Thanksgiving is incomplete without a delicious, comforting stuffing. Sonya's special homemade stuffing is packed with flavor and is sure to impress your family and friends. Made with a combination of savory sausage, aromatic vegetables, crunchy nuts, and a medley of herbs, this stuffing is a perfect accompaniment to the roasted turkey. Furthermore, this recipe provides three additional stuffing variations: a classic bread stuffing, a flavorful cornbread stuffing, and a delightful wild rice stuffing. Each variation offers a unique twist on the classic stuffing, allowing you to choose the one that best suits your taste preferences. Whether you prefer the traditional bread stuffing, the slightly sweet cornbread stuffing, or the nutty wild rice stuffing, you're sure to find a recipe that will elevate your Thanksgiving feast.
Check out the recipes below so you can choose the best recipe for yourself!
EASY TURKEY STUFFING
Want to make great turkey stuffing? Here are the basics for how to make turkey stuffing with easy variations to make it your own. Gather your helpers around to chop up onion, celery, carrots, bread and parsley. Use Progresso™ chicken broth for a flavorful way to keep it moist. All that's left is to stuff your turkey and get ready to see delighted faces at the table. Enjoy!
Provided by By Betty Crocker Kitchens
Categories Side Dish
Time 20m
Yield 18
Number Of Ingredients 10
Steps:
- In 10-inch skillet, melt butter over medium-high heat. Add onion, celery and carrots; cook, stirring occasionally, until tender.
- In large bowl, mix bread cubes, parsley, poultry seasoning, salt and pepper. Add broth and butter-onion mixture, stirring until desired moistness (stuffing will become a little more moist during roasting because it will absorb juices from turkey).
- Use to stuff 1 (14- to 18-lb) turkey. After stuffing turkey, place any remaining stuffing in 1- or 2-quart casserole that has been sprayed with cooking spray; cover and refrigerate. Bake stuffing in casserole with turkey for last 35 to 40 minutes of roasting time or until thoroughly heated.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 70, Carbohydrate 9 g, Cholesterol 5 mg, Fat 1/2, Fiber 0 g, Protein 1 g, SaturatedFat 2 g, ServingSize 1/2 Cup, Sodium 280 mg, Sugar 1 g, TransFat 0 g
CLASSIC STUFFED TURKEY
For years, my mother has made this moist stuffed turkey recipe. Now, I do the same thing. The turkey stuffing nicely compliments the tender, juicy slices of oven-roasted turkey. -Kathi Graham, Naperville, Illinois
Provided by Taste of Home
Categories Dinner
Time 4h5m
Yield 12 servings (10 cups stuffing).
Number Of Ingredients 14
Steps:
- In a large skillet, saute the onions, celery and mushrooms in butter until tender. Add broth and seasonings; mix well. Place bread cubes in a large bowl; add mushroom mixture and toss to coat. Stir in enough warm water to reach desired moistness. , Just before baking, loosely stuff turkey. Place any remaining stuffing in a greased baking dish; cover and refrigerate until ready to bake. Skewer turkey openings; tie drumsticks together with kitchen string. Place breast side up on a rack in a roasting pan. Brush with melted butter., Bake turkey, uncovered, at 325° for 3-3/4 to 4-1/2 hours or until a thermometer reads 180° for the turkey and 165° for the stuffing, basting occasionally with pan drippings. (Cover loosely with foil if turkey browns too quickly.), Bake additional stuffing, covered, for 30-40 minutes. Uncover; bake 10 minutes longer or until lightly browned. Cover turkey with foil and let stand for 20 minutes before removing stuffing and carving. If desired, thicken pan drippings for gravy.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 571 calories, Fat 26g fat (11g saturated fat), Cholesterol 153mg cholesterol, Sodium 961mg sodium, Carbohydrate 42g carbohydrate (5g sugars, Fiber 4g fiber), Protein 44g protein.
SONYA'S SPECIAL TURKEY STUFFING
Cooking low fat is important to me. I developed this stuffing recipe when my father had surgery and needed to go on a low fat diet. Chicken broth and fat free butter flavored granules provide traditional holiday flavor and keep the stuffing moist.
Provided by SONYA FAUVER
Categories Bread Stuffing and Dressing
Time 35m
Yield 20
Number Of Ingredients 8
Steps:
- In a large skillet over medium heat, combine the fat free butter flavored granules and 1 cup chicken broth. Heat until boiling. Mix in the celery, onion and mushrooms. Slowly cook and stir 5 minutes, or until vegetables are soft.
- Place the Italian-style bread crumbs and regular bread crumbs in a large bowl. Blend in the chicken broth mixture. Pour in remaining chicken broth and salt-free herb and spice blend. Mix thoroughly.
- Stuff the Thanksgiving bird or bake in a cake pan at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for approximately 15 minutes.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 105.2 calories, Carbohydrate 19.2 g, Cholesterol 0.2 mg, Fat 1.3 g, Fiber 1.6 g, Protein 3.9 g, SaturatedFat 0.3 g, Sodium 380.3 mg, Sugar 1.9 g
BETTY CROCKER'S CLASSIC BREAD TURKEY STUFFING
This is the stuffing that my mom makes very Thanksgiving, and it's absolutely divine. The holiday just isn't the same without the taste of this dish. The day after it's cooked, it's wonderful cold, too! This recipe makes enough for a 12-pound turkey, about three quarts of stuffing.
Provided by Julesong
Categories Chicken
Time 15m
Yield 3 quarts
Number Of Ingredients 9
Steps:
- In a large, heavy skillet over medium heat melt the butter, then sauté the onion and celery (and mushroom, if using) until the onion is soft, stirring occasionally.
- Stir in the salt, pepper, and sage and cook for an additional 3 minutes.
- Place the bread cubes into a large, deep bowl.
- Pour 1/4 cup of the butter/celery mixture over the cubes and toss well, then repeat steps until all of the butter mixture is used.
- Toss the cubes thoroughly to coat.
- (Regarding the optional chicken broth: for dry stuffing, add little or no liquid; for moist stuffing mix in lightly with fork just enough chicken broth to moisten dry crumbs.) Let cool and use as stuffing for the turkey.
- We've made this stuffing in the crockpot, as well, adding the chicken broth for moistness.
- Adapted from Betty Crocker's Picture Cook Book, circa 1950.
- Note: regardling the amount of salt - yes, the amount listed above is correct and is what is listed in the original Betty Crocker recipe. When the butter mixture is first added to the bread, if you taste it at this point it might seem salty (because it is sitting right on the surface of the bread) but remember that the liquid and butter soaks into the bread and redistributes evenly. Also, this recipe, being from the 1950s, is specifically for cooking *inside* the turkey, which a lot of people no longer do, and again the salt will redistribute from the juices in the meat. If you use a crockpot for cooking your stuffing, I'd recommend reducing the amount of salt.
- Note #2: again, regarding the salt. You're going to have to decide for yourself about the salt. Having eaten this recipe for every year of my life I know it tastes wonderful as it's written. But that's just me.
CLASSIC ROAST TURKEY WITH HERBED STUFFING AND OLD-FASHIONED GRAVY
After trying every turkey-roasting method under the sun, I've finally settled on this as absolutely the best. The secret? Slow down the cooking of the breast area, which tends to get overcooked and dried out before the dark meat is done, with a cover of aluminum foil. These instructions are for a 12-pound turkey, which serves eight people. But you can easily scale it up for a bigger bird. Estimate about one pound of meat per person (one and a half pounds if you want lots of leftovers) and refer to the chart in the Test-Kitchen Tips, below, for the scaled-up cooking times.
Provided by Rick Rodgers
Categories turkey Roast Thanksgiving
Yield Makes 8 servings
Number Of Ingredients 8
Steps:
- Place oven rack in lowest position and preheat oven to 325°F. Butter 8-inch square baking dish or 2-quart casserole. Lightly brush roasting rack with vegetable oil and place in roasting pan.
- Remove plastic or paper packet of giblets from turkey (usually in small cavity). Remove from packaging and rinse; reserve gizzard and heart; discard floppy, dark purple liver. Remove neck from large cavity. Remove from packaging, rinse, and reserve. Using tweezers or needlenose pliers, remove any feathers and quills still attached to skin (kosher turkeys tend to require this more than others). Pull off and reserve any visible pale yellow knobs of fat from either side of tail (not found on all birds).
- Rinse turkey inside and out with cold water and pat dry. Loosely fill small (neck) cavity with stuffing. Fold neck skin under body and fasten with metal skewer. Loosely fill large body cavity with stuffing. Transfer remaining stuffing to buttered dish and drizzle with 1/4 cup stock. Cover with aluminum foil and refrigerate until ready to bake.
- Transfer turkey, breast-side up, to rack in roasting pan. Tuck wing tips under breast and tie drumsticks loosely together with kitchen string. Rub turkey all over with softened butter and sprinkle with 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Tightly cover breast area with foil, leaving wings, thighs, and drumsticks exposed.
- Transfer gizzard, heart, neck, and reserved turkey fat to roasting pan around rack. Pour 2 cups stock into pan.
