World’s Best Thanksgiving Stuffing

The Thanksgiving Stuffing That Started With a Chicago Dumpling

This World’s Best Thanksgiving Stuffing has been one of my most popular holiday recipes for years. It is savory, buttery and perfectly seasoned with breakfast sausage, celery, onions, mushrooms and poultry seasoning. The bread soaks up all that delicious flavor while still keeping its texture, giving you a stuffing that is moist without being mushy.

There is also a pretty great Chicago food story behind this recipe. You know I always have a story behind every recipe.

The original version was made with Czech bread dumplings from a local Chicago-area company called Château Foods. I worked with Château creating recipes using their traditional dumplings, and one of those experiments eventually became this stuffing.

Château Foods has since gone out of business, which means the original frozen bread dumplings are no longer available. Because this recipe has been made by so many people over the years, I wanted to update it rather than let it disappear along with the dumplings.

The good news is that you can make this stuffing with a readily available chewy French bread, and it is still absolutely delicious. I also have a homemade Czech Inspired Bread Dumplings recipe if you want to recreate the texture of the original stuffing as closely as possible.

What Makes This Stuffing So Good?

The secret to this stuffing has always been the texture of the bread.

You want bread that can absorb plenty of butter, broth, milk, egg and all those flavorful juices from the sausage and vegetables without immediately dissolving into mush.

The original Czech bread dumplings were perfect for this because they were dense, chewy and extremely absorbent.

When choosing a replacement, I look for those same qualities.

This is not a stuffing where you necessarily want an extremely crusty artisan bread. A very hard, sharp crust can remain tough in the finished stuffing. Instead, look for a French bread or French roll with a chewy but relatively soft crust and a substantial interior.

A very light bread will also just disintegrate under all the liquid this recipe has.

The Best Bread for Thanksgiving Stuffing

My favorite easy replacement for the original bread dumplings is a chewy French roll or French loaf.

Here in the Chicago area, Turano French Rolls work particularly well. They have the chewy texture I am looking for without an overly hard crust.

You do NOT have to use Turano.

Look in the bakery or bread aisle of your grocery store for French rolls, French bread or another sturdy white yeast bread. You want something with some chew and structure rather than very soft sandwich bread.

Depending on the size and density of your bread, you will need approximately 6 to 8 cups of bread cubes. I like to keep a little more on hand in case when I eyeball the recipe it looks slightly too wet. You fix this by adding more bread cubes.

Another important difference with this recipe is that I do not dry or toast the bread first. The original bread dumplings weren’t dried out either. The bread is supposed to absorb the liquid while the stuffing bakes.

Keep a little extra cubed bread nearby when you’re mixing everything together. Bread varies tremendously, so you can add some if your mixture seems to have more liquid than your particular bread can absorb.

Want to Make It Like the Original?

You still can!

I created an Easy Czech Inspired Bread Dumplings recipe using Rhodes frozen white bread dough. Instead of baking the dough, it is boiled and steamed.

There are also a few places around Chicagoland that still sell Czech bread dumplings. I plan to do some research.

That cooking method gives the bread a slightly dense and chewy texture and allows it to soak up liquids without simply falling apart. It is very similar to what made the Château bread dumplings so wonderful in this stuffing.

If you are one of the longtime readers who remembers making this stuffing with Château Dumplings, or you simply want to experience the recipe closer to the way I originally created it, this is the option I recommend.

A Little History About Château Foods

Château Foods was part of Chicago’s Czech and Bohemian food history long before I ever came along.

The Shotola family began selling dumplings made from a family recipe at their Cicero meat market in the 1930s and 1940s. When frozen foods became more widely available, Château Food Products was established in 1949 and began distributing dumplings to local grocery stores and eventually larger chains.

The business stayed in the family for generations and became especially well known around Chicago for its bread and potato dumplings.

Years later, I had the opportunity to work with Château creating recipes and showing people different ways to use their dumplings.

And that’s how we ended up here.

How the World’s Best Stuffing Was Born

One of the things I loved about the Château bread dumplings was how well they soaked up sauces and gravy without getting soggy.

Traditionally, Czech bread dumplings are served alongside things like pork roasts, beef dishes and other meals with plenty of sauce or gravy. The dumpling acts like a delicious little sponge for everything on the plate.

While I was developing recipes for Château, I started thinking: If these things are so good at soaking up gravy, why wouldn’t they work in stuffing?

So I used them in my traditional stuffing recipe.

The texture was fantastic.

They soaked up the butter, broth, milk, sausage drippings and seasonings but maintained enough structure to keep the stuffing light instead of turning it into one solid mass.

And the World’s Best Thanksgiving Stuffing was born.

The original ingredient may no longer be sitting in Chicago-area freezer cases, but I love that the recipe it inspired can live on.

Sausage Adds So Much Flavor

I use one 16-ounce package of pork breakfast sausage.

Breakfast sausage works especially well because it already has those savory breakfast-sausage spices that pair beautifully with poultry seasoning and Thanksgiving flavors.

The sausage should be broken into fairly small crumbles while cooking so that you get little bits throughout the entire casserole rather than large chunks.

Seasonally, they usually also sell a sage flavored breakfast sausage that pairs wonderfully with this recipe.

Don’t Rush the Vegetables

This is one step that matters.

Celery, onions and mushrooms all contain quite a bit of water. I sauté them in butter until they’re very soft and most of that excess liquid has cooked away.

If you rush this step, all of that vegetable moisture ends up in your stuffing.

