Stellas Traditional Turkey Stuffing Recipes

CLASSIC EASY TURKEY STUFFING

Steps:

• In a large frypan fry the bacon until crisp; (do not drain the drippings) remove and crumble; set aside.
• Add 3/4 cup butter (no less than 3/4 cup!) to the bacon drippings and melt.
• Add in chopped celery, onions and garlic; sauté until tender.
• Add HALF of the bread cubes to the butter; stir to coat, and keep stirring with a wooden spoon until the bread cubes are lightly browned and the butter is absorbed.
• Transfer to a large bowl (or finish in the frypan, if you have a large enough frypan to hold all ingredients) and add in remaining bread cubes, salt, pepper and poultry seasoning or sage (if using).
• Add in crumbled bacon and the cranberries or other ingredients that you choose to use; mix to combine.
• Drizzle with the chicken broth (mixing with a wooden spoon) until you have reached the desired moistness, you might have to add in more than 1 cup, but do not add in too much or your bread will become too "soggy".
• Immediately stuff the turkey, and cook.
• **NOTE** the flavor of the stuffing will vary depending on ingredients and type of bread used.

STELLA'S TRADITIONAL TURKEY STUFFING

Steps:

• Combine turkey innards, diced celery, diced carrot, and bay leaf in a pot. Season with salt and pepper and cover with water. Bring to a boil and cook for 1 hour, removing liver after 30 minutes. Remove and discard neck, tail, and bay leaf. Remove remaining innards and put with the liver to cool. Keep broth in the pot.
• Meanwhile, heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook and stir ground beef in the hot skillet until browned and crumbly, 5 to 7 minutes. Drain and discard grease.
• Combine bread cubes, beef, chopped celery, apple, walnuts, poultry seasoning, oregano, sage, thyme, and rosemary in a large bowl. Season with salt and pepper.
• Chop cooled innards into small pieces. Add to the bread mixture and mix until everything is evenly distributed, adding in broth mixture (including cooked celery and carrots) and oil to moisten the dressing to desired texture. Stuffing is ready to bake in the oven or stuff in the bird.

TURKEY AND STUFFING

Steps:

• For the turkey: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Transfer the turkey to a roasting pan, fitted with a roasting rack if desired, and soak the cheesecloth in the butter. Season the bird with salt and pepper. Brush any remaining butter on top of the bird and cover the breasts with the cheesecloth to prevent the top skin from burning before it is cooked. Place the celery, onions, garlic, sage, bay, and rosemary in and around the turkey in the roasting pan - these will be used to make the stuffing when everything is roasted.
• Place the roasting pan in the center of the oven. Cook for about 12 minutes per pound. After about 2 hours of cooking, remove the cheesecloth from the top of the breasts and return the turkey to the oven to cook for 1 more hour. If the tips of the wings start to get too dark, cover with foil to prevent them from burning.
• For the gravy: Place the neck and the chicken stock in a pot and simmer gently on top of the stove as the turkey finishes cooking. The stock should reduce by about half. Season with salt and pepper.
• How do you know when the turkey is done? The temperature of the thigh meat (where the meat is thickest and takes the longest time to cook) should register 165 degrees F when tested with a thermometer. When done, remove the bird from the oven, transfer it to a flat surface (or serving platter), and allow it to rest for 20 to 30 minutes before removing the vegetables for stuffing and carving the meat.
• For the stuffing: Heat a large skillet and add half a stick of butter. Add the sausage and cook until brown and crispy. Reserve any grease and set the sausage in a large bowl with the roasted vegetables from the turkey tray. Add the remaining butter to the pan. Add the cubed sourdough bread and cook, stirring, until they toast golden brown, 6 to 8 minutes. Toss and season with salt and pepper before adding to the bowl with the vegetables. Stir everything together and taste for seasoning, adjusting if necessary.
• For the gravy: Unless the bottom of the roasting pan is burned, you can make delicious gravy. Place the roasting pan over the burners of the stove, add the mustard and marsala to the pan, and warm it over low heat. Scrape the bottom to get the drippings and tasty bits off of the pan as the marsala reduces. Strain the neck out from the stock and pour about 1/2 cup into a small bowl. Whisk the flour into the bowl, taking care there are no lumps. Reduce the marsala until there is almost no liquid. Add the remaining chicken stock and the flour mixture to the roasting pan. Whisk to blend. Taste for seasoning. Reduce until the mixture thickens. Transfer to a gravy boat.
• Allow the turkey to rest for 15 to 20 minutes before carving. Serve sliced turkey with stuffing (dressing) on the side.

BETTY CROCKER'S CLASSIC BREAD TURKEY STUFFING

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.

TURKEY WITH GRANDMA'S STUFFING

Steps:

• Place giblets in a saucepan and cover with water; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 45-50 minutes or until tender. Chop giblets; set broth and giblets aside. , In a large skillet, saute celery and onion in 2 tablespoons butter until tender. In a large bowl, combine bread cubes, celery mixture, giblets, egg substitute and seasonings. Stir in 1 cup giblet broth., Just before roasting, loosely stuff turkey with 8 cups stuffing. Place remaining stuffing in a greased 2-qt. baking dish; 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. Pour 1 cup giblet broth over turkey. Melt remaining butter; brush over turkey. , Bake, uncovered, at 325° for 3-1/2 to 4 hours or until a thermometer reads 165° when inserted in center of stuffing and the thigh reaches at least 170°, basting occasionally. (Cover loosely with foil if turkey browns to quickly.), Bake additional stuffing, covered, for 30-40 minutes. Uncover; bake 10 minutes longer or until lightly browned. Cover turkey and let stand for 20 minutes before removing stuffing and carving turkey. , Pour pan drippings into a 2-cup measuring cup; skim fat. Add water or remaining giblet broth to measure 2 cups. In a saucepan, combine cornstarch and cold water until smooth. Gradually stir in broth mixture. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Serve with turkey.

EASY TURKEY STUFFING

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.

CLASSIC STUFFED TURKEY

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.

LISA'S TRADITIONAL STUFFING

Steps:

• Place bread cubes in a large bowl.
• Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook and stir sausage in the hot skillet until browned and crumbly, 5 to 7 minutes. Add onions, celery, 1/2 cup butter, and garlic. Saute until onions appear translucent, about 5 minutes.
• Add sage, parsley, savory, salt, pepper, Italian seasoning, marjoram, thyme, and nutmeg; mix well. Stir in 1 cup broth.
• Slowly pour broth and sausage mixture over bread cubes, stirring continuously as you pour. Add additional broth and butter as desired.
• Stuffing is ready to bake in the oven or stuff in the bird.

TRADITIONAL TURKEY STUFFING

Steps:

• Prepare stuffing mix as directed on package, adding onions and celery with the stuffing mix.