Mom’s Turkey Dressing

November 24, 2012Teresa Ambra

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Mom’s Turkey Dressing is a simple, old-fashioned turkey dressing recipe that is spectacular! It melts in your mouth with all the succulent juices from the turkey permeating each bite. This fabulous recipe hasbeen in our family for years.

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Every year for Thanksgiving and Christmas this was the dressing Mom made for her turkeys. A few times she conceded to Dad’s desire for cornbread dressing and she made both, but she never made stuffing for turkey without this delicious batch being made too.

As far as dressings go Mom’s Turkey Dressing is relatively easy to make. The best stuffing is what actually goes into the turkey’s cavities because all the juices from the turkey get added to it and it is just so delectable words can hardly describe it.

Although, not all of the dressing will fit into the cavities so the rest of it I put in a greased casserole dish and bake it about 30-45 minutes or so until it heats through. Like I said, it’s very simple. I have used almost any kind of bread although we prefer whole wheat. My sister uses at least three or four different kinds of breads or artisan breads for her stuffing.

I dry out the bread on cookie racks for about three days so it’s really dried out. I use either chicken broth or turkey giblet broth (I used both this time). I also use celery, onions and then it’s seasoned with sage and poultry seasoning. This succulent dressing or stuffing can be made ahead (I made it the day before) and refrigerated until you need it the next day.

I did add additional turkey giblet broth to the casserole before I baked it though, because the bread had absorbed all of the broth and looked like it needed more.

I have no idea where Mom got this recipe. It may have been one she got from her mom. All I know for sure is that it’s an old family recipe. If you’re looking for an easy, yet tasty, dressing recipe to stuff your Thanksgiving turkeys with, or just to make as a side dish for chicken or fowl, Mom’s Turkey Dressing sure fits the bill.

When I initially posted this recipe in November 2012, my camera was an iPhone 3 so the pictures weren’t very clear. As a result, I’ve had to remake all those first year blog recipes where I used an iPhone and retake pictures of each one.

To that end, I remade this recipe for Christmas dinner 2015. The dressing is a little darker since I used wheat bread instead of white, but truly, any kind of bread can be used with good results.

I’ve eaten Mom’s Turkey Dressingevery year for Thanksgiving since I was a young child!

Here’s the dressing that came out of the turkey cavities. It’s even richer in flavor than the extra dressing that is placed in the casserole dish, because all the rich, turkey broth marinates the dressing as the turkey cooks. Oh, it is so yummy.

Here’s a close up picture of Mom’s Turkey Dressing topped with Turkey Gravy.

Here’s what I did.

I used these ingredients, plus homemade turkey giblet broth. The bread on the left had been sitting out for three days so it could dry out.

Set out a loaf of either plain white bread or wheat breadon cookie racks and allow the bread to stale for two to three days. You can use any kind of bread and even multiple kinds if you desire. Once stale, cut bread into cubes. Put into a large mixing bowl. Add seasonings.

The day before you plan on cooking your turkey,remove the giblets from the packet inside the breast cavity of the turkey. Place in a pot of water sprinkled liberally with salt and pepper and boil about two hours. Meanwhile, place butter in skillet.Add diced onion anddiced celery and saute vegetables until soft. Add sauteed veggies to bread cubes (include all the butter from frying).

Here I added chicken broth. Stir ingredients to combine.

Spread the mixture into a greased 8×12″ glass baking dish. Refrigerate overnight if desired. The next day I added an additional cup of turkey giblet broth to the dish because the bread had absorbed all the broth from the day before.

Stuff part of the dressing into thecavities of the turkey before baking.

After the turkey is cooked remove all of the stuffing with a spoon. Place in a serving bowl.

Bake at 350 for about 30-45 minutes, depending on how much stuffing you have. This is when it’s really nice to have a double oven!

Mom’s Turkey Dressing is always a hit whenever we serve it.

Here’s the recipe.

