These delightful stuffing balls make for a perfect holiday side dish, giving each guest their own scrumptious serving of flavorful and tender stuffing!
This family recipe is a family favorite during the holiday season and it's an absolute must for our Thanksgiving dinner.
This recipe pairs great with this Honey Baked Ham Copycat recipe, a delicious and flavorful ham recipe perfect for Thanksgiving and Christmas Dinner.
Looking for a recipe for Turkey Gravy Without Drippings, this one is easy, flavorful, and homemade.
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Ingredients
This stuffing ball recipe is made with everyday ingredients so there's no need to go out and buy something special to make these for your holiday meal.
- Unsalted butter
- Eggs- room temperature and beaten
- Loaf of sliced bread - toasted and broken into 1-inch pieces
- Turkey broth- homemade or store-bought - can be substituted for chicken broth or vegetable broth
- Turkey - chopped, optional
- Vegetables- onion and celery, chopped
- Salt & Black Pepper
See the recipe card for the ingredient amounts and full recipe.
How to Make Stuffing Balls
To create the best-ever stuffing balls, follow these simple steps:
- Preheat the oven: Preheat the oven to 350ºF and grease a baking sheet.
- Prepare the bread: Use stale white bread if possible and toast the entire loaf of bread slices and allow it to cool and become crisp.
- Cut the bread: Cut the bread into 1-inch pieces.
- Cook the veggies: In a large skillet, melt 2 tablespoons of butter and sauté the chopped celery and onion until tender. Remove from the heat and allow it to cool.
- Combine: Add the bread cubes to a large bowl and the beaten egg to the bread and combine. Add in chopped turkey if using and mix well. Mix the cooked and cooled vegetables along with the salt and black pepper to taste, as well as the turkey broth in the bowl. Mix well to evenly distribute the ingredients.
- Form the balls: Using a measuring cup, scoop 1 cup full of stuffing mixture and use your hands to shape. Using your hands, shape the stuffing mixture into balls.
- Bake: Place the balls onto the prepared baking sheet and bake for approximately 10-15 minutes, or until they become golden brown and crispy on the outside. They should still be soft and tender on the inside.
TIP: Do not overpack the measuring cup as they will come out hard.
Substitutions
There are some substitutions in these stuffing balls that can be made.
- Broth: Turkey broth is used most commonly in stuffing but chicken broth and vegetable broth can be used as well.
- Bread: You can use any type of bread for your stuffing balls, I prefer to use white bread. Make sure to allow the bread to become stale as it will absorb flavor better.
- Meat: Turkey meat is often added to stuffing balls, but you can choose to omit it or use meat such as ground sausage in its place to make sausage stuffing balls.
For a gluten-free version, you can use gluten-free bread, just allow it to dry out before using it as your bread mixture.
Variations in Stuffing Balls
It's easy to create variations for your stuffing balls to fit your flavor preference.
- Change the protein: In place of turkey, use cooked and crumbled sausage, ground beef, or diced cooked chicken as the meat of choice.
- Vegetarian: Omit the meat entirely and opt for vegetable broth in place of the turkey broth. For an egg substitute, consider using flax egg.
- Herbs and spices: Enhance the flavor of your stuffing balls by adding fresh herbs like parsley, thyme, or sage or just a poultry seasoning blend. This is a very basic stuffing balls recipe but you can add seasonings to your liking.
- Bread choices: Switch up the bread types in your recipe to experiment with texture and flavor. Wheat bread is another option for bread as well as gluten free bread.
Equipment Needed to Make Stuffing Balls
To make stuffing balls, you will need the following equipment:
- Cutting board: To chop the ingredients
- Knife: To cut the ingredients into desired sizes.
- Large mixing bowl: To combine bread crumbs, eggs, and other ingredients.
- Measuring Cup - A 1-cup measuring cup is needed to scoop the balls to get the same-sized balls for your stuffing.
- Large skillet: For sautéing onion and celery in butter.
- Whisk: To beat the egg mixture.
- Baking sheet: A greased baking sheet is used to bake the stuffing balls on.
Storing Stuffing for Thanksgiving
When storing your stuffing balls for Thanksgiving, it's important to store them properly to prevent them from drying out or going stale.
- Before Cooking: For ahead-of-time preparation, shape your stuffing balls and place wrap them tightly on the baking sheet with plastic wrap. You can refrigerate them for up to 24 hours before baking them. This will free up your time on your Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner day. It will also enhance the flavor of your stuffing balls.
- Cooked Stuffing Balls: Once you've cooked your stuffing balls, allow them to cool completely before storing to prevent them from becoming soggy. Place them in an airtight container or in a ziplock bag. Store them in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days.
- Freezing: If you make your stuffing balls well in advance, you can freeze them. Make sure they are cooled and stored in a freezer safe airtight container or a freezer-safe bag. When stored properly, they can be stored for up to 3 months. To reheat, simply defrost in the refrigerator overnight and then follow reheat.
