Delicious Stuffing Recipes for Holiday Meals

A good stuffing recipe can make a meal into a feast! Find recipes for every occasion below, from Oyster Stuffing to Sausage-Cornbread, to the traditional Chestnut Stuffing for your holiday meal. I'll always prefer my mother's apple stuffing recipe, but all of these are tasty, so pick your own favorite!

As a general rule, allow 3/4 to 1 cup of stuffing per pound of bird. Do not overpack, as stuffing expands during roasting and absorbed the juices and flavor. If you choose to make these stuffings as a side to a different meal, bake in a greased/sprayed casserole pan, covered, for 45 minutes to an hour at 325 to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

Wild Rice & Mushroom Stuffing

Makes 4 cups.

Ingredients

• 1-2 Tbsp butter or margarine
• 1 lb mushrooms, chopped
• 8 oz (1 ½ cups) wild rice
• 3 cups water
• 1 chicken-flavored bouillon cube or envelope
• 1 tsp salt

Instructions

Melt butter or margarine in saucepan over medium heat. Add mushrooms and cook until tender, stirring occasionally. Rinse rice and drain, then add to mushrooms, along with water, bouillon, and salt. Heat on high until boiling, reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer 45 to 50 minutes until rice is tender and liquid absorbed.

Spinach Stuffing

Makes 3 ½ cups.

Ingredients

• 1 10-oz package frozen chopped spinach
• 2-3 Tbsp butter or margarine
• 1/4 lb mushrooms, thinly sliced
• 1 cup celery, diced
• ½ cup onion, chopped
• 3 cups fresh bread crumbs
• 8 oz fat-free ricotta cheese
• 2 egg whites
• 1 Tbsp fresh parsley, minced
• 1 tsp salt
• ½ tsp poultry seasoning
• 1/8 tsp pepper

Instructions

Thaw spinach and squeeze dry with paper towels. Heat butter or margarine over medium heat in large saucepan. Add mushrooms, celery and onion, cook until tender (about 5 minutes), stirring occasionally. Remove from heat, and add remaining ingredients. Stir in spinach.

Rye-Bread Stuffing

Makes 3 ½ cups.

Ingredients

• 1 Tbsp butter or margarine
• 1 stalk celery, diced
• ½ medium onion, diced
• 5 cups rye bread cubes
• 3/4 cup skim milk
• 1 Tbsp fresh parsley, minced
• 1/4 tsp dried thyme leaves
• 1/8 tsp sage
• 1/8 tsp pepper

Instructions

Over medium heat, melt butter in medium saucepan. Add celery and onion and cook until tender, stirring frequently. Remove from heat and stir in remaining ingredients until well combined.

Chestnut Stuffing

Makes 4 cups.

Ingredients

• 3/4 lb whole chestnuts
• 1 Tbsp butter or margarine
• 1 stalk celery, diced
• ½ medium onion, diced
• 1 Tbsp fresh parsley, minced
• ½ tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp poultry seasoning
• 1/8 tsp pepper
• 4 ½ cups white bread cubes
• 2 egg whites, slightly beaten

Instructions

Place chestnuts in saucepan, with enough water to cover them, over high heat until boiling. Reduce heat to medium, cover, and cook 10 minutes. Remove from heat, drain, and cut chestnuts in half. With the tip of a small knife, scrape out chestnut meat from inside shell. Chop chestnut meat and set aside. Melt butter over medium heat in saucepan, add celery and onion and cook until tender (about 10 minutes), stirring occasionally. Remove from heat, add remaining ingredients, ½ cup water, and chestnut meat, mix well.

Sausage-Cornbread Stuffing

Makes 6 cups.

Ingredients

• 1 12- to 14-oz package corn muffin mix
• ½ lb hot Italian sausage links
• 3 medium stalks celery, diced
• ½ tsp rosemary
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/8 tsp dried thyme leaves
• 1 egg

Instructions

Preheat over to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Prepare corn muffin mix as directed and spoon into sprayed 8 x 8 inch baking pan. Bake 20 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pan on wire rack while preparing the rest of the ingredients. In skillet over high heat, warm sausages with 1/4 cup water to boiling. Reduce to low heat, cover, simmer 5 minutes. Uncover and cook over medium heat, turning sausages to brown on all sides, around 15 minutes. Remove sausages to paper towel to drain. Discard all but 2 Tbsp sausage drippings and return to stove over medium heat. Add celery, cooking until tender. Remove from heat. Dice sausages and crumble cornbread, add to skillet with seasoning, egg, and 1 cup water. Mix well.

Brown Rice-Walnut Stuffing

Makes 6 cups.

Ingredients

• 1 cup brown rice
• 1 chicken-flavored bouillon cube or envelope
• 1-2 Tbsp butter or margarine
• 2 medium stalks celery, sliced
• 1 large onion, diced
• 1 cup toasted walnuts
• 1/4 tsp sage

Instructions

Prepare brown rice, adding bouillon. In large skillet, over medium heat, cook celery and onions in melted butter until tender (about 7 minutes), stirring occasionally. Remove skillet from heat, stir in walnuts, sage, and cooked rice.

Apple-Herb Stuffing

Makes 5 cups.

Ingredients

• ½ large loaf Italian bread
• 1/4 tsp sage
• 1/4 tsp dried thyme leaves
• 1/8 tsp salt
• 1/8 tsp pepper
• 3 medium cooking apples
• 2 Tbsp green onions, minced
• 3/4 cup unsweetened apple juice
• Butter or margarine, sparingly

Instructions

Cut bread and apples into 3/4-inch cubes, but keep separate.. In large skillet, over medium heat, melt small amount of butter or margarine with seasonings, then add bread cubes and cook until lightly browned on all sides. Remove to a separate bowl. Add apple chunks and green onions to skillet, cooking until tender (add another small amount of butter if needed). Return bread to skillet and add juice. Heat through, stirring gently.

Oyster Stuffing

Makes 5 cups.

Ingredients

• 2 pints shucked standard oysters
• 1-2 Tbsp butter or margarine
• 3/4 cup celery, chopped
• ½ cup onion, chopped
• 6 cups white bread cubes
• 3/4 tsp salt
• ½ tsp pepper
• ½ tsp poultry seasoning

Instructions

Drain oysters, reserving 1/4 cup liquid. Coarsely chop and set aside. In saucepan over medium heat, melt butter or margarine and cook celery and onion until tender, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat, add oysters, oyster liquid, bread cubes and remaining ingredients. Toss to mix well.