(Recipe from my mom, Helen Mattis, Titusville, FL)

Mom's Turkey Dressing

Teresa Ambra

Delicious old-fashioned stuffing recipe made with celery, onions and a lot of sage. This recipe uses homemade giblet broth. Use to stuff the cavities of the turkey or to cook in a separate casserole dish.

3.91 from 21 votes

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 30 minutes mins

Cook Time 45 minutes mins

Total Time 1 hour hr 15 minutes mins

Course Side Dish

Cuisine American

Servings 10

Calories 284 kcal

Equipment

1 large skillet
1 large mixing bowl
measuring cups
measuring spoons
1 wooden spoon
1 sharp knife to cut vegetables
1 sharp knife to cube bread
4 large wire cooling racks to dry out the bread
1 large sauce pan with lid to cook turkey giblets and neck

Ingredients

1 loaf dry bread slices approximately, and any kind of bread, even cornbread will work (or an assortment)
1/2 cup unsalted butter
1-2 medium onions diced
3-4 ribs celery diced
2 tsp. salt
3/4 tsp. ground black pepper
1 tbsp. rubbed sage
1 tbsp. poultry seasoning
3-4 cups giblet broth or chicken broth

Instructions

Set bread out on racks two to three days ahead of time so the bread dries out and becomes stale.
Early in the morning remove giblet pack from turkey and place in a pot of water.
Salt and pepper heavily and bring to a boil for about one to two hours.
If water cooks down too much, keep adding more so you have plenty of broth to work with.
Meanwhile, in large bowl place cubed bread.
Cook celery and onions in butter in very large skillet until tender.
Add to bread mixture.
Season mixture with salt, pepper, poultry seasoning and sage.
Pour about 3 cups giblet broth over bread mixture.
Combine with a wooden spoon.
Use to stuff turkey.
Place remaining in greased casserole dish and bake at 350° about ½ hour.
Serve topped with Turkey Gravy, if desired.

Notes

NOTE:Preparation time does not include time to cook giblets, or time needed for bread to become stale.

NOTE:You can also cook off the giblets the night before so the broth is ready first thing in the morning, if desired.

NOTE: My sister likes to make her stuffing with an assortment of breads and rolls from a German bakery close to where she lives.

NOTE: Bread options include: sourdough, pumpernickel, rye, wheat, Texas Toast, specialty rolls like Onion rolls, Ciabatta bread, flatbreads, Artisan breads, focaccia breads. Be creative! Consider trying a mixture of breads, bakery breads or homemade breads.

^© Can’t Stay Out of the Kitchen

Nutrition

Calories: 284kcalCarbohydrates: 35gProtein: 8gFat: 13gSaturated Fat: 6gPolyunsaturated Fat: 2gMonounsaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 0.4gCholesterol: 26mgSodium: 977mgPotassium: 176mgFiber: 3gSugar: 5gVitamin A: 381IUVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 118mgIron: 3mg

Keyword bread stuffing, holiday side dish, stuffing, turkey dressing

Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

[b]Mom’s Turkey Dressing[/b]

Recipe Type: Side Dish

Cuisine: American

Author: Teresa Ambra adapted from my mom, Helen Mattis, Titusville, FL

Prep time: 30 mins

Cook time: 45 mins

Total time: 1 hour 15 mins

Serves: 10

Ingredients

dry bread slices (up to a loaf or so and any kind of bread, even cornbread, will work)
½ cup unsalted butter
1-2 medium onions, diced
3-4 stalks celery, diced
2 tsp. salt
¾ tsp. pepper
1 tbsp. sage
1 tbsp. poultry seasoning
About 3-4 cups giblet broth or chicken broth

Instructions

Set bread out on racks two to three days ahead of time so the bread dries out and becomes stale.
Early in the morning remove giblet pack from turkey and place in a pot of water.
Salt and pepper heavily and bring to a boil for about one to two hours.
Meanwhile, in bowl place cubed bread.
Cook celery and onions in butter until tender.
Add to bread mixture.
Add salt, pepper, poultry seasoning and sage.
Pour about 3 cups giblet broth on bread mixture.
Combine.
Use to stuff turkey.
Place remaining in greased casserole dish and bake at 350° about ½ hour.
Serve topped with [url href=”http://cantstayoutofthekitchen.com/2012/11/28/turkey-gravy/” target=”_blank” title=”turkey gravy”]Turkey Gravy[/url] if desired.