By following these storage guidelines, you can ensure that your Thanksgiving stuffing balls remain fresh, delicious, and ready to serve at your holiday table.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are stuffing balls typically made with fresh or boxed stuffing?
Stuffing balls can be made with either fresh breadcrumbs or boxed stuffing, depending on family members preference. Many homemade stuffing ball recipes use white bread cubes as the main ingredient while boxed stuffing uses a box mix with seasonings already mixed in which results in higher sodium content.
What kind of protein pairs well with stuffing balls?
Stuffing balls are a delicious side dish that pairs well with a variety of proteins, perfect for your holiday party. Common protein choices include:
- Turkey
- Chicken
- Ham
- Pork Roast
- Vegetarian or vegetarian options when making vegetarian stuffing balls
How can you keep stuffing balls moist and flavorful?
To keep stuffing balls moist and flavorful, consider the following tips:
- Saute the vegetables in butter over the stove to bring out the vegetable flavor and give the stuffing a buttery taste.
- Allow the stuffing balls to sit for up to 24 hours in the refrigerator to allow the flavors to develop.
- Avoid overcooking stuffing balls; bake them just long enough for them to reach the desired temperature and consistency to avoid drying them out. When cooked properly, they will crisp on the outside and soft on the inside.
Can stuffing balls be prepared ahead of time?
Yes, stuffing balls actually tasty best can be prepared ahead of time. You can prepare and shape the stuffing mixture into balls, and then refrigerate them for up to 24 hours before baking. This will develop the flavor better and save time the day of the holiday meal.
What variations exist for traditional stuffing ball recipes?
Here are some examples of variations for traditional stuffing balls:
- Wheat bread, cornbread, or gluten-free options.
- Change the meat of choice by using ground sausage, bacon, mushrooms, dried fruit, or nuts.
- Experiment with different seasonings and herbs like sage, thyme, rosemary, or parsley to fit the desired flavors of your stuffing balls.
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📖 Recipe
Stuffing Balls
Equipment
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Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- 2 eggs - room temperature and beaten
- 1 bread loaf - stale, toasted, cooled, and cut into cubes
- 1 ¾ cups turkey broth - warm
- ½ cup onion - diced
- ½ cup celery - diced
- 1 ¼ cup turkey - optional use for best flavor
- salt and pepper - to taste
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Grease a baking sheet and set aside.
- Toast the loaf of bread and allow the toast to cool.
- Once cool, break the toast into 1-inch pieces.
- Allow the bread to sit for at least 30 minutes before adding other ingredients to it.
- In a large skillet, melt 2 tablespoons of butter and sauté the chopped celery and onion until tender. Remove from the heat and allow it to cool.
- In a large bowl, add the pieces of bread.
- Add the beaten room-temperature eggs to the bread and combine well.
- Add in chopped turkey if using and mix well.
- Mix the cooked and cooled vegetables along with the salt and black pepper to taste, as well as the turkey broth in the bowl.
- Mix well to evenly distribute the ingredients.
- Using a measuring cup, scoop 1 cup full of the stuffing mixture and use your hands to shape.
- Using your hands, shape the stuffing mixture into balls.
- Place the balls onto the prepared baking sheet and bake for approximately 10-15 minutes, or until they become golden brown and crispy on the outside. They should still be soft and tender on the inside.
- Remove from the oven and serve with your favorite gravy.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information is an estimate based on third-party calculations. Actual values may vary due to ingredients, measurements, and serving sizes.
© Mama Needs Cake
Dana is an experienced recipe creator who crafts easy and delicious recipes for all levels of home cooks.
Her recipes range from classic comfort foods to healthy and nutritious meals, and she is always on the lookout for new and exciting ways to bring flavor and variety to the table.
SYBIL says
I'm assuming a 1 lb loaf of regular soft white bread? The bread aisle has lots of weights and types. I need more specificity if you will. Thanks.
Dana says
Yes, Sybil, a regular 1 lb loaf of regular soft bread is what we have always used.
Kaili says
Is it 1 3/4 CUPS turkey broth?
Dana says
yes! I have updated the recipe to reflect it.
Jani says
Why only use 1 cup of mixture for balls? Why not the entire mixture?
Dana says
Hi Jani, is is 1 cup of mixture per ball. 🙂
Sue says
About how many balls does one loaf make and can I use pre cut stuffing
Lisa says
@Sue, it says before receipe it yields 10 servings so probably 10 balls.
Sharon says
What if you like cornbread & bread dressing? How would you break it down to fit recipe?
loretta says
is the turkey meat cooked or raw? I am assuming cooked ?
Dana says
Yes, cooked turkey 🙂
Anita says
What if I want sausage in this instead of turkey? Do I cook the sausage first also? I also want to use stove top stuffing in them instead of bread.