Easy Turkey Stuffing Recipes and Tips on What Makes the Best Stuffing!

Turkey stuffing recipes that will make your turkeys zing! Not only that but it will improve the shape of the bird, as well as help to increase the number of servings.

The more traditional way of stuffing a turkey is to fill the cavity of the bird with your mixture of choice. I do it this way, and I also place the mixture under the skin above the breast meat. However, there are also those of you who like to place the stuffing in a separate baking tray and cooking it that way.

Either way, we have some good, well-balanced turkey stuffing recipes that won't overpower the delicate meat. It isn't Thanksgiving or Christmas without turkey stuffing and of course the turkey itself!

If you want to save some time on the day, you can make the stuffing the day before and just place it in the fridge.

However, never stuff your turkey on the day before. This should only be done just before you are going to roast it. If you want to you can roast your turkey unstuffed, and roast the stuffing separately.

I like to stuff the turkey cavity as well as under the breast skin. Loosen the breast skin with your hands until you have created a large pocket and then place the stuffing inside this area as well. Because turkey can be a very dry meat if not treated properly, this is an ideal place to put a few knobs of butter as well, so as to make sure that the breast stays moist.

Don't overstuff your turkey. The stuffing will expand, and if you pack it in too tightly it could end up oozing out of the cavity and ending up with a big mess.

See our turkey stuffing recipes here or you can see our page Thanksgiving and Christmas Recipes for more recipes.

Turkey stuffing ingredients always includes a dry base, usually breadcrumbs. However, there are also recipes out there that will use cooked rice - not my favorite choice - or even mashed potatoes.

Most of these turkey stuffing recipes use breadcrumbs as a base. Don't add too much butter to loosen your stuffing as it will take up a lot of the moisture from the turkey anyway while it is cooking.

Savory Turkey Stuffing

You may need to increase the above mixture, or decrease it accordingly, depending on the size of your turkey. However, this recipe is good for an average sized bird. Melt butter, margarine, or poultry fat in fry pan. Add celery, parsley, and onion. Cook a few minutes. Add to crumbs with the seasonings. Mix lightly but thoroughly. Add nuts, if desired.

See table above for quarts of breadcrumbs needed for bird or part to be roasted. Multiply quantity of each ingredient in recipe by this number.

Heat oysters gently in their own liquid a few minutes. Drain. Melt butter, margarine, or poultry fat in a fry pan, add parsley and onion, and cook a few minutes. Mix all lightly together.

Sausage Turkey Stuffing with Bacon

1 lb pork sausage meat
4 rashers of bacon, chopped
1 large onion, chopped
1 cup soft breadcrumbs
6 sage leaves, finely chopped
4 tablespoons parsley, finely chopped
1/2 cup celery, finely chopped
1/2 cup walnuts, roughly chopped
1 egg
Salt and Pepper to taste

This is my own sausage stuffing that I have been making for years. It evolved from some basic recipes eons ago, and now it is something that is looked forward to by the family every year. Mix altogether and stuff the turkey. Any extra stuffing is placed under the skin of the breast, with an addition of a couple of knobs of butter to keep the skin moist. I think this is the best turkey stuffing recipe, however, I am biased on this one!

Roast Turkey Cranberry and Almond Stuffing

3 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium-sized onion, chopped
1/4 pound mushrooms, chopped
1/3 cup (2 ounces) slivered blanched almonds
1/2 cup seedless dried cranberries
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1 (14-1/2-ounce) can chicken broth
8 ounces of cubed, fried croutons

Preheat oven to 350°F.  Grease a 1 quart baking dish well with olive oil.
 
Heat oil in a large frying pan over a medium heat. Add onion, mushrooms, almonds, dried cranberries, salt, and ginger, and sauté for 6 to 8 minutes, or until onions and mushrooms are tender. Add the chicken broth and bring to the boil.
 
Remove from heat and add the fried croutons; mix well and place in a baking dish. Cover and bake  for 30 minutes until cooked.

Roast Turkey Chestnut Stuffing

I have to confess, I cannot stand chestnuts. I think that they are the most awful nuts going. Soft, tasteless, floury ... however, there are some out there who absolutely love them, so this is a recipe for you, if you do.

1 turkey
50 chestnuts, boiled
2 marrow bones, cooked

Boil the chestnuts, remove the shells and skin, and mince finely. Remove the marrow from the 2 marrow bones and mix in with the chestnuts. Stuff the turkey with the chestnut mixture.

Put some melted butter over the turkey, sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste. Sprinkle over a little flour and place in the oven to roast.

Potato Turkey Stuffing

1 quart mashed potato
1 cup soft breadcrumbs
1/4 cup butter
1 beaten egg
1 teaspoon poultry seasoning
salt and pepper to taste

Mix altogether and stuff accordingly.

Bread and Bacon Stuffing

4 cups soft breadcrumbs
2 cups celery, finely chopped
3 rashers bacon, chopped
1/2 cup parsley, chopped
1/2 cup onion, grated
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 beaten egg
1/2 cup melted butter
pinch thyme
salt and pepper to taste

Mix all ingredients together and stuff the turkey with it.

Rice Turkey Stuffing

turkey giblets, cooked and chopped
1 cup rice, uncooked
zest of 1 lemon
1 large onion, grated
1cup celery, finely chopped
1 tablespoon butter
1/2 teaspoon mixed dried herbs
2 tablespoons chopped parsley
a pinch of thyme
salt and pepper to taste

Cook rice and lemon zest in salted water for 15 minutes, or until cooked. Lightly fry onions and celery in the butter until onions are transparent. Add rice, cooked giblets, herbs and season to taste. Stuff the turkey accordingly.

Apple and Orange Turkey Stuffing (for a 12 pound turkey)

12 cups soft bread crumbs
2 green apples, peeled and diced
1 cup celery, minced
1 large onion, chopped
zest of 1orange
flesh of 1 orange, cut up
1/4 cup melted butter
1 teaspoon dried sage
1 teaspoon poultry seasoning
salt and pepper to taste

Mix altogether and stuff the turkey with the mixture.

Turkey Stuffing in a Roasting Pan

For those of you who like to cook your stuffing separately, here is a very nice stuffing recipe that uses pork sausage meat and cranberries - a very good match and with this recipe even the chestnuts taste good!

Chestnut, Cranberry and Bacon Stuffing

1/2 cup dried cranberries
1/4 cup port
4 rashers bacon, chopped
1 medium, brown onion, finely chopped
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 1/2 cups minced pork
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
1 teaspoon thyme, dried or 2 teaspoons fresh
1 cup minced chestnuts, previously boiled
2 1/2 cups soft breadcrumbs
1 egg
salt and pepper to taste

Pre-soak dried cranberries in the port for at least 45 - 60 minutes. Fry bacon and onions together in the olive oil until onion is lightly brown. Remove from heat and place into a mixing bowl. Add the rest of the ingredients. Form the meat mixture into little balls. Wet your hands first, it makes the mixture easier to handle.

Cook in a moderate oven (350 degrees F./180 degrees C.) for about 30-40 minutes, or until cooked.  Serve with prunes or cooked cocktail sausages wrapped in bacon slices that have been placed under a hot grill for a few minutes.

Well, that's it folks! Wishing you all, a very Merry Christmas or Happy Thanksgiving, wherever you are!

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