How do you keep stuffing moist?

To keep stuffing moist, stir in broth before baking.

Should stuffing be covered when baking?

Whether or not to cover stuffing when baking depends on your desired texture. Covering stuffing with foil during baking helps retain moisture and results in a softer, moister texture. On the other hand, leaving it uncovered produces a bit drier stuffing with a slightly crispy top. I (as did Mom) prefer the latter, so I don’t cover the stuffing.

How soggy should stuffing be before baking?

For the best texture, after adding the broth the stuffing mixture should just start to hold together, but not be so moist that it forms large clumps.

Apple Sausage Stuffing Recipe - A Well-Seasoned Kitchen®

Ingredients

Scale

1 pound sage pork sausage (Jimmy Dean brand works well)
1 cup chopped yellow onion
1 cup chopped celery
1 package (12 to 14 ounce) Stuffing Mix (any flavor, we prefer cornbread)
1 tart green (Granny Smith) apple, cored and chopped (peeled or unpeeled)
3/4 cup chopped, roasted pecans (optional)
2 tablespoons poultry seasoning
Kosher salt, optional (depending on the saltiness of the broth used)
Fresh ground black pepper
1 3/4 cups chicken broth, or more if needed

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Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 9 by 13-inch baking dish.
In a large sauté pan or skillet over medium heat, brown sausage until no longer pink. Add onions and celery and cook until soft.
Place stuffing mix in a large bowl. Stir in sausage-onion mixture, apple, pecans, poultry seasoning, salt, and pepper.
Gradually stir in broth; add more if needed. The stuffing mixture should just start to hold together, but not be so moist that it forms large clumps. (If not baking right away, cover and refrigerate.)
Spoon stuffing into the prepared baking dish and bake, uncovered, for 25 to 30 minutes or until the top is lightly browned and crispy.

Notes

Note on timing with roast turkey: Once your turkey is roasted and resting at room temperature, adjust the oven temperature (as needed) to 350 degrees and follow the directions above.

To stuff turkey: After step 3 above, place about 6 cups of stuffing in a separate, microwave-safe bowl and set aside. Gradually stir 1 cup broth into the remaining stuffing. Place moistened stuffing in a buttered 11 by 7-inch or 9-inch square baking dish, cover, and refrigerate. When ready to stuff the turkey, microwave the 6 cups of stuffing that you set aside on high for 6 minutes. Spoon hot stuffing into cavities of turkey; secure openings with skewers and kitchen twine. (If all the stuffing doesn’t fit, stir the remainder into the moistened stuffing.) Cook remaining stuffing per directions above under “timing with roast turkey.”

Author: From "A Well-Seasoned Kitchen®" by Sally Clayton and Lee Clayton Roper
Category: make ahead, side dish
Method: Bake
Cuisine: American