How to Make Traditional Turkey Stuffing

What's the one dish you look for at Thanksgiving and Christmas Dinner? Well, besides the turkey (or ham), of course, I always look forward to the stuffing. Stuffing can be cooked inside the bird or separately. It's true that baking the stuffing inside the turkey has a health risk, but if you take proper precautions you will be fine. Let's take a look at how to make an easy traditional turkey stuffing that's sure to be a hit with your family and friends this holiday.

First, go ahead and decide now whether you want to put the stuffing in the bird or if you want to just make it and store it separately. If you choose to stuff your turkey, then you MUST put the stuffing in the completely thawed turkey and immediately place it all in the oven. Do not stuff a turkey that's frozen, still thawing, or that's going to sit in the refrigerator a bit longer. Also, if you have any uncooked stuffing ingredients, it's generally a good idea to go ahead and cook those before going inside the turkey.

Now we need the stuffing recipe. For my easy, traditional turkey stuffing, I use:

1/2 cup of butter

1 1/2 cups of small, chopped celery

1 cup of small, chopped onion

1/2 cup of parsley

1 pound of dry bread crumbs (store-bought)

1 1/2 teaspoons of salt

1/4 teaspoon of pepper

1 tablespoon of sage

1 cup of turkey broth

To begin making my stuffing, I bring out the frying pan and melt the butter. Then I add the celery, parsley, and onion and cook those for a few minutes. I do not cook them long enough to allow them to brown though. Set the pan aside. Grab the bread crumbs and pour them in a large bowl. Stir in the salt, pepper, and sage. Now add the cooked celery, onions, and parsley. Finally pour in the broth slowly as you mix it all up. You may not need all the broth, just enough to bring the mix together. You don't want it soupy, but you don't want it clumpy either.

If you wanted to bake the stuffing in the turkey, use a spoon and put the mix into the clean, completely thawed turkey. Bake in your preheated oven at 325-350. You will obviously not be able to take it out until the turkey is also done. A thermometer will read 180-185 in a done turkey thigh, and the center of the stuffing should be at least 165. Once you have both those readings, you can take the turkey out of the oven.

On the other hand, if you decided to cook the stuffing separately, butter up a casserole dish. Place the stuffing in it and bake in your preheated oven at 325 for roughly 45 minutes.

Stuffing is a traditional dish that's served during the holidays. Don't let a hard-to-follow, time-consuming recipe get in the way of you having this desirable dish on your dinner table. Use the above quick and easy guide and you'll have one yummy turkey stuffing without all the fuss, confusion, and mess.