- Roast turkey 45 minutes. Baste with pan juices (lift up foil to reach breast area) and continue roasting, basting every 45 minutes, 1 1/2 hours more (2 1/4 hours total). Baste again and, if pan juices have evaporated into glaze, add 1 cup stock to pan. Roast another 45 minutes (3 hours total). Remove foil from breast area, baste, and add stock if necessary, until instant-read thermometer inserted into fleshy part of thigh (close to but not touching bone) registers 180°F, about 1 hour more (4 hours total).
- Insert instant-read thermometer into center of stuffing in body cavity. If thermometer does not read 165°F, transfer stuffing to microwave-safe baking dish and microwave on high until 165°F, about 3 minutes for 10 degrees. Cover and keep warm. Using turkey holders (or by inserting large metal serving spoon into body cavity), transfer turkey to large serving platter. Let stand 30 minutes before carving.
- Meanwhile, bake extra stuffing and make gravy: Raise oven temperature to 350°F. Remove giblets and neck from roasting pan and discard. Pour pan juices into measuring cup or gravy separator. Let stand until fat rises to top, 1 to 2 minutes, then skim off and reserve fat or, if using separator, carefully pour juices into measuring cup, reserving fat left in separator.
- Transfer foil-covered dish of extra stuffing to oven and bake 10 minutes. Meanwhile, add enough remaining stock to pan juices to total 4 cups. Measure turkey fat, adding melted butter if necessary to total 6 tablespoons. Straddle roasting pan across 2 burners on moderate heat and add fat. Whisk in flour, scraping up browned bits on bottom of pan, then cook, whisking constantly, 1 minute. Whisk in pan juice-stock mixture and bring to a boil, whisking often. Reduce heat to moderately low and simmer, whisking occasionally, until gravy thickens, about 5 minutes. Whisk in remaining 3/4 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper and keep warm. (Gravy can be kept warm over very low heat, covered, up to 20 minutes. If it thickens, thin with additional stock before serving. If skin forms on top, whisk well to dissolve.)
- When extra stuffing has baked 10 minutes, remove foil and bake, uncovered, until heated through, about 10 minutes. Pour gravy through fine-mesh sieve into large bowl, then transfer to gravy boat. Carve turkey and serve gravy and stuffing alongside.
- Test-Kitchen Tips:
- •To combat dryness, most frozen turkeys and some fresh are injected with a saline solution. This is not a good thing, though: Injected birds generally lack flavor and can have a mushy texture. For this reason, we recommend buying a fresh turkey and checking the label to be sure there aren't any additives. (Look for the words "all natural.") Don't be too concerned, though, with the many other terms that can be applied to turkeys, such as free-range, organic, or heritage. All can be excellent.
- •When buying a fresh bird, be sure to purchase it no more than two days before Thanksgiving. If you must get a frozen bird, defrost it in the refrigerator in a pan to catch drips, allowing a full 24 hours for each 5 pounds.
- •Warm, moist stuffing is an optimal environment for bacteria such as salmonella or E. coli to multiply, so it's important to follow safe procedures. Be sure to make the stuffing at the last minute so it can go into the bird warm. This helps it move above the "danger zone" (the optimal temperature range for bacteria growth) more quickly during roasting. When you remove the turkey from the oven, be sure to check the temperature in the middle of the stuffing to make sure it's 165°F, the temperature at which bacteria will be killed. If it's not 165°F, scoop it out of the cavity and microwave it as directed in the recipe.
- •More stuffing tips: Be sure not to overpack the cavities, as the stuffing will expand during cooking. Loosely fill the turkey, then spread the extra in a casserole dish (no more than 2 inches deep) and bake it after the turkey comes out (be sure to refrigerate it until then to impede bacteria growth). Drizzle the portion in the casserole dish with extra stock to make up for the juices it won't get from the turkey. If you want the stuffing that's cooked inside the turkey to be extra-moist (as opposed to having a crisp crust where it's exposed), cover the exposed portion with a small piece of aluminum foil.
- •Opinions vary on whether or not to stuff the bird-some people think it can cause uneven cooking. If you prefer not to stuff your bird, fill the cavities with a chopped vegetable and herb mixture that will impart its flavor to the meat and pan juices: Chop 1 onion, 1 celery rib with leaves, 1 carrot, and 3 tablespoons fresh parsley. Mix this with 1 teaspoon each dried rosemary, sage, and thyme. Sprinkle the cavities with salt and freshly ground black pepper and place the mixture inside. An unstuffed bird will take about 15 minutes to a half hour less to cook than a stuffed bird. When the turkey is cooked, tilt it to allow any juices that have collected in the cavity to drain into the pan. Do not serve the vegetable mixture, as it may not have cooked to a safe temperature.
