Healthy Stuffing Recipes

Wild mushrooms make an amazing, rich base for a stuffing for Thanksgiving dinner. This stuffing includes diced turkey liver, which gives it an intense, deep flavor. If you're not a liver lover or if you're serving vegetarians, you can omit it from the recipe. Recipe adapted from Alice Waters.

Who says a Thanksgiving stuffing recipe has to be dominated by the bread? Check out this veggie-packed healthy stuffing, with 4 cups of Brussels sprouts topping the list. Chorizo adds some piquant flavor, in this case a zesty chile-pepper-and-vinegar kick found in the Mexican version of the sausage, but quite frankly you won't go wrong using any type of fresh, spicy sausage.

This cranberry-sausage stuffing features both fresh and dried cranberries. The fresh fruit adds juicy, tangy flavor, while the dried cranberries add chewy bits of sweetness.

Crisping the prosciutto and toasting the nuts adds a powerful punch of flavor to the stuffing without going overboard on fat. Diamond Brand now makes packaged chopped hazelnuts, available in most major supermarkets.

Redolent of sage and thyme, this cornbread stuffing has chunks of apples and raisins for sweet balance.

Chunks of hard salami add a salty-tangy edge and toothsome texture to Puerto Rican mofongo dressing. Serve this savory stuffing along with turkey and the rest of your Thanksgiving spread.

This classic stuffing pairs turkey sausage with the tangy sweetness of apples. By using turkey sausage instead of pork, we cut the fat content from 19 grams to 4.

This healthy oyster stuffing recipe with butternut squash is a lightened-up version of the must-have holiday side. Whether you call it stuffing or dressing, you can make it moist or crispy. If you're an extra-moist-stuffing type, bake it covered for the full 50 minutes; if you like some crispy bits on top, follow the oyster stuffing recipe as written: bake covered for about 30 minutes, then uncovered for an additional 20 minutes.

Mushrooms and leeks add savory flavor to sourdough bread in this easy vegan stuffing recipe.

Swapping in cauliflower rice can help create a lower-carb holiday side. To ensure a perfect texture, wild rice and riced cauliflower are cooked separately and then combined.

Whether you call it stuffing or dressing, this healthy apple-and-sauerkraut stuffing recipe made with seeded rye bread is a flavorful twist on the classic holiday side. If you're an extra-moist-stuffing type, bake it covered for the full 50 minutes; if you like some crispy bits on top, follow the recipe as written: bake covered for about 30 minutes, then uncovered for an additional 20 minutes.

This crab-cake-meets-stuffing recipe gets a double dose of crabby goodness--little bits of claw crabmeat add flavor throughout the stuffing while pieces of higher-grade “jumbo lump” crabmeat contribute big bites of crab. Shape the stuffing into cakes or bake in a casserole dish. Look for crab in the seafood department of large supermarkets. The recipe that's included for Bay Spice Blend makes 1 cup, but you'll only need 1 teaspoon for the stuffing. Try the extra spice blend in a turkey brine, sprinkled on almost any type of seafood and/or in recipes calling for Old Bay Seasoning.

Whether you call it stuffing or dressing, this healthy sausage-and-chestnut stuffing recipe is a lightened-up version of the must-have holiday side. If you're an extra-moist-stuffing type, bake it covered for the full 50 minutes; if you like some crispy bits on top, follow the recipe as written: bake covered for about 30 minutes, then uncovered for an additional 20 minutes.

Peeling fresh chestnuts may be a bit tedious, but the result is worth the effort. Chestnut meat adds incredible texture and richness (without much fat) to a holiday stuffing. And, after all, it is a once-a-year ritual. But if you lack the patience, jarred vacuum-packed chestnuts are a convenient alternative.

This recipe adds shiitake mushrooms and soy sauce to store-bought herb stuffing mix for a fresh, Asian-inspired spin on classic stuffing.

This healthy Brussels sprouts-and-bacon stuffing recipe is a lightened-up version of the must-have holiday side. We love the soft texture and eggy flavor of challah bread, but any type of rustic, country-style bread works well. Whether you call it stuffing or dressing, you can make this recipe moist or crispy. If you're an extra-moist-stuffing type, bake it covered for the full 50 minutes; if you like some crispy bits on top, follow the recipe as written: bake covered for about 30 minutes, then uncovered for an additional 20 minutes.

This sturdy cornbread works well in stuffing.

This jazzed-up Southern cornbread dressing is made with Louisiana chef Frank Brigtsen's cornbread, which is sweet and flecked with scallions and jalapeños. If you want to streamline the dish, use store-bought cornbread.

Here's a one-skillet version of chicken and stuffing made with wholesome ingredients. We use chicken thighs because we love the rich flavor of dark meat, but boneless, skinless breast works too. Serve with Brussels sprouts and mashed potatoes.

During the autumn season in Italy, turkey is often deliciously paired with a stuffing of chestnuts and sausage. The wild turkey was brought to Europe from the New World, and once domesticated, returned there to breed as the classic festive bird. It also became one of the large courtyard fowl animals in Lombardy. With Italy being one of the largest producers of chestnuts, it was expedient to put the two together in another happy marriage of New and Old World.

Make chicken and stuffing in the slow cooker for this easy, one-pot recipe. When it's done, top it with a mix of fresh lemon peel, parsley, and walnuts.

For a change of pace from traditional bread stuffing, try this elegant, nutty-tasting pilaf, which features quick-cooking whole-grain bulgur.

Slow-cooker dressing? You bet! It comes out tender and full of flavor. The chard tastes very green, like spinach, and is filled with antioxidants and vitamins. For an extra-special touch, serve this dressing with gravy on top.

This healthy stuffing recipe is easy to make and goes with almost anything. If you like, make it vegetarian by substituting a pound of minced shiitake mushrooms for the chorizo and using mushroom or vegetable broth instead of chicken broth.