When preparing a roast chicken dinner recently, I was thinking about my late mother and remembering what she liked to serve with it. It’s a memory that was firmly planted in my head thanks to the enticing aroma that side dish would fill her house with when I visited her for dinner as a young adult.
If you’re wondering, no, it was not an exotic wild mushroom sauce she made to serve with the chicken, or truffle-oil infused mashed potatoes. It was a Stove Top stuffing.
That boxed product, as many people know, allows you to make a fuss-free stuffing in a pot on the stovetop in just a few minutes.
My mom was of a generation where these types of convenience foods always made it into her grocery cart because, in her mind, they made making a meal for her family quicker and easier. When it came to Stove Top stuffing, though, the truth is she also liked the taste of it and she was definitely not the only one.
Stove Top stuffing was invented in the early 1970s by an American home economist named Ruth Siems, who also worked on such things as flour and cake mixes. The product was launched shortly thereafter by General Foods, which is now part of Kraft Heinz. It was a hit with consumers and still is, with millions and millions of boxes of it still being sold each year.
Stove Top Stuffing was initially pitched as being something that could be served as an alternative to mashed potatoes for an everyday kind of dinner. Its initial flavour was designed to be served with chicken. One designed for turkey arrived on grocery store shelves in 1982.
Beyond using Stove Top stuffing as a stuffing or side dish for chicken, turkey or meats, over the years folks have found other tasty ways to use it. One I’ve seen frequently is to use Stove Top stuffing mix in meatballs, which is what I did in today’s first recipe.
To make it, Stove Top turkey stuffing mix was rehydrated with boiling water and then cooled to room temperature. Ground turkey and an egg were then mixed in, creating a meatball mix that was seasoned and bound together by the stuffing mix.
The mixture was then rolled into balls, set on a baking sheet and baked.
You could serve these flavourful meatballs as a holiday season potluck appetizer, with a bowl of gravy and/or hot cranberry ginger dip alongside for dunking them into. You’ll find recipes for the gravy and cranberry dip below the recipe for the meatballs.
You could also serve the meatballs as a main course, with the gravy and/or hot cranberry dip and other side dishes, such as mashed potatoes, rice or egg noodles, carrots and broccoli or other green vegetable.
If you wanted to prepare the meatballs partially in advance, once rolled and on the baking sheet, you could refrigerate them until ready to bake and serve. You could also make the gravy and/or hot cranberry ginger dips in advance, cool them, and refrigerate them until ready to reheat and serve with the meatballs.
Turkey Stuffing Meatballs
Tender meatballs flavoured with Stove Top turkey stuffing mix. This recipe could be doubled if serving a larger group. You could serve the meatballs with gravy or hot cranberry ginger dip, or both, depending on your preference.
Preparation time: 45 minutes
Cooking time: 20 to 22 minutes
Makes: about 32 meatballs; eight to 10 appetizer servings, five main course servings
1 (120 gram) box Kraft Stove Top turkey stuffing mix (see Eric’s options)
1 cup boiling water
1 pound (454 grams) lean ground turkey
1 large egg, beaten
3 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley
• parsley sprigs, for garnish
• meatball gravy (optional; see recipe below)
• hot cranberry ginger dip (optional; see recipe below)
Place the stuffing mix in a mixing bowl, stir in the boiling water, and then let stand until cooled to room temperature. Now add the turkey, egg and chopped parsley and gently mix until well combined.
Preheat oven to 375 F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Moisten your hands lightly with cold water. Roll turkey mixture into 1 1/2-inch balls and set them on the baking sheet as you go along (you should end up with about 32 meatballs). Bake the meatballs 20 to 22 minutes, or until cooked through.
Transfer meatballs to a serving dish, drizzle with a little bit of the gravy or hot cranberry dip, and garnish with parsley sprigs.
Serve the meatballs with bowls of the gravy and/or hot gravy cranberry ginger dip, for dipping the meatballs into, or spooning over top of them once plated.
Eric’s options: If Kraft Stove Top turkey stuffing mix is unavailable, the chicken variety will also work in this recipe.
Meatball Gravy
Easy-to-make gravy you can pour over meatballs or other meaty dish needing a sauce. Any leftover gravy you have could be frozen for another time.
Preparation time: a few minutes
Cooking time: 10 minutes
Makes: about two cups
3 Tbsp butter
3 Tbsp all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp paprika
2 cups turkey or chicken stock (divided)
• splashes Worcestershire sauce and Tabasco (optional)
• salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Melt the butter in a small pot set over medium, medium-high heat. Mix in the flour and paprika until well combined, and then cook this roux a few minutes, until light brown in colour.
Now, while stirring, slowly mix 1/2 cup of the stock into the roux. When mixture is very thick, slowly mix in the rest of the stock, along with Worcestershire sauce and Tabasco, if using.
Bring this gravy to a simmer, and then simmer three to four minutes. Taste and season gravy with salt and pepper, as needed, and it’s ready to use.
Hot Cranberry Ginger Dip
Tangy, sweet, gingery dip you can dunk turkey stuffing meatballs into.
Preparation time: a few minutes
Cooking time: a few minutes
Makes: about two cups
1 (14 oz./398 mL) can jellied cranberry sauce
3 Tbsp orange juice
2 to 3 tsp chopped fresh ginger
1 Tbsp + 1 tsp soy sauce
Place jellied cranberry sauce, juice, ginger and soy sauce in a small pot set over medium, medium-high heat. Bring to a gentle simmer and whisk and cook two minutes, or until the sauce is melted and well blended with the other ingredients. The dip is now ready to use.
Note: Any leftover dip you have could be frozen, to thaw and use at another time. Beyond the turkey stuffing meatballs, you could also use it as dip for chicken nuggets, or as a glaze for baked chicken wings, drumsticks or thighs, or baked salmon fillets.
Eric Akis is the author of eight cookbooks. His columns appear in the Life section Wednesday and Sunday.
