(Freezable) Stuffing with Caramelized Onions & Kale Recipe on Food52 (2024)

FAQs

Can you make stuffing and freeze it? ›

Stuffing. Most stuffing recipes can be made ahead and frozen for up to three months. As a general guide, it's best to shape uncooked stuffing into balls, open-freeze on a tray and then transfer to a freezer bag.

Can you prepare stuffing ahead of time and reheat? YES! This stuffing is baked to golden perfection the day before the big meal. You store it in the fridge overnight and then simply warm it in the oven before dinner.

You haven't said whether you are going to cook the stuffing inside the bird or out, but it's fine to make almost any stuffing a few hours before you'll need it. The important thing is to keep it properly chilled so that bacteria won't have a chance to grow in it.

To cook frozen stuffing: Bake the stuffing in a casserole dish, baking dish, or large skillet directly from the freezer covered for one hour in a preheated oven at 350º F. Uncover, increase the temperature to 400º F, and bake for 15 to 20 minutes more, until hot throughout and golden-brown and crispy on top.

If you want to prepare your stuffing in advance of Thanksgiving, freezing it uncooked will ensure it stays nice and moist.

Does Stuffing Need to Be Cooked Before Freezing? Stuffing can be frozen either fully cooked or uncooked, which is good news if you're looking for some make-ahead recipes to save time on the big day.

Absolutely. Most Thanksgiving stuffing recipes can be made at least partially in advance since: A) They're easily assembled a day or two ahead of Thanksgiving Day; and B) They're often baked using a two-step process (once covered with foil to cook through, then uncovered to achieve a crispy top).

Heat the oven to 350°F and transfer the stuffing to an oven-safe dish (or, you can keep it in the dish that it was originally cooked in). If it seems dry, you'll want to add a splash of broth. Cover with foil and bake for 20 minutes, then remove foil and bake again until crisp, 15–20 minutes.

The Fastest Way: Microwave

Be sure to add a little broth or butter to your stuffing before reheating to prevent drying out. Transfer stuffing to a microwave-safe dish and cover with a piece of parchment paper. Microwave for two to three minutes, stirring after each minute to make sure the stuffing heats evenly.

Typically high in fat, carbs and salt, stuffing can be made fresh or purchased chilled, frozen or dehydrated. Traditionally, a stuffing would use the giblets of the bird with the addition of sausage meat, a source of starch, such as bread, with some aromatics such as onion, herbs and spices.

How do you freeze stuffing? ›

I do freeze onions in soups and they don't turn mushy. If it's only the texture you're worried about freeze your stuffing overnight and then thaw and reheat it. I've found if the texture of frozen food changes it'll happen right away.

You can easily warm up frozen stuffing in the oven — there's no need to even thaw it first! Simply follow the same directions as when you're reheating regular stuffing in the oven, but you'll want to keep it in the oven for longer.

Butterball, Garner, N.C., launched limited-edition premium oven-ready stuffing in Traditional Savory Herb and Cornbread with Turkey Sausage varieties. Pre-packaged in an oven-ready tray, this stuffing offers made-from-scratch taste, and goes straight from freezer to oven.

Yes, you can freeze stuffing balls for up to three months. Arrange them an inch or two apart on a baking sheet, cover, and flash freeze for a few hours or up to overnight. When they're frozen, transfer them to a zip-top freezer bag or another freezer-safe container. Thaw in the fridge overnight.

This is a delicious make-ahead stuffing recipe that can be made up to 3 days before you need it. Just mix the stuffing ingredients together and store in the fridge, freeing up time and reducing stress on Thanksgiving Day, when you're dealing with all the other prep!

Keep in mind that freezing food suspends it in the state it's already in so it can't save dressing that's going bad. When done properly, your frozen salad dressing will last up to three months in the freezer.

Do not refrigerate uncooked stuffing. If stuffing is prepared ahead of time, it must be either frozen or cooked immediately. To use cooked stuffing later, cool in shallow containers and refrigerate it within 2 hours. Use it within 3 to 4 days.