- •This recipe can easily be scaled up to serve more people. Estimate about 1 to 1 1/2 pounds per person. Cooking times (for a stuffed bird, cooked at 325°F to an internal temperature of 180°F) will be as follows: 8 to 12 pounds: 3 to 3 1/2 hours 12 to 14 pounds: 3 1/2 to 4 hours 14 to 18 pounds: 4 to 4 1/4 hours 18 to 20 pounds: 4 1/4 to 4 3/4 hours 20 to 24 pounds: 4 3/4 to 5 1/4 hours
- •Some experts prefer to cook their turkeys to an internal temperature of 170°F (rather than 180°F, as in this recipe). If you don't mind having the meat slightly pink, this is perfectly safe and makes it more moist. However, Rick Rodgers, who created this recipe, believes that the dark meat in particular does not achieve its optimum flavor and texture until it reaches 180°F. If you choose to stuff your turkey and cook it to only 170°F, its stuffing will almost definitely not reach the safe temperature of 165°F. When you remove the turkey from the oven, be sure to check the temperature in the center of the stuffing, and if necessary remove it and microwave it as directed in the recipe.
- •Letting the turkey stand for half an hour after it comes out of the oven is an essential part of the roasting process. When meat roasts, its juices move to the outer edge of the flesh. Letting it rest gives the juices time to redistribute, making for a moister turkey. An added bonus: The resting time provides an excellent window of opportunity to make the gravy and reheat the side dishes. There's no need to cover the bird-it'll stay warm enough, and covering it would only soften the crispy skin.
TURKEY STUFFING SOUP
This is a Thanksgiving tradition in our family. I've never seen a similar recipe anywhere else!
Provided by AuLait
Categories Soups, Stews and Chili Recipes Soup Recipes Turkey Soup Recipes
Time 1h55m
Yield 8
Number Of Ingredients 10
Steps:
- Melt butter in a stockpot over low heat. Add celery, carrots, onion; cook and stir until tender, 8 to 10 minutes. Stir in turkey, stuffing, tomatoes, and parsley. Pour in turkey stock. Bring soup to a boil; reduce heat and simmer, partially covered, until flavors combine, about 1 hour.
- Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook egg noodles in the boiling water, stirring occasionally until tender yet firm to the bite, 7 to 9 minutes. Drain.
- Scoop hot noodles into deep serving bowls; ladle soup on top.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 296 calories, Carbohydrate 22.8 g, Cholesterol 62.6 mg, Fat 14.1 g, Fiber 2.9 g, Protein 20.4 g, SaturatedFat 5.6 g, Sodium 892.1 mg, Sugar 5.4 g
EASY BEGINNER'S TURKEY WITH STUFFING
This easy to make turkey is great for beginners, but experts will find it equally delicious. Adjust the cooking time for different sized birds.
Provided by DD123
Categories Meat and Poultry Recipes Turkey Whole Turkey Recipes
Time 4h30m
Yield 12
Number Of Ingredients 9
Steps:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Rinse turkey, remove giblets and place in a shallow roasting pan.
- Prepare stuffing according to package directions. Mix in water.
- Melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat, and slowly cook and stir the celery and onion until tender.
- Mix celery, onion, and toasted bread pieces into the stuffing, and season with salt and pepper. Loosely scoop stuffing into the turkey body cavity and neck cavity. Rub the exterior of the turkey with vegetable oil.
- Loosely cover turkey with aluminum foil, and roast 3 1/2 to 4 hours in the preheated oven, until the thickest part of the thigh reaches 180 degrees F (85 degrees C) and the interior of the stuffing reaches 165 degrees F (70 degrees C). Remove foil during the last half hour of cooking to brown the bird.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 834.7 calories, Carbohydrate 15.6 g, Cholesterol 311.4 mg, Fat 40.4 g, Fiber 0.8 g, Protein 95 g, SaturatedFat 11.4 g, Sodium 592.6 mg, Sugar 1.8 g
Tips:
- Use fresh, high-quality ingredients for the best flavor.
- Don't overstuff the turkey, or it will not cook evenly.
- Make sure the stuffing is moist, but not soggy.
- If you are using a store-bought stuffing mix, add some fresh herbs and vegetables to give it more flavor.
- Bake the stuffing in a covered dish to keep it moist.
- Let the stuffing rest for a few minutes before serving, so that it can absorb all of the flavors.
Conclusion:
Sonya's special turkey stuffing is a delicious and easy-to-make side dish that is perfect for Thanksgiving or any other special occasion. With its moist, flavorful and easy to digest ingredients, this stuffing is sure to be a hit with everyone at the table. So next time you're looking for a special stuffing recipe, give Sonya's a try. You won't be disappointed!
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