread Dressing

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Wild Mushroom, Leek, and Filbert Dressing

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Vegan Stuffing with Mushrooms and Leeks

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Test Kitchen's Favorite Stuffing

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Cornbread, Bacon, Leek, and Pecan Stuffing

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Smoked Oyster and Bacon Stuffing

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Chorizo-Almond Stuffing

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Herbed Cracker Stuffing

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Prune and Sausage Stuffing

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Mushroom and Walnut Stuffing

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Pecan Dressing

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Porcini, Chestnut, and Sausage Stuffing

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Cornbread and Sausage Stuffing

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Sourdough Stuffing with Apples, Acorn Squash, and Hazelnuts

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Oyster Brioche Stuffing

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Susan's Peach Stuffing

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Cornbread Stuffing with Pancetta and Scallions

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Wild Rice Stuffing

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