You want the vegetables tender and flavorful before you combine them with the bread.

I also prefer wiping mushrooms clean with a damp paper towel instead of soaking them in water.

You want to make sure there is no or at least very little liquid in the pan when cooking these veggies.

Can I Leave Out the Mushrooms?

Absolutely.

I know mushrooms are one of those ingredients people either love or absolutely do not want anywhere near their Thanksgiving dinner.

Leave them out if you prefer. I recommend chopping them very small for flavor but also texture.

Just remember that mushrooms contribute both volume and moisture to the original recipe. If you omit them, you may need a little more bread and/or slightly less broth. Remember to rely on your eyes for this recipe.

This is one reason I recommend adding the broth gradually rather than dumping every last drop in without looking at your stuffing.

Why There Are Eggs and Milk in This Stuffing

The eggs help bind everything together as the stuffing bakes without making it heavy.

The milk adds richness and also contributes to the soft interior texture.

Together with the broth, they help create stuffing that holds together when you spoon it onto your plate but is still tender rather than dry.

Crispy Top, Moist Center

I bake this stuffing in a 9 x 13-inch casserole dish at 375°F.

That size gives the stuffing enough surface area to develop those delicious browned and slightly crispy pieces across the top while keeping the center moist.

If the top is browning faster than the center is setting, loosely cover the casserole with foil and continue baking.

For an especially buttery, crispy top, drizzle a little melted butter over the stuffing before baking.

I highly recommend it.

Make This Thanksgiving Stuffing Ahead

One of the reasons I love this recipe for Thanksgiving is that you don’t have to be assembling stuffing while you’re trying to deal with a turkey, potatoes, gravy and twelve other things.

I have made this stuffing one and even two days ahead of time.

Assemble the stuffing, cover it tightly and refrigerate it.

When you’re ready to bake it, take it out of the refrigerator while the oven preheats so the casserole dish can lose some of its chill.

Bake as directed, keeping in mind that a cold casserole may need additional baking time.

You can also bake the stuffing ahead and reheat it. Cover it while reheating so it doesn’t dry out, then uncover it toward the end so the top can crisp back up.

If it seems a little dry after sitting in the refrigerator, drizzle a small amount of broth over it before reheating.h is delicious as well.

How Your Preparation Should Look

Frequently Asked Questions

Is this stuffing or dressing?

Technically, because I bake it in a casserole dish instead of inside the turkey, some people would call this dressing.

I call it stuffing.

You can fight amongst yourselves at Thanksgiving dinner.

Can I stuff the turkey with this?

I prefer baking this recipe separately in a casserole dish. You get much better control over the texture and temperature, plus you get more of that crispy golden top.

Can I use regular sandwich bread?

You can make stuffing out of almost any bread, but regular soft sandwich bread will not give you the same texture that made this recipe special.

A chewy French bread or French roll is a better substitute for the original Czech bread dumplings.

Can I use sourdough?

You can, but I would choose a relatively mild sourdough without an extremely thick, hard crust. Remember that the bread affects both the flavor and texture of the final stuffing.

Why is my stuffing mushy?

Usually there is too much liquid for the particular bread being used, or the vegetables released excess water.

Cook your vegetables thoroughly, add the broth gradually and pay attention to what the mixture looks like rather than relying solely on a measurement.

Why is my stuffing dry?

Your bread probably needed more broth. Different breads have dramatically different absorption levels.

Drizzle additional warm broth over dry stuffing and return it to the oven covered until the moisture is absorbed.

Can I make this without sausage?

Yes. You can omit the sausage, although it contributes quite a bit of flavor and richness. You may want to increase your seasonings and possibly add a little extra butter.

Can I freeze Thanksgiving stuffing?

Yes. Baked stuffing can be cooled, tightly wrapped and frozen. Thaw it safely in the refrigerator and reheat covered so it retains its moisture. Uncover it for the last portion of reheating to crisp the top.

More Than Just Thanksgiving

Obviously this is one of my favorite Thanksgiving side dishes, but there’s absolutely no reason to make stuffing only once a year.

It is wonderful alongside roast chicken, pork roast, pork chops or turkey.

I’ve even used leftover stuffing with chicken breasts.

The combination of sausage, vegetables and bread makes it substantial enough that I could probably eat a bowl of this by itself and call it dinner.

More Stuffing Recipes to Try

As much as I love this World’s Best Thanksgiving Stuffing, it is definitely not the only stuffing recipe I make. I have several different stuffing recipes on my site because sometimes you want the classic sausage and bread version, and other times you want to change things up depending on what you are serving.

If you are planning your Thanksgiving menu, a holiday dinner or even a Sunday supper, take a look through some of my other stuffing recipes below. You may find a new favorite, or do what I do and make more than one. There is no rule that says you can only have one stuffing on the table.

Just click each stuffing image to get the recipe.

The Original Stuffing Lives On

I know there are people who have been making this recipe since I first published it, which is exactly why I didn’t want to erase the Château version from its history.

Recipes change because ingredients disappear, companies close and products become difficult to find.

But sometimes you can find another way.

If you want the easiest version, grab some good chewy French rolls.

If you want to get as close as possible to the stuffing that originally went viral, make a batch of my Czech Inspired Bread Dumplings.

Either way, you still get what made this stuffing so good in the first place: buttery bread filled with sausage, celery, onions, mushrooms and all those savory Thanksgiving flavors, with a crispy top and a soft, flavorful center.

That is why all these years later, I’m still calling it the World’s Best Thanksgiving Stuffing.