Collage of ingredients in rice stuffing

Rice Stuffing for Turkey

by

RiceStuffing


As always, check each ingredient carefully: I’d recommend using scratch ingredients even when a recipe offers a commercial shortcut.

(Apologies to my vegan/vegetarian readers… still, I think you’ll love the rice stuffing recipe! It doesn’t need to be cooked inside a bird to taste great.)


COMMENTS:

I love my turkey dinner each year!

I love the stuffing, the gravy, the veggies, the fancy table, the candlelight, the feeling of togetherness when we share the meal, the air of celebration, the sense of tradition, the memories of years gone by, thoughts of loved ones not physically present at the table today but definitely there in my heart…

Sometimes it’s too hard to adapt foods to make credible look-and-taste-a-likes, (shortbread is one example in my world, what’s one of yours?), but fortunately stuffing isn’t one of them. I’ve had the odd raised eyebrow or two at the idea of rice instead of bread, but the truth is, I actually prefer it now! Even if I could, I wouldn’t go back.


YIELD:

Here’s what I do for a bird that’s 15-20 pounds:


INGREDIENTS:

2-3 super-sweet or regular onions, minced
3/4-1 cup celery, minced
1-3 tablespoons olive oil for sauteing onions and celery
2-3 cups uncooked, well-washed rice (can be white, brown, or even mixed although mixed makes the timing a little trickier)
4-6 cups chicken broth, or vegetable broth for a vegan recipe (use at least double the rice quantity, and you may want to add more for brown rice so just keep an eye on it as it cooks) (be very careful of ingredients if you don’t use your own)
1 to 2 teaspoons salt, or so (I use good, iodine-free sea salt to avoid corn)
1 teaspoon pepper, or so
1/4 cup *each* (or more) of these fresh herbs: sage, thyme, and marjoram, minced fine


INSTRUCTIONS:

★ Saute onions and celery until well-cooked (I don’t like crunchy stuffing, and I have a “customer” whose stomach is bothered by underdone and/or regular onions, but YMMV, so adjust to your taste), 5-10 minutes.

★ Add rice, stir to coat well, then add remaining ingredients.

★ Bring just up to a boil, reduce heat to a gentle simmer (nearly the lowest setting on my stove), and give the bottom a good stir to prevent sticking.

★ Simmer, covered, until all the liquid is absorbed and the rice is soft. With white rice this takes about 20 or so minutes; with brown rice, about 40 minutes. If you are using brown rice, double-check softness; if it’s still crunchy just add more broth and keep cooking a little longer.

★ Cool, and then either stuff turkey with it or place in a casserole dish, cover, and bake for a while until it looks yummy, e.g. 350 for one hour. If you are sharing the oven with other foods just go with the temperature they need and adjust your rice stuffing cooking time accordingly. If I have too much stuffing for the turkey, I just do both: some in the bird, some in the casserole.

★ Leftovers? Freeze it! Works great for me.

Enjoy!

ea/


— Invented by Erin Anne Beirne, with help and ideas from a range of different recipes


ADDITIONAL IDEAS:

Here are some other places to find more rice stuffing ideas, some of which may work for you:

CD Kitchen – http://www.cdkitchen.com/recipes/cat/1612/
Canadian Living – http://www.canadianliving.com/search_all.php?btnSearch.x=0&btnSearch.y=0&search_fulltext=rice+stuffing
About.com – http://search.about.com/fullsearch.htm?terms=rice%20stuffing%20recipes

Any other suggestions? Add a comment!

2 Responses to "Rice Stuffing for Turkey"
    • Well said! 

      Does your mum do anything different with hers than I do with mine? (Always looking for great ideas…)

      🙂

      ea/

Leave a Reply to Guest Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *