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Best Ever Stuffing Balls

Stuffing balls have been present at the family table during every Thanksgiving and Christmas for over 35 years. This is a beloved family recipe and the table wouldn’t be complete without it.

Making Stuffing Balls

Holiday sides are where all the attention is at at the dinner table, or eat at my table they are! The trick to successful holiday sides is flavor. The flavor the more memorable.

Golden brown turkey stuffing balls on a dark baking sheet closeup.

The texture is also important when creating holiday sides – no one wants to bite into a thick tough stuffing ball and no able to chew it. Keep reading for tips to create tasty and tender stuffing balls!

Making this easy stuffing balls recipe is fairly simple and they’re quick to make as well. The longest part of making these stuffing balls is toasting the bread. Of course, it goes a lot faster if you have a 4 slice toaster vs. a 2 slice toaster. Times will vary in the time it takes to toast the bread.

Once the bread is toasted and cooled then it is smooth sailing.

To make stuffing balls, the first step is to prepare your bread. A regular loaf of bread from the bread aisle works well here. Toast all of the bread and then allow the bread to cool and become crisp.

Once the bread is cool and crisp, it’s time to break the bread slices into 1 inch pieces. After the bread is all broken apart, add it to a large mixing bowl or place it back in the bread bag for later use.

You’ll want to use room temperature eggs for this recipe as well. That way it’s not a lot of work blending the egg into the bread when it’s time to do so.

Pre-chopping your celery and onion is another way to make things move faster. When preparing a holiday meal, the faster the better! A food chopper comes in handy when you have a lot of chopping and dicing to do!

Top view of seven turkey stuffing balls with a gravy pitcher.

Lukewarm broth is best to use to saturate the bread pieces. It softens the bread just enough but doesn’t make the bread soggy. We use turkey broth but chicken or even vegetable broth can be used.

Turkey meat is also added to this family recipe but it can be omitted if you wish.

When shaping these balls, take the mixture by a small handful or about 1 cup worth of stuffing and shape using your hand.

Don’t overpack the stuffing balls because they will be tough in the center and not tender.

Turkey stuffing balls on well-worn baking sheet with gravy pitcher behind it.

Holiday Sides

The table wouldn’t feel complete without these stuffing balls at the dinner table during the holidays and the same goes for these other tasty holiday sides.

A classic side found at the dinner table during the holiday season is macaroni and cheese. This Chick-fil-A copycat mac and cheese is sure to be a side dish that everyone will love.

Alternatively, if you prefer your macaroni and cheese baked, then this recipe is baked in the oven to golden perfection.

Buttery mashed potatoes are another holiday sides must and this recipe is creamy and absolutely tasty.

Sweet potatoes are a classic and this Hasselback sweet potato casserole is a fun and tasty spin on just that!

If you like to keep your holiday sides classic then this Sweet Potato Casserole is the way to go. This recipe has a secret ingredient and it made with just a few ingredients.

RELATED: Frosted Cranberry White Chocolate Cupcakes

Holiday stuffing balls on white plate with gravy poured on top.

Ingredients in Stuffing Balls

  • 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 and is optional
  • Vegetables– onion and celery
  • Salt & Pepper

Looking for ways to use leftover turkey? Try this Easy Turkey Pot Pie.

Yield: 10 servings

Stuffing Balls

Golden brown turkey stuffing balls on a dark baking sheet closeup.

Stuffing balls have been present at the family table during every Thanksgiving and Christmas for over 35 years. This is a family beloved family recipe and the table wouldn't be complete without it.

Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 25 minutes

Ingredients

  • 2 eggs, room temperature and beaten
  • 1 bread loaf, toasted, cooled, and broken into pieces
  • 1 3/4 cups turkey broth, warm
  • 1/2 cup onion, diced
  • 1/2 cup celery, diced
  • 1 1/4 cup turkey (optional)
  • salt and pepper, to taste

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 350°
  2. Grease a baking sheet and set aside.
  3. Toast the loaf of bread and allow the toast to cool.
  4. Once cool, break the toast into 1-inch pieces.
  5. Allow the bread to sit for at least 30 minutes before adding other ingredients to it.
  6. In a large bowl, add the pieces of bread.
  7. Add the beaten room temperature eggs to the bread and combine well.
  8. If using turkey meat, add at this time.
  9. Add the broth a little at a time, mixing the bread pieces and making sure to saturate it all.
  10. Mix in the diced vegetables.
  11. Salt and pepper to taste.
  12. Mix until all is well combined.
  13. Scoop and shape 1 cup of the mixture into balls. Make sure not to overpack as they will be hard.
  14. Place the stuffing balls on the baking sheet and bake in the oven for 10-15 minutes or until the tops are golden brown.
  15. Remove from the oven and serve with your favorite gravy.

Notes

Adding the turkey meat is optional and can be left out.

Chicken broth can be substituted in place of the turkey broth.

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Nutrition Information:

Yield:

10

Serving Size:

1

Amount Per Serving: Calories: 255Total Fat: 5gSaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 3gCholesterol: 56mgSodium: 597mgCarbohydrates: 39gFiber: 2gSugar: 5gProtein: 13g

Nutrition calculation is a rough estimate and can vary depending on the cooking technique and the exact ingredients used. For informational purposes only.

Did you make this recipe?

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Kaili

Tuesday 22nd of November 2022

Is it 1 3/4 CUPS turkey broth?

Dana

Wednesday 23rd of November 2022

yes! I have updated the recipe to reflect it.

SYBIL

Sunday 1st of May 2022

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

Sunday 1st of May 2022

Yes, Sybil, a regular 1 lb loaf of regular soft bread is what we have always used.

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