Thanksgiving Stuffing Recipes

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With thanksgiving around the corner, have you started scrounging for turkey stuffing recipes? Well, you don't have to look too far! Here are some ideas to make scrumptious turkey stuffing.

Now that you have decided to roast a plump, juicy turkey for Thanksgiving, the first step is to either book your bird at the butchers' or buy frozen turkey well in advance. Normally, a fresh bird is more expensive than a frozen one.

Depending upon the number of people, you will require 1 to 1½ pounds of meat per person. Next comes the delicious stuffing. You can choose from the traditional stuffing to exotic one involving dry fruits and rice. Some recipes mentioned here have been influenced by other cuisines in the world.

Recipes for Thanksgiving Turkey Stuffing

Before we begin, here are some basics. ✔ While stuffing the bird, the appropriate amount of stuffing needed is ½ to ¾ cup per pound of meat. ✔ The skin of the turkey needs to be brushed with oil or butter.

✔ It is good to use a meat thermometer to ascertain whether or not the meat is getting appropriately cooked. ✔ Remember, the turkey is done when the internal temperature reaches 165ºF. ✔ Never judge whether the turkey is done on the basis of the visible change in its skin color.

Traditional Stuffing for Thanksgiving

This is a traditional bread stuffing recipe. It will make stuffing for about 12 pounds of turkey, that would easily serve approximately 10 people.

Ingredients Thyme - ½ tsp. Marjoram - 1 tsp. Poultry seasoning - 2 tsp. Sage - 2 tsp. Butter - ¼ cup Celery chopped with leaves - 1½ cup Egg (beaten) - 1 Chicken broth - 2 cups Chopped onions - 2 cups Apples (peeled and chopped) - 2 French bread - 1 loaf Salt and pepper to taste

Method Begin by cutting the French loaf into pieces. In an oven, toast the bread at 200ºF. Take a pan and melt butter in it. Add onions, celery, and apples to the melted butter and let it all cook, till the onions become soft. In a bowl, take the toasted bread pieces and add onion, celery, and apple mixture to it. Now, add all the seasoning to this mixture.

Next, add chicken broth to the mixture. Do not add the entire broth at once. Add only ⅓ of a cup at a time, else the bread may become soggy. You may not require all the chicken broth. Mix all the ingredients using a fork and then add the beaten egg and mix thoroughly.

Low-fat Stuffing

For all health-conscious people, this is a wonderful vegetarian stuffing recipe. Find the ingredients mentioned here.

Ingredients Dried sage - 1 tbsp. Dried thyme - 1 tbsp. White wine - ½ cup Onion (chopped) - 1 Celery - 1 stalk Garlic (minced) - 5 to 10 cloves Whole wheat bread cubes - 1 pound Mushrooms (sliced) - 1 pound Veggie broth - as needed Salt and pepper to taste

Method Sauté all vegetables in white wine. As the vegetables are sautéing, add herbs to it. Cook till the vegetables are soft. In an oven, toast bread cubes at 200ºF. Make sure the bread gets a crunchy texture.

Take a large baking bowl and put the toasted bread cubes in it. Now add the vegetable mixture to it. Add broth, so that the mixture is moist but not soggy. Cover the bowl and bake it approximately for 30 minutes. Uncover the bowl and let it bake for another 15 minutes.

Herbs and Dry Fruit Stuffing

This is the best stuffing recipe we have, by far, come across. You can use this recipe for Thanksgiving as well as your Christmas dinner banquet. We can tell you, it will be a big hit with everyone!

Ingredients Dried thyme - 1 tsp. Dried ground sage - 1 tsp. Pepper - ½ tsp. Olive oil - 1 tbsp. Walnuts, chopped - ½ cup Fresh parsley, minced - ½ cup Celery (chopped) - 1 cup Chicken broth - 1 to 1½ cup Fresh cornbread cubes - 6 cups Onion (finely chopped) - 1 Apples (peeled and diced) - 2 medium Salt to taste

Method Preheat the oven to 350ºF and toast the bread cubes for approximately 8 to 10 minutes, or till they become light brown. Remove them from the oven and put them in a large bowl. In a large skillet, heat olive oil. Thereafter, add onions and celery to it and cook till the onions become translucent.

After the onions are cooked, add apples and cook for 5 minutes. Now pour this mixture on the bread cubes, add the rest of the ingredients, and mix well. After mixing well, pour the entire mixture in a baking pan. Make sure you spray the baking pan with cooking spray. Cover the pan and bake for 20 minutes. Remove the cover and bake for another 10 minutes.

Pork Sausage Stuffing

This is another of my favorite recipes. With this recipe, you will be able to serve about 10 to 12 people.

Ingredients Soft white bread, cubed - 6 cups Chicken broth - 1 cup Eggs, lightly beaten - 2 Celery, chopped - 2 stalks Steak sauce - 1 tsp. Poultry seasoning - 2 tsp. Salt - 1 tbsp. Onions, chopped - 4 Crumbled cornbread - 6 cups Ground sage pork sausage - 1½ pounds

Method In a large bowl, add sausages, cooked onions, celery, cornbread, white bread, chicken broth, and eggs. Add the seasonings, steak sauce, and salt to it and mix well.

In a skillet, place the sausages over medium heat. Cook the sausages well by breaking them apart with a fork. The sausages should become evenly brown. Keep the sausages aside but do not throw away the pan juices, as we will use it further in the recipe.

In the pan juices, cook onions and celery. The onion should be cooked until it becomes brown. Remove the extra juices. Now stuff the turkey with it and roast till the meat becomes brown in color.

Creamy Rice and Cranberry Stuffing

This recipe, strange as it sounds, makes for an absolutely rich and creamy stuffing with a surprisingly interesting twist to its taste. This recipe would suffice for stuffing a medium to large turkey, which can sufficiently serve 10-12 people.

Ingredients Mushrooms, sliced - 4 cups Water - 3 cups Onions, chopped - 2 Powdered basil - 1½ tsp. Powdered thyme - 1½ tsp. Vegetable oil - 3 tbsp. Arborio rice - 1½ cups Cranberries (preferably fresh) - 3 cups Salt to taste

Method Heat a skillet and pour vegetable oil in it. As soon as the oil is sufficiently hot and starts smoking, lower the flame and add the rest of the ingredients. Sauté on a medium flame.

Cook rice by boiling it in water till it has assumed a soft and smooth texture. When you feel the rice has been cooked, check for tenderness by taking a couple of grains on a teaspoon and pressing on them with a finger. When the onions turn golden brown and tender, add rice to it and stir properly to blend the mixture well. Remove from flame and set aside.

These recipes are sure to help you lend a special touch to your Thanksgiving banquet. You can use the aforementioned recipes to prepare a grand feast for Thanksgiving as well as Christmas.

Before we end, here are some quick and really helpful tips for you. ♨ Stuff the turkey just before it goes in the oven. It is recommended to have moist, and not overly dry stuffing. ♨ The mixture should be stuffed loosely inside the turkey so that it cooks well.

♨ Cook the turkey at a proper temperature to avoid it being uncooked or undercooked, and consequently avoid food borne illnesses. Let the festive spirit permeate the festive banquet and give in to the joys of celebrating this fabulous Holiday season!