This Herbed Turkey Stuffing Recipe Might Taste Better Than Grandma's (2024)

There are a few things essential to anyThanksgiving dinner— turkey,mashed potatoesand a deliciousstuffing recipe (arguably more important than the bird, IMHO) to round out the meal. For this easy turkey stuffing,onions, celery and sage are cooked in butter and mixed with toasted bread, then baked until crispy and golden brown. The center stays custardy while the outside forms a nice crunchy crust. Sorry to all of the other Thanksgiving side dishes, but this one just might outshine them all.

Made with just a handful of ingredients (bread, butter and seasonings), this classic side dish comes together in just three straightforward steps: Sauté your vegetables and aromatics, toss with bread cubes and broth and bake in a casserole dish.Once you master the basic recipe, feel free togo gourmet and try all ofour favorite stuffing recipes.Start serving it up with sausage, mushrooms, caramelized onions, you name it! Soon enough, you’ll have your own homemade turkey stuffing recipe that your family will request year after year. Tomorrow? Go ahead and transform it into our favorite leftover stuffingrecipes. But first, let's answer all of your questions:

Can you cook stuffing inside the turkey?

You can, but we suggest you skip it! When cooked inside the turkey, the stuffing will not get hot enough to kill off all the bacteria before the bird is done cooking, so you'd have to overcook your bird to make sure the stuffing is properly cooked.

Make a turkey stuffing casserole, or dressing,instead. Use a deep dish so the stuffing mixture stays moist, and keep it covered. Or, if you want super crispy stuffing, spread the mix out onto a baking sheet for maximum heat exposure (read: ultimate crispiness). If you choose to stuff your turkey, take the bird out of the oven when the meat is done, then scoop out the stuffing and finish baking it in a dish until it hits 165°F.

Do I need to add eggs to my stuffing?

You don't have to. Eggs add a bit of moisture andwork as a binder, meaning they help to keep all the ingredients together. So whilethey're not absolutelynecessary, they could be your new secret ingredient!

Can I make stuffing ahead of time?

Thanksgiving (or any day, TBH!) can be crazy. To minimize day-of stress, prepare the stuffing — but don't bake — and refrigerate up to a day in advance. To serve, bring the stuffing to room temperature, and then bake as directed. If you want to start prepping a few days in advance, chop and cook the celery and onions, but don't add the broth. You can also toast and cube the bread, since staler bread works better anyway. Refrigerate everything separately and follow through with the rest of the recipe whenever you're ready.

How long can you keep stuffing in the refrigerator?

Stuffing is one of the greatest Thanksgiving leftovers of all time. Hands down. Wait for everything to cool, wrap the baking dish with plastic wrap or aluminum foil, and then store the stuffing in the fridge for three to five days. Transfer to microwave-safe bowls and nuke it to reheat. Or, bring everything back to room temp and stick the dish back in the oven for a crispier result (if you have the patience!). You can also get creative and add leftover stuffing to sandwiches, stuffed peppers, egg rolls and more.

Let us know what you think of this turkey stuffing recipe in the comments. Is there anything you added? Anything you took out? We'd love to know your favorite stuffing ingredients.

Advertisement - Continue Reading Below

Yields:
10 serving(s)
Prep Time:
20 mins
Cook Time:
40 mins
Total Time:
1 hr
Cal/Serv:
140

Ingredients

  • 1

    small loaf (about 1 lb.) country-style bread (about 1 lb.), cut into 1⁄2-inch pieces (about 10 cups)

  • 3 tbsp.

    unsalted butter

  • 2

    medium onions, chopped

  • 2

    stalks celery, chopped

  • 3 c.

    low sodium chicken broth

  • 1/4 c.

    sage leaves, chopped

  • 1 c.

    flat-leaf parsley, chopped

  • 2

    large eggs, beaten

  • 3/4 tsp.

    kosher salt

  • 1/2 tsp.

    pepper

Directions

    1. Step1Heat oven to 375°F. Grease 3-quart casserole dish. Place bread on rimmed baking sheet and toast until golden brown, 15 to 20 minutes; transfer to large bowl.
    2. Step2Meanwhile, heat butter in 12-inchskilleton medium. Add onions, 1 teaspoon salt and 1⁄2 teaspoon pepper and cook, covered, stirring occasionally, until very tender and beginning to turn golden, 6 to 8 minutes
    3. Step3Add celery and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, 6 to 7 minutes. Add broth and bringto a boil. Stir in sage and cook 1 minute. Remove from heat and stir in parsley.
    4. Step4Transfer vegetable mixture to bowl with bread; toss to combine. Fold in beaten eggs. Transfer to prepared baking dish, cover with foil and bake 10 minutes. Remove foil and bake until golden brown, 15 to 20 minutes.

NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION(per ½ cupserving):About 140 calories, 4 g protein, 20 g carbohydrates, 5 g total fat (1 g saturated fat), 1 g fiber, 390 mg sodium.

Did you make this recipe? Comment below!

