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Italian Christmas Turkey Recipe

Italian Christmas Turkey Recipe photo by Taste of Home

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“We never had stuffing without sausage, and my mom’s Italian stuffing is my favorite. I rarely buy the sausage and make my own instead, like my relatives do.” —Elsie Laurenzo Palmer, Saratoga Springs, NY

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Italian Christmas Turkey Recipe

Prep: 40 min. Bake: 3-3/4 hours + standing

Yield: 16 Servings

40 225 265

Ingredients

1/2 cup butter, cubed
1 pound Johnsonville® Ground Sausage
2 celery ribs, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
1 package (14 ounces) seasoned stuffing cubes
1/4 cup egg substitute
2 to 3 cups hot water
1 turkey (16 pounds)
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions

In a large skillet over medium heat, melt butter. Add the sausage, celery and onion; cook and stir until meat is no longer pink. Transfer to a large bowl; stir in the stuffing cubes, egg substitute and enough water to reach desired moistness.
Just before baking, loosely stuff turkey with stuffing. Place remaining stuffing in a greased 2-qt. baking dish; cover and refrigerate. Remove from the refrigerator 30 minutes before baking.
Skewer turkey openings; tie drumsticks together. Place breast side up in a roasting pan. Rub with salt and pepper.
Bake, uncovered, at 325° for 3-3/4 to 4-1/4 hours or until a meat thermometer reads 180° for turkey and 165° for stuffing, basting occasionally with pan drippings. (Cover loosely with foil if turkey browns too quickly.)
Bake additional stuffing, covered, for 25-30 minutes. Uncover; bake 10 minutes longer or until a thermometer reads 160°. Cover turkey and let stand for 20 minutes before removing stuffing and carving turkey. If desired, thicken pan drippings for gravy. Yield: 16 servings (12 cups stuffing).

Nutritional Facts 8 ounces cooked turkey with 3/4 cup stuffing equals 777 calories, 40 g fat (14 g saturated fat), 282 mg cholesterol, 788 mg sodium, 20 g carbohydrate, 2 g fiber, 80 g protein.

Originally published as Italian Christmas Turkey in Taste of Home December/January 2010, p73

Medium-Bodied White Wine

Enjoy this recipe with a medium-bodied white wine such as Riesling or Gewürtztraminer

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Italian Christmas Turkey

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Reviewed on Dec. 21, 2010 by sewmack

My German-Polish family has been making stuffing with hamburger and bratwurst mix, in place of the Italian sausage, for generations. We don't follow a recipe, but if we did, it would be almost identical to this. Isn't it amazing how much alike we are, where ever our ancestors came from.