Can You Make This Stuffing Recipe Ahead of Time?

Bringing this dish to someone else’s Thanksgiving gathering? This stuffing recipe can be assembled just before you head out, then baked at your destination (if the host has extra room in their oven). Prepare and cover your stuffing as directed, but skip the baking step for now. Place your stuffing in a cooler with some cool packs to keep it fresh until you get there—then bake your stuffing as directed in the last step. If you’re going somewhere that’s only a ½ hour away or less and eating when you get there, you can also bake your stuffing at home, cover it and wrap it in towels. When you arrive, just remove the towels and the cover and dig in! Want to assemble your stuffing up to a day ahead to save time on Thanksgiving Day? Just prepare it according to the recipe instructions, then transfer it to your baking dish and cover it tightly with plastic wrap or aluminum foil. Refrigerate your unbaked stuffing for up to 24 hours. When you’re ready to bake it, remove your stuffing from the fridge and let it sit at room temperature for a few minutes while your oven heats. Bake the stuffing as directed in the last step of this homemade stuffing recipe, and it’s all ready to eat!

What Are Some Variations of This Turkey Stuffing Recipe?

We wouldn’t recommend adding any extra fruits or vegetables to this particular stuffing recipe—this might throw off the seasoning level or moisture content of the dish. But, if you want to switch it up, we’ve got plenty of other stuffing and dressing recipes to try! Cranberry Stuffing: Dried cranberries make a delightfully fruity addition to stuffings and dressings, and our Cranberry Stuffing is a fan-favorite recipe you’re sure to love. Apple Raisin Dressing: Our Apple Raisin Dressing has a cornbread base, with apples and raisins added in for a fun twist on the traditional Thanksgiving flavors. The sweet-savory combo is hard to beat! Slow-Cooker Turkey and Dressing Sandwiches: Making sandwiches is one of our favorite ways to jazz up leftover stuffing and other Thanksgiving extras. Our Slow-Cooker Turkey and Dressing Sandwiches require just 10 minutes of prep time for a flavorful, satisfying handheld meal the whole family will enjoy. Sometimes stuffing tastes even better the second time around!

How Should I Store and Reheat Stuffing?

If you end up with any extra stuffing, here’s how to safely store and reheat your leftovers. Storage Instructions: For food safety, make sure to refrigerate any leftover homemade stuffing within 2 hours of cooking. Transfer the leftover stuffing to an airtight container or resealable plastic bag. Store it in the refrigerator for up to 3 to 4 days. Reheating Instructions: When you’re ready to reheat your leftovers, heat your oven to 350°F, remove the stuffing from the fridge and transfer it to an oven-safe dish. If your leftover stuffing seems a little dry, feel free to moisten it with a little extra broth or melted butter before reheating it. Cover the dish with aluminum foil and bake your stuffing for 20 to 30 minutes or until hot throughout (165°F). However you serve it up, this stuffing is sure to taste just as good as the day you made it!

Stuffing vs. Dressing: What’s the Difference?

Some call it stuffing, some call it dressing—these are basically just two different names for the same dish. Some say the difference between the two is that stuffing is cooked inside the cavity of a turkey, while dressing gets cooked on its own, but many disagree. While it’s true that stuffing is often stuffed inside poultry, for food safety reasons it’s best to cook it on its own. When made correctly, stuffing is flavorful and moist enough to be cooked alone in a baking dish anyway—no turkey needed! Whatever you call it, this seasoned side is always perfectly tasty. Stuffing (or dressing) usually starts with bread cubes, but it can also be made with a rice base. Once you’ve added your herbs, seasonings and vegetables and baked it to perfection, you’ve got a satiating, flavor-packed side dish that’s well-loved at holiday gatherings! Planning to cook both stuffing and a turkey this Thanksgiving? For optimal food safety and even doneness, the USDA recommends baking bread stuffing separately from turkey. If you decide to stuff a turkey anyway, make sure you have an accurate food thermometer handy—you’ll use this to check the center of the stuffing inside the turkey and ensure it reaches a safe minimum temperature of 165°F. Roasting a home-stuffed turkey is riskier than roasting one that isn’t stuffed. Even if the turkey has reached the safe minimum internal temperature of 165°F, the stuffing may not have. Bacteria can survive in stuffing that hasn’t reached this minimum temp, which can result in foodborne illness. So, proceed with caution when stuffing!

Traditional Stuffing Recipe

Name: Traditional Stuffing Recipe
Prep time: 15 min
Total time: 1 h
Yield: 10
Ingredients: 3/4 cup butter; 2 large celery stalks, chopped; 1 medium onion, chopped (1/2 cup); 9 cups soft bread cubes (15 slices); 1 1/2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme leaves or 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme leaves; 1 teaspoon salt; 1/2 teaspoon ground sage; 1/4 teaspoon pepper

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Prep Time 15 min
Total 60 min
Servings 10
Ingredients 8

Ingredients

3/4 cup butter
2 large celery stalks, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped (1/2 cup)
9 cups soft bread cubes (15 slices)
1 1/2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme leaves or 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground sage
1/4 teaspoon pepper

Instructions

Step
1

Grease 3-quart casserole or rectangular baking dish, 13x9x2 inches.
Step
2

Melt butter in 4-quart Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Cook celery and onion in butter 6 to 8 minutes, stirring occasionally, until tender. Remove Dutch oven from the heat.
Step
3

Gently toss celery mixture and remaining ingredients, using spoon, until bread cubes are evenly coated.
Step
4

Place stuffing in casserole. Cover with lid or aluminum foil and bake at 325°F for 30 minutes; uncover and bake 15 minutes longer.

Anticipate making stuffing to accompany holiday or even everyday meals (go beyond partnering with turkey, think stuffed pork chops or a crisply browned roast chicken). Designate a large resealable freezer bag as your bread “pantry”, adding pieces of leftover bakery bread that’s beginning to dry out or the heels of your favorite sliced breads. Store it in the freezer. Thaw and tear or coarsely chop the bread into chunks when you’re ready to make stuffing.
Explore the variety of bread options available for making a batch of Bread Stuffing. Most groceries now carry an almost unlimited assortment of artisan-style breads—sourdoughs, rye, whole-grains or garlicky herb. Switch up what you use, depending on the rest of your menu or your personal taste.
Looking to add a little more color to your stuffing? Chopped fresh Italian parsley added with the other ingredients not only adds color but also adds a fresh note to the earthy flavors of thyme and sage.

Nutrition Facts

Serving Size: 1/2 Cup

Calories: 250

Calories from Fat: 135

Total Fat: 15 g

Saturated Fat: 9 g

Cholesterol: 35 mg

Sodium: 540 mg

Potassium: 100 mg

Total Carbohydrate: 20 g

Dietary Fiber: 1 g

Protein: 10 g

% Daily Value*:

Vitamin A: 10%; 10%

Vitamin C: 0%; 0%

Calcium: 4%; 4%

Iron: 6%; 6%

Exchanges:

1 Starch; 1 Vegetable; 3 Fat;

*Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.