Let's yap about playing favorites.
We all have our favorite part of Thanksgiving dinner. What's yours? Mine is the stuffing, and it's because my Mom's recipe is the best I've ever had. These stuffing balls are just like Mom's without having to roast a turkey to get that roasted-bird flavor. And because they freeze so well, you can have stuffing year round. Yay!
The day before Thanksgiving, Mom would mix up a giant batch of stuffing in the roaster pan. Then she packed all she could into the turkey. She stuffed it solid. When one more morsel wouldn't fit, the rest was put in a casserole dish.
Because, you know, making less stuffing simply didn't make sense. But leftovers - that's a good idea! It'll be just as good as the stuffing in the bird. Sure it will.
Uh, nope... not even close.
The Hard Truth (Sorry, Mom!)
Casserole dish stuffing is sad. It's sad and no one wants it. It's okay... but it's not delicious like the good stuff that was baked in the bird.
It was destined for a short life in the refrigerator. The week following Thanksgiving, casserole dish stuffing got shoved around and bypassed in the hunt for leftovers. Ultimately, it got tossed in the trash. Pert near very year. You could bet on it.
The Happy Ending
That's not where this story ends, friends. Last year, I got the notion that I could/should have terrific stuffing without roasting a turkey to get it. I did some research... ran some tests (meaning we ate a boatload of stuffing balls). And I did it!
This is as good as it gets for stuffing like Mom's, and it's got some serious wins:
- No bird required - yay!
- Perfect portion size - yum!
- Freezer-friendly - yeah!
Freezer-friendly means two things: 1) you can make that giant batch, and none of it goes to waste, and 2) they reheat BEAUTIFULLY! I keep these in the freezer all the time now. They are great for a quick, savory mini meal -- straight from the freezer to the microwave to the belly in minutes.
They're also ideal to-go, because they're no mess. When we're out of breakfast burritos, I sometimes eat a couple stuffing balls for breakfast in the car on my way to work. I mean, they are essentially toast, eggs & butter with some bonus vegetables. Right? Right.
So enjoy these for Thanksgiving or any ol' time of year. And say no to sad casserole dish stuffing. Forevah.
FAQ
YES! They freeze and reheat amazingly well. Simply place in a ziploc freezer bag, label, date, and place in freezer. Stuffing balls will stay good in the freezer for two months.
Ingredients
- 60 ounces white bread (3 large loaves), cut or torn into bite-size pieces
- 1 ½ cups unsalted butter divided
- 2 large yellow onions diced small
- 1 stalk celery (about 7 ribs), diced small
- 10 ¾ ounce canned cream of celery soup
- 10 ¾ ounce canned cream of chicken soup vegetarians: use all cream of celery soup
- 1 cup chicken broth vegetarians: use vegetable broth
- 1 tablespoon fine sea salt
- 1 tablespoon black pepper
- 1 tablespoon poultry seasoning
- 1 tablespoon ground sage
- 6 eggs beaten
Instructions
- Cut bread (about 3 slices at a time) with bread knife or tear bread into bite-size pieces. Place on sheet pans. Let dry overnight or place in 325 degree oven for 30 minutes, stirring half way through.
- Melt ½ cup butter in large canning pot (16 quart or larger) over medium heat. Add diced celery and onions. Sauté, stirring often, until vegetables are soft and translucent.
- Add remaining 1 cup of butter and let melt. Stir in soups, broth, salt, pepper, poultry seasoning, and sage.
- Add bread and mix until evenly coated, either by hand or with a sturdy spoon.
- Drizzle about ⅓ of the eggs over the bread mixture and combine until evenly coated. Repeat two more times until eggs are all combined with bread mixture. The consistency should be that of a good meatball: holds shape when pressed together.
- Using a ⅔ measuring cup or a #6 disher (about 5 ounces), scoop stuffing mixture and shape into balls. Place on a baking sheet, lined with parchment and coated with non-stick spray.
- Bake at 325 degrees for 50 minutes, or until stuffing balls are golden brown and start to crisp.
- Serve hot, plain or with gravy.
- Store in refrigerator for up to seven days or place in freezer bag with label and date. Stuffing balls can be frozen for up to three months.
- To reheat: Place on baking sheet, lined with parchment and coated with non-stick spray. Cover and bake in 325 degree oven for 30 minutes or until heated through. Or microwave 12 stuffing balls on place at 70% power for 4 minutes or until heated through. Stuffing balls will take longer if reheating from frozen state.
Nutrition
Equipment
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Lily says
can you use green onion instead of yellow onion??