This Herbed Turkey Stuffing Recipe Might Taste Better Than Grandma's (2024)

FAQs

Why add eggs to turkey stuffing? ›

Broth: Chicken broth keeps the stuffing moist without making it soggy. Eggs: Two lightly beaten eggs help hold the dressing together and add moisture. Water: You can add a few tablespoons of water, if you'd like, to achieve your desired consistency.

How to make stuffing for turkey Gordon Ramsay? ›

Make the stuffing, melt butter in a large frying pan and gently sauté onion and garlic for five minutes until soft. Stir in the herbs for one minute then add breadcrumbs to absorb butter. Mix in zest, pine nuts and seasoning and cook over medium heat for about seven minutes until crumbs start to brown and crisp.

Is stuffing better with or without eggs? ›

It's a matter of preference, but adding a beaten egg to your stuffing mixture acts as a binder and keeps the bread moist.

Why do people add egg to stuffing? ›

Eggs add richness to the stuffing, and makes it cohere better. I'd use two eggs per pound of bread. I'm a no egg person - and I still stuff the bird (but also do a batch out of the bird). me, too, Chem - I make a boatload of dressing (we never stuff the bird) specifically so I have leftovers to eat with gravy.

What is the best bread to use for stuffing? ›

Sourdough, Italian, and white bread are standard choices for stuffing; however, journeying beyond your comfort zone can produce excellent results.

What is the difference between turkey stuffing and turkey dressing? ›

"Stuffing is cooked in the cavity of the turkey, so the juices soak into the ingredients, making it more flavorful. Dressing gets cooked on its own and needs extra liquid to make it flavorful." So stuffing is cooked inside the bird. Dressing is cooked outside the bird, usually in a casserole dish.

Do you cook stuffing before putting it in the turkey? ›

Fully cook raw meat, poultry, or seafood ingredients before adding to stuffing. Combine the ingredients and place them in your bird immediately before cooking. Don't stuff whole poultry with cooked stuffing. In addition to the turkey, the stuffing's center needs to reach 165 F.

What do Southerners call stuffing? ›

But for the Thanksgiving side dish in the South, the term dressing was adopted in place of stuffing, which was viewed as a crude term, during the Victorian era. Although dressing and stuffing are interchangeable terms, the signature ingredient of this Thanksgiving side dish in the South is cornbread.

Why is my stuffing gummy? ›

If the stuffing came out too wet and soggy (aka bread soup!) try not to over mix it, otherwise it'll turn into mush. Curtis Stone says to pour it on a large sheet tray and spread it out. Bake it on high heat to crisp it up, but make sure it doesn't burn.

Does Pepperidge Farm stuffing go bad? ›

Does a stuffing mix go bad? If you mean the kind you buy in the store dry (such a Pepperidge Farm, no, it does not. It will last practically forever.

Why not cook turkey with stuffing? ›

When stuffed, the turkey's raw juices come in direct contact with the stuffing. This means that in order to be safe to eat, your stuffing has to reach 165°F. But by the time the stuffing is safe, the rest of the turkey will be well over 180°F, and will basically have turned into tough, dry turkey jerky.

Why is turkey stuffing so good? ›

When made from scratch and seasoned right, it is rich, moist and savory, shot through with different textures and flavors that give cooks plenty of room to play. That basic amalgamation of starch, fat and aromatics is indisputably delicious.

What can I use instead of egg to bind stuffing? ›

Some common egg substitutes include:
  1. Mashed banana. Mashed banana can act as a binding agent when baking or making pancake batter. ...
  2. Applesauce. Applesauce can also act as a binding agent. ...
  3. Fruit puree. ...
  4. Avocado. ...
  5. Gelatin. ...
  6. Xanthan gum. ...
  7. Vegetable oil and baking powder. ...
  8. Margarine.
Mar 30, 2021

What do turkeys do with their eggs? ›

Boone: After they lay their eggs, turkeys incubate their nests for 28 days on average. They have precocial young – which means that when they hatch out, they're able to move and forage on their own. They have to be able to hide in the cover of low vegetation so they can escape predators from the ground and the air.

What is the deal with turkey eggs? ›

Turkey eggs can be utilized as food, but due to the small demand and high price they are used almost exclusively for hatching. Broad-Breasted White turkey hens, which are usually kept under intensive husbandry systems, lay their first eggs at 30 weeks of age. The reproductive period is generally 24–30 weeks long.

How do you keep stuffing moist? ›

Typically, baking the stuffing inside the bird helps keep the mixture moist. “I prefer stuffing (in the bird) to dressing (outside of the bird) because all those delicious drippings that come off the turkey gets absorbed right into the stuffing,” Bamford says.

References

Top Articles
Latest Posts
Recommended Articles
Article information

Author: Aron Pacocha

Last Updated:

Views: 5959

Rating: 4.8 / 5 (48 voted)

Reviews: 95% of readers found this page helpful

Author information

Name: Aron Pacocha

Birthday: 1999-08-12

Address: 3808 Moen Corner, Gorczanyport, FL 67364-2074

Phone: +393457723392

Job: Retail Consultant

Hobby: Jewelry making, Cooking, Gaming, Reading, Juggling, Cabaret, Origami

Introduction: My name is Aron Pacocha, I am a happy, tasty, innocent, proud, talented, courageous, magnificent person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.