The Best Savory Stuffings for Thanksgiving

Make Old Fashion Bread, Sausage, Carrot or Rice Stuffing

© Deborah Harding

Nov 8, 2009

It is traditional to serve stuffing with turkey at Thanksgiving and the following are some of the best savory stuffings to use. Most stuffings are made of bread with some vegetables and broth mixed in but there are also rice stuffings that can be quite nice and very different from the norm.

The recipes that follow are very different from each other. The first is a regular old fashion bread stuffing that you can find on any table during Thanksgiving. There are a few options for additions that will make it a little more special. The second is a popular stuffing in the south that uses sausage and bread. The third is an unusual carrot stuffing that is extremely good and will provide some talk at the Thanksgiving table. Be assured everyone will think it is really good. The fourth stuffing is made from wild rice and regular white rice and is a departure from the norm. If you have people that don't like bread stuffing, this is the recipe for you. These recipes all make enough stuffing for a 12 pound turkey. Double or triple them if you are planning on making a bigger turkey.

You can either place the stuffing in the turkey or bake it along side in a pan. If you do stuff the turkey never stuff it and let it sit for awhile. You must put a stuffed turkey in the oven right after stuffing it so that you won't serve your guests a big helping of food poisoning. Also, you must remove the stuffing from the turkey right after baking it for the same reason. If you put it in a baking dish and bake it along side of the turkey the bread stuffing will come out a bit toasty and crunchy, which is the way some people like it. When you cook it in the turkey it is moist.

When you make a bread stuffing the bread needs to be a bit on the stale side in order to suck up all the broth and other juices it needs to give it flavor. Leave the bread out over night or for at least a few hours. It will be easier to cut into cubes if it is slightly crispy anyway.

Old Fashion Bread Stuffing

Ingredients:

• 3-1/2 cups bread cubes
• ½ cup butter, melted
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 cup celery, chopped
• 1 cup mushrooms, sliced
• ¾ cup chicken broth
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 teaspoon dried sage

Directions:

1. Take 1 cup of the bread cubes and saute them in a skillet with the butter until they are browned and toasty.
2. Remove bread cubes and and place in the bowl with the untoasted bread cubes.
3. If the bread has absorbed all the butter in the skillet add a little more and saute the onion and garlic until transparent.
4. Add this whole mixture to the bread in the bowl.
5. To the bread mixture in the bowl add celery, mushrooms, broth, salt, pepper, and sage.
6. Mix well with hands.
7. Stuff into the turkey right before cooking or place in a buttered pan and bake at 350 for 1-1/2 hours or until brown on top.

NOTE: You can add cooked chestnuts, pecans, cranberries, or lobster meat to spice things up.

Sausage and Cornbread Stuffing

Ingredients:

• 1 cup onion, chopped
• 1-1/2 cups celery, chopped
• 1 cup butter
• 8 cups of cornbread, crumbled
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons dried sage
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• ½ teaspoon pepper
• 1 pound pork sausage, browned and crumbled.

Directions:

1. In a skillet cook onion and celery in the butter until onion is tender.
2. Stir in ½ of the cornbread and toast.
3. Place rest of cornbread in a large bowl and add skillet ingredients.
4. Add remaining ingredients making sure the sausage is well browned.
5. Mix with large wooden spoon or hands and stuff in turkey.
6. If making in a pan follow directions in Old Fashion bread stuffing recipe above.

Carrot Stuffing

Ingredients:

• ¾ cup butter
• ¾ cup onion, chopped
• 2-1/2 cups celery, chopped
• 2 -1/2 cups raw carrot, grated
• 3 quarts dried bread cubes
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 3 teaspoons poultry seasonings
• 1 cup chicken broth

Directions:

1. Melt butter in a skillet and add the onion and celery.
2. Saute until onion is tender. Add carrot and saute for about 2 minutes.
3. Place bread crumbs in a large bowl.
4. Add the ingredients in the skillet and the rest of the ingredients.
5. Mix well with wooden spoon or with hands.
6. Proceed as in above recipes.

Wild Rice Stuffing

Ingredients:

• Turkey neck and gizzard
• 1-1/2 cups wild rice (uncooked)
• ½ pound mushrooms, sliced
• 1 cup celery, chopped
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 2 tablespoons butter
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon pepper
• 1 teaspoon thyme
• 1 cup white rice (uncooked)

Directions:

1. In a medium sauce pan put 3 cups of water and bring to a boil.
2. Add the neck and gizzard and simmer for about 15 minutes.
3. Remove and add the wild rice.
4. Cover and cook for about 30 minutes or until all liquid is absorbed. If liquid seems to be running out before the 30 minutes is up add a little more water. If you don't want to cook the neck and gizzard use 2-3/4 cups of chicken broth instead.
5. In a skillet melt the butter and saute celery, onion, and mushrooms until onions is tender.
6. Add the cooked wild rice.
7. Add the seasonings and stuff the turkey.
8. This recipe cannot be cooked in a pan with the turkey it must be stuffed into the turkey.
9. Once the turkey is in the oven cook the white rice and set aside.
10. When you remove the stuffing from the turkey mix in the white rice.

Try one of these savory stuffings with your turkey. You will be sure to find one you like and if not you can try a sweet one.

HOL101

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