Really, what’s the difference, and are they interchangeable? These are long-standing questions, and from my experience the terms are pretty much used interchangeably. At my house we have dressing, but it is made pretty much like the official description for stuffing. It’s my Mom’s recipe and of course it does not include exact measurements, so replicating it has eluded me so far. Seems like I can get the taste right but not the consistency — I will definitely keep trying.

What is really the difference? According to the experts, “Officially,” Stuffing is a dish traditionally eaten on the American Thanksgiving holiday. It typically consists of dried cubes of bread and aromatics and herbs such as onions, celery, sage, and rosemary, mixed together with warm vegetable or chicken broth. As the name implies, the dish is commonly (although not always) “stuffed” into the cavity of a turkey as it cooks and then removed for eating afterwards.

Although the term stuffing implies that the dish is added into the body of the turkey, many Americans still prepare the dish in a baking dish rather than actually stuffing it into the bird and still refer to it as “stuffing.” Many people, especially in the South, believe that stuffing should only be labeled as stuffing if it is actually stuffed into a turkey as a part of its preparation, and prepared with any kind of yeast bread, such as sourdough or white sandwich bread.

And “Officially,” Dressing is a dish consisting of dried bread cubes, aromatics, and broth prepared during Thanksgiving. Many believe, however, that dressing refers to a stuffing-like dish that is literally not “stuffed” into the cavity of a turkey, but baked in a casserole dish. Again, many believe that dressing should always be cooked in a baking dish and that it indicates a dish made particularly with cornbread in place of a yeast bread.

Bottom line: stuffing and dressing are both a form of starch — such as bread, cornbread, and even sometimes rice — mixed with a variety of possible vegetables, herbs, and spices, sometimes even meat like sausage or oysters. Either way, it is always the perfect Thanksgiving side dish.

Basic Stuffing Recipe

Ingredients

• ½ cup onions, diced
• ½ cup celery, diced
• 6 tablespoons butter
• 12 cups bread, about a regular-sized loaf
• 2 cups chicken broth
• 1 ½ teaspoons poultry seasoning

Instructions

1. Cube day-old bread into bite-size pieces. I like to set it out on a sheet pan the night before to help it dry out.
2. Place 12 cups cubed bread in a large bowl. Add 1 ½ teaspoons poultry seasoning and toss to combine.
3. Heat a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Add 6 tablespoons butter and melt.
4. Add ½ cup onions and ½ cup celery and cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are tender, about 6 minutes. Set aside to cool slightly.
5. Pour butter and vegetable mixture over the bread cubes and gently stir to incorporate.
6. Pour half the 2 cups chicken broth over the bread mixture, gently stirring to incorporate. Add more broth as needed until the bread is just moistened but not drenched.
7. Transfer to a greased baking dish.
8. Bake at 350°F for 35–45 minutes or until cooked through and set.

Down East Oyster Dressing

Ingredients

• 1 cup chopped yellow onion (from 1 small onion)
• 1 cup green bell pepper (from 1 medium pepper)
• 1 cup chopped celery (from 3 large stalks)
• 1 1/2 tsp kosher salt, divided
• 1 Tbsp poultry seasoning (such as Bell’s)
• 1 Tbsp Old Bay seasoning
• 8 cups loosely packed cubed day-old white bread (from 4 hoagie rolls)
• 1 cup crumbled day-old cornbread
• 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 cups chicken broth
• 1 cup fresh oysters, plus 1/4 cup reserved oyster liquor
• 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
• 2 Tbsp chopped parsley, plus more for garnish
• 1 large egg, lightly beaten
• Hot sauce (such as Tabasco), for serving
• Lemon wedges, for serving

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350°F and lightly grease an 8 × 10 or 2-quart baking dish.
2. Heat ¼ cup butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add garlic, onion, celery, and bell pepper and cook until softened and onion is nearly translucent, about 10 minutes.
3. Stir in 1 teaspoon of the salt, poultry seasoning, and Old Bay. Stir to coat vegetables evenly.
4. Add 1 ¼ cups broth and cook, lifting any browned bits from the pan.
5. Add bread and cornbread to the broth mixture, stirring to combine and allow bread to soak up the liquid. If some bread pieces remain dry, add remaining ¼ cup broth. Set aside.
6. Stir together oysters, reserved liquor, lemon juice, parsley, and remaining ½ teaspoon salt in a medium bowl.
7. Add oyster mixture and egg to the bread mixture; stir to combine.
8. Transfer to the baking dish. Cut remaining ¼ cup butter into cubes and scatter over the top.
9. Bake until brown and set, about 40 minutes.
10. Garnish with parsley and serve warm with lemon wedges and hot sauce.

Traditional Holiday Sausage Stuffing

Ingredients

• 1 pound bulk pork sausage
• 1 cup yellow onion, chopped
• 1 cup celery, chopped
• 2 cups day-old bread, cubed (like a French baguette)
• 1 teaspoon dried sage
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon black pepper
• 1 ½ cups chicken broth
• 1 large egg, lightly beaten

Instructions

1. In a large skillet, cook sausage over medium heat until browned and crumbled. Drain excess fat.
2. Add onion and celery to the skillet with sausage. Cook until softened, about 5–7 minutes.
3. In a large bowl, combine cubed bread, sage, thyme, salt, and pepper.
4. Add sausage, onion, and celery mixture to the bread mixture. Toss to combine.
5. In a separate bowl, whisk together chicken broth and beaten egg.
6. Pour broth mixture over bread and sausage mixture; toss gently until moistened.
7. Transfer stuffing to a greased 9 × 13 inch baking dish.
8. Cover with foil and bake at 350°F for 20 minutes.
9. Remove foil and bake an additional 10–15 minutes, or until the top is golden brown and slightly crisp.