14 Stuffing Recipes So Good, They Could Be the Main Dish

You can’t go wrong with the perfect basic stuffing recipe. Bread, herbs and lots of butter, it goes with everything, and you know it will be a crowd-pleaser.

Go southern style with a cornbread-based stuffing. This recipe calls for homemade cornbread as the first step, but you can speed that part up by using store-bought cornbread or a boxed mix.

Dried cranberries add a tart sweetness with pecans providing a welcome crunch to an otherwise standard stuffing blend.

The sausage in this stuffing not only tastes but smells amazing, too, and is counterbalanced with sweet apple chunks and dried cranberries – a savory and fruity recipe.

Oyster stuffing is one of the earliest stuffing recipes, dating back to the British colonists. A basic recipe with a cup of freshly shucked oysters, you can leave them whole or chop them up finely. You can also use canned, smoked oysters for another layer of flavor.

Bacon goes with all things Thanksgiving, from mashed potatoes to a turkey topper. Add it into the stuffing too, with a cup of parmesan cheese for a bit of savory nuttiness.

Customize this standard stuffing by switching up the bread for cornbread, or a different flavor of sausage.

Use hearty, crusty bread for this rustic stuffing, which also has a touch of sweetness from the leeks.

Eggy brioche is a great stuffing ingredient if you want elegant, glossy stuffing.

Sweet, buttery chestnuts work beautifully in stuffing, and this one is made with ciabatta bread and salty pancetta.

This recipe has it all – earthy mushrooms (wild or mixed shiitake and cremini), tangy sourdough bread and fresh herbs, sure to get you out of your stuffing rut.

Use leftover focaccia bread and jammy figs for this completely unexpected stuffing that will impress your guests.

Everything bagels and their flavorful seedy seasoning have been right in front of us all along. Of course, it makes the perfect stuffing.

The pear, walnut and caramelized onion combo would be amazing on a pizza, too, just saying.