Holiday Stuffings and Dressings

To save time, you can substitute 3 pounds of store-bought plain or chile corn bread for the Country Corn Bread.

The combination of mushrooms and sausage in this fantastic gluten-free stuffing is super-savory and comforting, making it a great addition to any Thanksgiving table.

Using homemade turkey stock gives this stuffing a rich flavor, but for a shortcut, use chicken broth instead.

Chef John Besh says, “This is the only dish worthy of both Thanksgiving and Christmas dinner at our house.” Why? Because it’s unbelievably delicious—a bready dressing that’s spicy, crispy and nicely briny.

The stuffing can be assembled and refrigerated overnight. Bring to room temperature before baking.

This stuffing is slightly sweet and fragrant, with plenty of herbs. There’s no meat in it, so it’s a little bit lighter and fresher-tasting than stuffings made with sausage.

The shrimp and andouille sausage give this stuffing a Southern flair.

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

This recipe makes enough to stuff a turkey and fill a casserole. Use five cups for the cavity and the skin flap at the top of the breast, then cook the rest in an 8-by-11-inch baking dish.

After tossing the ingredients and spreading them in a pan, chill 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.

This chestnut-laced stuffing with pancetta and fennel is adapted from chef Suzanne Goin’s Sunday Suppers at Lucques. The crispy olive oil-soaked bread cubes on top are especially delectable.

This corn bread dressing includes plenty of brussels sprouts, so it’s like two classic Thanksgiving side dishes in one.

In this bread stuffing, Barbara Lynch relies on thick-sliced bacon and a mix of wild mushrooms to provide the robust, earthy flavors she thinks belong in every stuffing.

Chinese sausage makes this sticky rice dressing deliciously sweet and savory. Joanne Chang likes using the Kam Yen Jan brand, which has no MSG; look for it at Asian markets.

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.

This rich and delicious make-ahead Mushroom-and-Chestnut Stuffing with Giblets from Anthony Bourdain gets flavor from fresh herbs.

A mix of sauteed wild mushrooms adds lots of texture to this stuffing; lemon juice and zest make it tangy. The mushroom stuffing can be made vegetarian-friendly simply by replacing the chicken stock with vegetable stock.

Using a dried-fruit-and-nut bread in this classic sausage-apple dressing is a super shortcut.

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.