It Isn't Thanksgiving Without Ree's Favorite Dressing (2024)

This dishis a wildly personal one. Some Thanksgiving dressing recipesare light and airy, and can almost be tossed around with a spoon. Other dressings bake up firm and solid, and can almost be cut into uniform squares. Some people stuff their roasted turkeywith dressing, in which case thedressing is called stuffing. Others are dead set against stuffing the bird and opt for baking their stuffing in a baking dish, which means it's called dressing. Some do a combination of both. Some dressing is basic: a combination of dried bread, aromatics, and dried herbs. Other loaded versions can contain oysters, mushrooms, and even dried fruit and nuts.

I grew up loving my mom's dressing. She never stuffed the bird, and her dressing fell into the slightly firm/very flavorful category. To serve it, we scooped out helpings with a spoon and for the most part, the stuffing stayed together in one hom*ogenized piece. I still love it today.

A few years ago, however, I tried my mother-in-law's dressing for the first time and everything became clear and beautiful. The larger chunks of dried bread break apart to some degree when mixing the dish together, but large chunks remain throughout—and that's what I love about this dressing. It isn't soggy at all; even after baking, it remains light and crumbly and beautifully textural. A real feast for the senses! This is just about my favorite Thanksgiving side and one that I make every single year! Put it on your Thanksgiving dinner menu. You'll thank yourself later!

Should you stuff your turkey with dressing or not?

I'm a big fan of baking Thanksgiving dressing separately in a casserole dish. It's less complicated, and produces a better textured dressing.When you stuff it inside the cavity of a turkey, the dressing tends to steam, which makes it more mushy.I love a crunchy topping on my dressing, and you just don't get it when it bakes inside the turkey!You also run the risk of the turkey and dressing not cooking at the same rate when you stuff the bird, which is an invitation for bacteria, and other bad things that you definitely don't want at your Thanksgiving dinner. So, I play it safe and cook the two separately.

What is Thanksgiving dressing made of?

This version keeps it basic with bread (three types...more on that below), onion, celery, fresh parsley, and some dried herbs. There's also butter and lots ofchicken stock to moisten the dressing and, in turn, help it hold together.

Should Thanksgiving dressing be soft or crispy?

It should be both! This dressing gets golden and crispy on topwhile the middle cooks up softeras the bread continues to absorb the broth. This version isn'tsoggy though—the big chunks of bread keep it from getting that way.

What kind of bread is best for Thanksgiving dressing?

The magic happens when you combine a few different types of bread. I like using cornbread because, to me, that's what dressing is all about. But Ialso add hunks of crusty Italian bread (like ciabatta) and French bread. It gives the dressing texture and dimension.The most important part is to dry the bread fordressing. Otherwise, the dressing will be too soupy and mushy. Iusually cube the bread and let it sit out a day or two to dry out.

Is Thanksgivingdressing better with or without eggs?

It's all about personal preference. If you want a sturdier dressing, eggs can help do that. Idon't use eggs in this recipe, though, because I like a lighter, more crumbly texture in my dressing.