Extreme Thanksgiving: 4 Far-Out Stuffing Recipes

Ditch the boxed cubes-and-herbs stuffing for a more creative casserole that borrows flavors from other cuisines (or maybe just your morning bagel).

A Rebel-lious Thanksgiving

On his special, Rebel Eats, Food Network Star Season 8 winner Justin Warner seeks out similarly minded food adventurers –– those who approach cooking with a certain unparalleled wit and creativity.


We asked Justin to share with Cooking Channel (Food Network's sister network) how he'd jazz up the same-old Thanksgiving feast –– starting with the most iconic of holiday indulgences: the stuffing.

Ed Koch Stuffing

Named after the three-term New York City mayor, this stuffing might seem a little unusual on your Thanksgiving plate. But filled with smoked salmon, capers and onions, this everything bagel-based stuffing (yes, those are real bagel chunks) brings a briny bite and loads of flavor to your tower of turkey. Bonus: This cream-cheesy casserole makes the ultimate morning-after breakfast.

Get the Recipe: Ed Koch Stuffing

Roy Rogers Stuffing

Imagine the most impossibly loaded baked potato: sour cream, cheddar cheese and crumbled bacon, plus plenty of salsa and scallions for good measure. Then imagine those ingredients converging on your Thanksgiving plate as a potato bread-based stuffing with shards of salty chips sprinkled throughout. Meet Roy Rogers: a stuffing as legendary as the iconic cowboy himself.

Get the Recipe: Roy Rogers Stuffing

Kinda Savory Kinda Sweet Stuffing That Definitely Isn't Bread Pudding

For those who prefer their sweet potatoes buried in a cloud of baked marshmallows, here's a cranberry juice-kissed dried-fruit-and-nut stuffing built upon cinnamon-raisin bread. But lest you dismiss this as dessert disguised as a side dish, aromatic cumin and cloves bring wintry, savory flavors to the dish, giving it a rightful home alongside green beans and the like.

Get the Recipe: Kinda Savory Kinda Sweet Stuffing That Definitely Isn't Bread Pudding

Kedgeree Gluten-Free "Stuffing"

Borrowing ingredients and flavors from the Indian fish-and-rice dish, this "stuffing" works as a lovely gluten-free substitute in a gluten-laden meal. Bearing the distinct tint (and spice) of curry powder, it's a savory, eggy side dish –– a refreshing twist for the Thanksgiving feast.

Get the Recipe: Kedgeree Gluten Free "Stuffing"