How to Make Turkey Stuffing

If you think the best part of a turkey dinner is the stuffing – then you’re not alone – so do we! We have put together some helpful tips and tricks as well as how to cook this popular side dish safely and we even included some of our favourite recipes to try.

There are some of us who love turkey, but secretly believe that the best reason for cooking a turkey is the stuffing. The first reference to stuffing comes from the ancient Romans, who wrote about stuffing made from grains, vegetables, herbs, and offal. And they would stuff anything: poultry, pork, rabbit, fish, or meat! In tribute to those days of culinary excess, we now have endless variations of what to add to your base of bread, rice, grains or cornbread to make the perfect stuffing.

We know that putting stuffing into the turkey cavity is unsafe – you can’t get the stuffing to a safe temperature without overcooking the meat. Also, a turkey cavity isn’t big enough for all the stuffing you will want for dinner and leftovers. Here’s a safer way to cook stuffing:

• Prepare the stuffing from your favourite recipe and place it into a greased casserole, or use a foil package for easy clean-up.  

• Add extra moisture to make up for the moisture it will not be drawing out of your turkey.

• For extra flavour, sprinkle the stuffing with turkey drippings, chicken broth or stock. You can make a quick turkey broth by simmering the turkey neck, heart and gizzard. You will find them in the bag inside your turkey, but don’t include the liver as it will make the broth dark. Add water, celery leaves, onion and some seasonings and simmer for at least an hour. Drain and use this broth in your stuffing and gravy. 

• To cook your stuffing, cover and bake at 325°F for 1 to 1 1/2 hours; if you want a crisp top, uncover and bake longer. If there’s not enough room in your oven, make a foil package in a tube shape and wrap it around your roasting turkey.