A Few Stuffing Recipes For Thanksgiving Day

What’s The Difference Between Stuffing and Dressing?

Technically this is a dressing recipe because it’s not stuffed inside the bird, but in many families they still call it stuffing rather than dressing. It is an age old mis-naming tradition.

Apple Sausage Stuffing

Pair this tasty side dish with everything from roast beef, ham, and of course, turkey.

Ingredients:

• 1 tsp olive oil
• 2 links turkey sausage, preferably apple, casings removed
  1 medium onion, diced
• 2 stalks celery, diced
• 1 Granny Smith apple, cored, peeled, and diced
• 1⁄2 cup dried cranberries
• 2 cloves garlic, minced cups cubed bread from a sturdy loaf or baguette, preferably whole wheat (Slightly stale bread works best. If the bread is fresh, place in a 350°F oven for 10 minutes before using.)
• 10–12 leaves fresh sage, chopped
• 1 1⁄2 cups low-sodium chicken stock
• 1 egg, beaten
• Salt and black pepper to taste
• 2 Tbsp cold butter, diced

Directions:

1. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat.
2. Add the sausage, onion, celery, apple, cranberries, and garlic and sauté for about 10 minutes, until the vegetables are soft and the sausage is just cooked through.
3. Combine the bread, sausage-vegetable mixture, sage, stock, and egg in a large mixing bowl.
4. Toss to evenly coat the stuffing with the liquid. Season with a few pinches of salt and black pepper.
5. Place in a 13″ x 9″ casserole dish and dot with the butter.
6. Bake, uncovered, for about 40 minutes, until the top of the stuffing is nicely browned and crunchy.

Vegan Stuffing

This vegan stuffing recipe is a plant-based version of my mom’s classic stuffing recipe. Her stuffing has been my favorite part of Thanksgiving ever since I was a kid. She never makes it from a box, but uses fresh bread, lots of butter, onions, and celery instead. It’s richly flavorful, soft in the middle, and crisp on top, and it’s always the first dish I reach for at Thanksgiving dinner.

Ingredients

• 6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
• 1 cup coarsely chopped cipollini onions
• 3 cups chopped & stemmed mushrooms, a mix of shiitakes & creminis
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 stalks celery, diced
• 1/4 cup chopped sage, plus 8 leaves for garnish
• 2 tablespoons minced rosemary
• 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• 5 cups cubed crusty ciabatta + nine-grain bread*
• 3 lacinato kale leaves, coarsely chopped or torn
• 2 cups vegetable broth, plus more for reheating
• 1/4 cup dried cranberries
• Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F and grease an 8×12 or 9×13 casserole dish.
2. In a very large skillet, heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat. Add the onions, mushrooms, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and several grinds of fresh pepper, and let the mushrooms cook until they begin to soften, 5 to 8 minutes, stirring only occasionally. Add the garlic, celery, sage, and rosemary, and cook until everything is soft and the mushrooms are golden brown, 8-10 minutes.
3. Add the balsamic vinegar, stir, and scrape any bits off the bottom of the pan. Add the bread and the remaining 1/4 cup olive oil and toss to coat. Add the kale and cook until it begins to wilt about 1 minute. Add 1 cup of the broth and stir.
4. Transfer to a casserole dish and pour the remaining 1 cup broth evenly over the stuffing.
5. Sprinkle with the dried cranberries, remaining whole sage leaves and bake for 20 minutes or until golden brown. Let sit for at least 15 minutes or until ready to serve.

Quinoa Stuffing

This healthy, super-food stuffing tastes great and as an added bonus is gluten free! Quinoa is one of the most nutritious grains on the market and pairing it with extra spices and veggies makes it a fantastic and nutritious substitute for your stuffing this holiday season. This recipe makes enough stuffing to fill a 10 to 12 lb. turkey.

Ingredients

• 1 cup uncooked quinoa
• 2 cups chicken stock
• 4 slices bacon
• 1 medium onion (chopped)
• 2-3 stalks organic celery (chopped)
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic or 2 garlic cloves
• 1 Tablespoon butter
• 1 cup dried cranberries
• 1 unpeeled apple (chopped)
• ½ lb. Italian or turkey sausage
• ½ cup chopped pecans (toasted)
• ¼ cup parsley (chopped)
• 1 Tablespoon fresh thyme or 1-½ teaspoon dried thyme
• 1 teaspoon dried marjoram
• 1 ½ teaspoon fresh rosemary or ¾ teaspoon dried rosemary
• 2 teaspoons dried sage
• ½ teaspoon nutmeg
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon pepper

Instructions

1. Place quinoa and chicken stock in a saucepan. Bring to a boil, cover, and cook for 15-20 minutes or until done. Set aside.
2. Place bacon in a large skillet and cook until browned. Remove from pan and place on a paper towel to drain.
3. In the same skillet over medium-high heat, sauté onions, celery and garlic in bacon drippings for 5 minutes.
4. Add butter, cranberries, apple, sausage, and seasonings and cook an additional 5-10 minutes, stirring to break up the sausage, or until the sausage is cooked through.
5. Stir in cooked quinoa, toasted pecans, parsley and crumbled bacon.