Yappy Kitchen says
Hi, Lily! That's a really great question. I wouldn't recommend using green onions instead of yellow onions. They will impart a different flavor to the stuffing. If yellow onions aren't available, I think white onions would make a better substitute than green. If any other cooks would like to weigh in, we'd love to hear your thoughts, too. Thank you for your comment today. Please come back and let us know what you did and how it worked out! Happy Thanksgiving! 🍁
Jenn Smith says
We are just the opposite. The dressing goes quick at my house which makes this great for my Thanksgiving. I make this and it is gobbled up and left overs are easy to store in the fridge, or make two batches and freeze one for future dinners. They don't last long after Thanksgiving.
Yappy Kitchen says
Hi, Diane! I sure hope your girl feels like herself again real soon. While I’m certainly not a veterinarian, I tend to agree that boneless thighs might be a little fatty for an upset stomach. Any other time (like as a meal topper), I suspect dogs would love boneless thighs and rice. Let us know how it goes. Take care!
Yappy Kitchen says
Hi, Jenn! Thanks for your comment! The dressing in the bird goes fast at our house, too; it's only the extra dressing that got cooked in a pan that no one wanted. HA! These stuffing balls definitely fixed that. It's awesome to hear that these stuffing balls get gobbled up at your house. I was asked to bring these to Thanksgiving at our friends' house this year, so I'll be making them soon, too... and of course extra for our freezer at home. 😋 So nice to hear from you and Happy Thanksgiving! 🍁
Elaine says
Well nearly a year has passed and it’s Canadian Thanksgiving this weekend. Deviation from the usual. I’m 78 yrs old and a whole day of cooking wears me out. So, the plan is different this year. Tomorrow I make cranberry sauce and stuffing balls (not a peep from the food critics about stuffing a turkey!). Friday I’m roasting and braising two drumsticks and two thighs then making gravy with the braising liquid. Saturday I’m making our favourite broccoli and red grape salad. Dry citrus brine for whole bone-in skin on turkey breast. Buying 5 lbs mashed potatoes from Safeway deli, adding roasted garlic, herb Boursin cheese, and butter. Sunday morning cabbage rolls in the crockpot to cook. Cook breast and rutabaga and reheat everything else. Serve dinner. I’ve been asked at least 25 times if I’m making stuffing balls!
Deborah Campbell says
I agree about the extra stuffing and how it always ends up in the trash. I sit here smiling as I read your whole story about stuffing! You are a gifted story teller. Let me tell you I repeated the horrible casserole dish stuffing just the other day and, guess what? It is once again in the trash. You would think a person would learn!!! Lol. I intend to do your stuffing balls next time and I can finally quit going around this mountain.
Yappy Kitchen says
HAHAHA!!! You make me laugh! Yes, it is time to stop going around that mountain. 😂 If you make these this year, definitely come back to comment and let us know how it went. Can't wait to hear! Happy Thanksgiving! 🍁
Elaine says
These were absolutely delicious and a huge hit! I have to make them again this weekend lol!
Yappy Kitchen says
Elaine! Thank you for taking the time to let us know you made these, and they turned out so well for you. Your comment made our day! Happy New Year to you and yours. 🥳
Elaine says
I’m current,y making another batch lol! We ordered in Christmas dinner and it was ok but the food critics weren’t happy (except with the stuffing balls) so I’m cooking another turkey on Saturday. Now, can I use the same recipe to stuff the bird? I don’t usually put soup or eggs in my stuffing. I live in Canada and I buy no name soups for cooking. The No name cream of chicken even had bits of chicken in it. Bonus.
Yappy Kitchen says
Oh my gosh, I love this so much! I mean, except for the part about Christmas dinner not being as good as hoped. That's a bummer.
I was thinking about your question. I've always added eggs to bind it (but never soup) when stuffing the bird. The soup gives the stuffing balls some extra moisture, since they bake in a pan, but I don't think it's enough to make the stuffing soggy inside the bird. So, yeah, I think you could use the stuffing balls mixture to stuff the turkey.
If you're concerned the stuffing inside the bird might end up too wet, maybe stuff the bird, then add half the soup to the portion left for stuffing balls. Does that make sense?
I can't wait to hear what you did and what the food critics say about the New Years Eve dinner! 🎊
Elaine says
Oh my, I forgot to reply. I used 1/2 the soup and half the eggs and stuffed the turkey! Turned out wonderfully! Made stuffing balls with what wouldn’t fit in the turkey. 😁
Yappy Kitchen says
Elaine! It was so nice to hear from you again. I hope your Canadian Thanksgiving was truly wonderful! You seem to have had a terrific game plan, and your recipes sound incredible! I am so curious about your broccoli/red grape salad and your dry citrus brine; I bet they are amazing! Thank you for coming back to continue the conversation here. Your comments about the food critics and the stuffing balls have me smiling from ear to ear... and such a great tip to modify the recipe to stuff the turkey. You're awesome! 😊