Quick Turkey Stuffing

With Julie Geary

No matter how little time you have to prepare dinner you need to come up with a good stuffing recipe. If you are looking to save time making your stuffing the quickest method is to bake it outside of the turkey and in the oven in a casserole dish. You will want to use a packaged stuffing mix to save time but you can still doctor it up the way you want it to taste. Julie Geary recommends that you take the little extra time to sauté your own celery, onions, and carrots and then mix with some diced up granny smith apples and fresh sage.

If you do cook your stuffing in the bird, whether it is a full turkey or hotel style, there are a few tips that you will want to follow. According to the United States Department of Agriculture, stuffing needs to be handled carefully.

1. Stuffing should not be prepared ahead of time. You can prepare the dry and wet ingredients for stuffing ahead of time and chill. However, do not mix wet and dry ingredients until just before spooning the stuffing mixture into a poultry cavity or into a casserole dish.
2. If stuffing a whole turkey, chicken, or other bird, spoon the stuffing in loosely.
3. The stuffing should be moist, not dry, because heat destroys bacteria more rapidly in a moist environment.
4. The stove should be set at a minimum of 325 degrees F.
5. The stuffing inside the bird should reach at least the safe minimum internal temperature of 165 °F. A food thermometer should be used to ensure that the minimum temperature is reached.
6. Take the poultry out of the oven and let it stand 20 minutes before removing the stuffing. Refrigerate cooked poultry and stuffing within 2 hours.

Ingredients

1 package Store Bought Bread Stuffing
1 large carrot
1 med onion
2 celery stalks
Stick of butter
Turkey  broth

Instructions

1. In a pan, melt the butter.  Add carrots, onion and celery cook until translucent.
2. Add vegetables to the packaged bread stuffing and follow directions on stuffing package, adding the turkey broth.
3. Bake in a preheated oven at 350 degrees for approximately 25 minutes or until golden brown on top.

Recipe courtesy of Julie Geary, Classic Cooks Catering, 2011.

Owner and Chef, Classic Cooks Catering

Classic Cooks has been entertaining since 1980 all over the North Shore and Boston area.  They catered the premier of the "Perfect Storm" movie for Warner Brothers for 2,000 guests.

The company was nationally televised doing a New England Clambake for Bobby Flay's Food Nation on the Food Channel.