Notes

Preparation time does not include time to cook giblets, or time needed for bread to become stale.[br][br]You can also cook off the giblets the night before so the broth is ready first thing in the morning, if desired.

Mom’s Turkey Dressing, though very simple in ingredients, is one of the beststuffing recipes you’ll ever find.

If you’re looking for a great dressing recipe for Thanksgiving turkey give this one a try sometime. Vary the breads, use cornbread, or add other fruits like apples, prunes, raisins or cranberries!

Sausage Apple Stuffing

Tips for Preparing Holiday Turkey

Bridled Noodles

Teresa Ambra

3.91 from 21 votes

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 30 minutes mins

Cook Time 45 minutes mins

Total Time 1 hour hr 15 minutes mins

Course Side Dish

Cuisine American

Servings 10

Calories 284 kcal

Equipment

1 large skillet
1 large mixing bowl
measuring cups
measuring spoons
1 wooden spoon
1 sharp knife to cut vegetables
1 sharp knife to cube bread
4 large wire cooling racks to dry out the bread
1 large sauce pan with lid to cook turkey giblets and neck

Ingredients

1 loaf dry bread slices approximately, and any kind of bread, even cornbread will work (or an assortment)
1/2 cup unsalted butter
1-2 medium onions diced
3-4 ribs celery diced
2 tsp. salt
3/4 tsp. ground black pepper
1 tbsp. rubbed sage
1 tbsp. poultry seasoning
3-4 cups giblet broth or chicken broth

Instructions

Set bread out on racks two to three days ahead of time so the bread dries out and becomes stale.
Early in the morning remove giblet pack from turkey and place in a pot of water.
Salt and pepper heavily and bring to a boil for about one to two hours.
If water cooks down too much, keep adding more so you have plenty of broth to work with.
Meanwhile, in large bowl place cubed bread.
Cook celery and onions in butter in very large skillet until tender.
Add to bread mixture.
Season mixture with salt, pepper, poultry seasoning and sage.
Pour about 3 cups giblet broth over bread mixture.
Combine with a wooden spoon.
Use to stuff turkey.
Place remaining in greased casserole dish and bake at 350° about ½ hour.
Serve topped with Turkey Gravy, if desired.

Notes

NOTE:Preparation time does not include time to cook giblets, or time needed for bread to become stale.

NOTE:You can also cook off the giblets the night before so the broth is ready first thing in the morning, if desired.

NOTE: My sister likes to make her stuffing with an assortment of breads and rolls from a German bakery close to where she lives.

