Stuffing is the traditional bread-based side dish often cooked inside the turkey.
A basic stuffing commonly combines breadcrumbs or another starch with onion, celery, herbs, and seasonings. Sage is especially associated with poultry stuffing. Recipes may also include sausage, chestnuts, nuts, apples, dried fruit, or turkey giblets, depending on regional and family traditions.
The word describes the cooking method: the mixture is placed inside a bird’s cavity so it absorbs juices and savory flavor. When the same mixture is baked separately in a dish, many cooks still call it stuffing, while others call it dressing. In much of the United States, the distinction is regional rather than absolute.
The answer is not bread pudding, which is generally a sweet baked dessert or a separate savory dish. Croutons may be an ingredient in stuffing, but they are not the complete side dish. Modern food-safety guidance often recommends cooking stuffing separately because the filled cavity can heat unevenly and may require the turkey to cook longer.