What temperature do you cook stuffing outside the bird

How To Make Bread Stuffing (Dressing) for Thanksgiving

Learn how to make an easy stuffing (dressing) for Thanksgiving with this step-by-step guide.

Table of Contents Show

How To Make Bread Stuffing (Dressing) for Thanksgiving
Ingredients
Instructions
Recipe Notes
What temperature should stuffing be cooked at?
How do you keep stuffing moist when cooking?
How do you keep stuffing warm when moist?
How do I make sure stuffing is cooked?

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(Image credit: Emma Christensen)

Anyone else here think that the stuffing is the best part of Thanksgiving dinner? I love its mix of textures and flavors — crunchy roasted nuts with soft broth-soaked bread and chewy morsels of spiced sausage. Oh mama, that’s good stuff! As the self-designated stuffing-maker in our house, I’ve tweaked and tested my recipe over the years until finally settling on this one easy method.

I find that the key to good stuffing is twofold: the proportion of ingredients and the amount of stock used to soak the bread. With the ingredients, you want a little taste of each thing every few bites. For me, this means a healthy cup or so each of nuts, sausage, vegetables, and fruit. The bread binds everything together, so I always pick a good one. Sourdough is my favorite, though one year I used pumpkin bread for a fantastic sweet-savory twist.

I always bake my stuffing separately from the turkey, opting for more control over the cooking rather than tradition. I also like my stuffing fairly moist, like a panade, so I add enough broth to come about 3/4 up the side of the baking dish — this is roughly 3 to 4 cups when baking in a 3-quart casserole dish. If you don’t like your stuffing quite so saturated, use less stock.

A few other tricks for great stuffing? Toast the bread until it’s completely dry; this helps it to absorb the stock and also hold its shape during cooking. Toast the nuts while you’re at it. If you don’t like fruit in your stuffing, add extra vegetables instead. You can toast the bread and cook the sausage filling the day ahead to save yourself some time on Thanksgiving, but wait to mix it with the egg or stock until just before cooking.

How do you like your stuffing? Have your own tips or suggestions to share?

Learn how to make an easy stuffing (dressing) for Thanksgiving with this step-by-step guide.

Ingredients

1 (1 to 1 1/2-pound) loaf
crusty bread
1 cup
walnuts, almonds, pecans, or other nuts, coarsely chopped
1 pound
uncooked sausage (casings removed), ground beef, ground turkey, or ground chicken
1
large yellow onion, diced
3
medium celery stalks, diced
2 tablespoons
fresh sage, thyme, or oregano leaves, minced
1
large apples or 1 cup raisins, dried cranberries, or other dried fruit (optional)
1 to 2 teaspoons
kosher salt
3
large eggs, lightly beaten
2 to 4 cups
low-sodium chicken or turkey broth

Instructions

Toast the bread and nuts. Arrange 2 racks to divide the oven into thirds and heat the oven to 350°F. Cut the bread into small cubes, removing the crusts if desired. Divide the cubes between 2 rimmed baking sheets and spread into an even layer. Toast for 10 minutes. Stir the bread cubes and spread back into an even layer. Sprinkle with the chopped nuts. Continue toasting until the bread is completely dry and the nuts are toasted, 8 to 10 minutes more. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool. Increase the oven temperature to 400°F.
Cook the sausage. Heat a large frying pan over medium heat. Add the sausage or other ground meat and sprinkle with salt. Break the meat up into crumbles and cook until browned and cooked through, about 10 minutes (see how in this post). Using a slotted spoon, transfer the meat to a large bowl and drain off all but a few teaspoons of fat from the pan.
Cook the vegetables. Add the onions to the same pan, season with salt, and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the celery and continue cooking until the celery is softened, about 5 minutes more. Add the fruits, if using, and the fresh herbs. Cook until the apples are just starting to soften, 1 to 3 minutes. Taste and season with salt and pepper as needed. Transfer to the bowl with the meat.
Combine the stuffing ingredients. Add the bread and nuts, eggs, and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Stir until all the ingredients are evenly coated.
Transfer the stuffing to a baking dish. Transfer the stuffing into a 3 to 4-quart baking dish. IIf you have leftover stuffing that doesn't quite fit, bake it separately in ramekins.
Add the broth. Pour the broth evenly over the stuffing. If you prefer your stuffing on the dry side, add 2 to 3 cups of broth; if you like moist stuffing, add 3 to 4 cups.
Cover and bake for 30 minutes. Cover the baking dish tightly with aluminum foil. Bake at 400°F for 30 minutes.
Uncover and bake until crispy. Uncover the stuffing and continue baking until the top is crispy and golden-brown, 15 to 20 minutes more. Let cool briefly before serving.

Recipe Notes

Make-ahead stuffing: This stuffing can be prepared through Step 3 the day ahead. Store the bread cubes at room temperature and refrigerate the sausage filling ingredients separately.

Storage: Leftovers can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 4 days or frozen for up to 1 month.

What temperature should stuffing be cooked at?

How do you safely cook stuffing? The stuffed meat, poultry, or stuffing in a casserole should be placed immediately after preparation in an oven set no lower than 325 °F. A food thermometer should be used to ensure that the stuffing reaches the safe minimum internal temperature of 165 °F.

How do you keep stuffing moist when cooking?

We recommend adding stock a little at a time--1/2 cup to 1 cup, depending on how much stuffing you're making--and waiting for the bread to absorb the liquid before adding more. Once the bread is moist but not sitting in a pool of stock, it's ready.

How do you keep stuffing warm when moist?

Just remember to add a splash of broth before microwaving if the stuffing seems dry. Then, microwave on medium power until hot, stirring every minute or so to ensure that the stuffing reheats evenly.

How do I make sure stuffing is cooked?

If you put stuffing in the turkey, do so just before cooking. Avoid pre-stuffing. Insert a food thermometer into the center of the stuffing to make sure it reaches 165 degrees Fahrenheit. Bacteria can survive in stuffing that has not reached 165 degrees that could then cause food poisoning.