Nutrition

Keyword bread stuffing, holiday side dish, stuffing, turkey dressing

Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

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38 Comments

SE
August 14, 2022 at 10:55 am

This recipe is fabulous! Very similar to my own moms. I am taking it to a potluck and don’t have access to the Turkey goblet goodies. Someone else is baking Turkey and making gravy. So…I added a can of Campbell’s Cream of Chicken and a can of Cream of Mushroom Soup for moisture and flavor. I left out the salt and cut way back on H2O using ~1/4 C mixed with 1 tsp. Better Than Bouillon Chicken Broth. (I didn’t have any BTB Turkey). It turned out absolutely delicious.
Reply
1. Teresa
  August 15, 2022 at 7:48 am
  So glad you enjoyed the recipe! It’s been handed down for generations.
  Reply
Donna
September 29, 2021 at 1:17 pm
My whole life, I grew up eating stuffing made from ‘Kellogg’s Stuffing & Crouton Mix’. It was made basically the same way, sautéed onions & celery in butter w/giblet broth (and Mom chopped the liver fine and added it, yum!) It was, and I think still is the best stuffing I’ve ever eaten, and I’ve eaten alot of stuffings!! The problem: they stopped making it a few years ago! Now every year is a scramble to find something even kind of comparable with not much luck. I’m going to try this. Even with homemade croutons, it sounds the closest to it of anything yet!!
Reply
1. Teresa
  September 30, 2021 at 8:03 am
  Hi, Donna. This vintage recipe has always been one of our favorites. I have no idea where my Mom got the recipe. I always thought she got it from her mom, but she has been dead for decades now so I can’t ask her. We’ve always loved this recipe. I don’t actually use croutons, but I “stale” the bread and then cut it into cubes for easier handling.
  Reply
Sage Dressing Easy | WORD INFO
January 25, 2020 at 10:21 pm
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Reply
Ronni Petersen
November 22, 2019 at 2:23 pm
Do you use all the giblets? I thought I had read you don’t use one of them, but I don’t remember which one.
Reply
1. Teresa
  November 23, 2019 at 3:59 pm
  Hi, Ronnie. You can use them if you prefer. I usually just use the giblet broth from cooking them off.
  Reply
Smith
December 24, 2017 at 1:46 pm
My mother grow up in southeast Ohio along the Ohio River. She called it Saga and Onion Dressing. Mixed by hand and mushing it up some.Using white bread and Saga made it dark in color but so good. Mother taste buds are off so hard to get it taste right to her. Thanks for sharing ,it brought back memories.
Reply
1. Teresa
  December 24, 2017 at 5:35 pm
  Thanks so much. Yes, this has been a staple in our house for Thanksgiving dinner menus for decades. I’m grateful my mom passed along so many great recipes.
  Reply
Kelly Robinette
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November 4, 2017 at 9:55 pm
Hi!
This is the same recipe we grew up with too. My mom also sprinkled poultry seasoning on the bread as it was drying out.
Until seeing your pin and reading some of the post here…I didn’t know so many people also grew up making bread dressing.
**I grew up in Upstate NY
Reply
1. Teresa
  November 5, 2017 at 3:29 pm
  Hi, Kelly. My mom grew up in southeastern Ohio. Love this stuff!
  Reply
Anonymous
February 6, 2017 at 9:56 pm
This was the dressing I grew up eating, too. We boiled and simmered the giblets, (liver, heart, gizzard and neck) until cooked through, maybe a half an hour. Then cut those giblets into small pieces and added them with the onions and celery, salt, pepper, sage, and poultry seasoning with the broth from boiling giblets to the dry, torn bread. There was always time for the onions and celery to cook with the dressing in the turkey, so we did not saute them first. I think Mom might have stirred in a beaten egg sometimes.
We are Montana farmers.
Reply
1. Teresa
  February 7, 2017 at 1:53 pm
  So glad you stopped by to let me know how your family makes this recipe. A lot of times Mom did the same thing with the giblets and innards by adding them in. I love the idea of adding a beaten egg. Bet that made it delicious. Thanks for sharing.
  Reply
Linda
December 6, 2016 at 7:33 am
This is almost the exact Sage Stuffing recipe my Mom passed down to me! Not sure but it’s probably handed down from her Mom. I am also from the Midwest…must just be how we do it around here! Instead of cutting the bread into cubes, I just pull apart the bread. I also take the leftover stuffing and fry it in butter. I always just did it in dollups…like the idea of patties! I’ve never boiled the giblets the night before either…have to try that! It would save a lot of time on Thanksgiving day! So happy to see other people enjoy the same recipe! Have a great day! Thx!
Reply
1. Teresa
  December 6, 2016 at 7:01 pm
  Hi, Linda. Mom used to tear the bread into pieces, too, rather than cutting it into cubes. I’ve never heard of frying the leftover stuffing in butter before, but what a delightful idea! I bet it’s scrumptious. Mom grew up in a farm household in southeastern Ohio. This basic recipe was very popular in that area. Thanks for taking the time to stop by my blog and share your thoughts.
  Reply
Karen
November 1, 2016 at 6:32 pm
This is exactly like my mother’s dressing growing up. My family loves it now too. Last year I baked it in muffin cups and every loved the individual servings.
Reply
1. Teresa
  November 2, 2016 at 10:50 pm
  Oh, what a great idea, Karen. I’ve never even thought about baking this in muffin cups before. So glad your family enjoys the recipe, too. Enjoy your week.
  Reply
Anonymous
September 25, 2016 at 7:57 pm
I made this recipe today but I added two beaten eggs. It was awesome! I have always used eggs in my dressing, old habits are hard to break!
Reply
1. Teresa
  September 26, 2016 at 8:36 am
  I love the idea of adding eggs! I’m sure it made it more souffle-like. Great idea. Thanks for sharing.
  Reply
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Reply
Nancy
November 21, 2015 at 3:36 pm
This is the same as my Mom’s recipe. If you want a real treat, fry the left over stuffing instead of baking. My family won’t eat it any other way now. You just make patties and fry in butter until browned and crispy. Oh so good!
Reply
1. Teresa
  November 21, 2015 at 7:56 pm
  I love the idea of frying it, Nancy. What a creative idea.
  Reply
Kelly
November 19, 2015 at 12:40 pm
Hi Teresa,
This is the same recipe we grew up with as kids and my mother passed down to me. The only thing she did different was cut the bread up in cubes and sprinkled it with poultry seasoning to let it dry out.
Over the years I have made thus recipe for Thanksgiving for a lot of different people and they have always said they have never had dressing made like this. It is good to know we weren’t the only family who grew up with ‘bread dressing!’
Thank you for sharing!
Reply
1. Teresa
  November 19, 2015 at 4:35 pm
  Hey, Kelly. I love the idea of sprinkling poultry seasoning on the bread cubes while the bread dries out. I may make it that way this year! Thank you so much for stopping by and letting me know you grew up eating this dressing too. I’m not sure if this is one of those midwestern recipes (where my parents grew up) or what, but we had it every year. Thanks again.
  Reply
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Reply
Garnett Jones Public Health says don’t stuff the turkey, for fear of food poisoning, but I did it for years and never a stomach ache
November 26, 2014 at 11:48 am

Cornbread for me, and I make the same recipe, stuffing the bird does make it so good. Public Health says no, food poisoning will happen, but I did it for years and never a stomach ache.
Reply
1. Teresa
  November 26, 2014 at 4:39 pm
  We’ve never had a problem with food poisoning either, because we’ve always cooked the turkeys to the proper temperature to be completely done.
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November 28, 2012 at 8:41 pm
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November 28, 2012 at 7:02 pm
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petit4chocolatier
November 25, 2012 at 4:36 pm
A perfect dressing!!
Reply
1. Teresa
  November 25, 2012 at 7:38 pm
  Thanks, Judy. You have no idea how much I appreciate all your encouragement.
  Reply
LizForADay
November 25, 2012 at 2:36 am
I had a friend that would cook pieces of turkey in the dressing. Oh it was so good. Of course I don’t eat turkey anymore. Dressing is so easy to make, I don’t why people do it themselves. 🙂
Reply
1. Teresa
  November 25, 2012 at 7:44 pm
  I’ve made dressing with apples and sausage before and it’s amazing….never made it with turkey already in it though.
  Reply
smokinchick
November 24, 2012 at 10:38 pm
Thank you for the pingback! I look forward to browsing your site and trying a few recipes!
Reply
1. Teresa
  November 25, 2012 at 7:46 pm
  No problem, and thanks!
  Reply