Thanksgiving Turkey with Italian Meat Stuffing

Each Thanksgiving we all looked forward to my Mom's delicious turkey with Italian meat stuffing. When she got older and could no longer cook, I took over the Thanksgiving dinners. She is no longer with us but each year members of my family continue to ask for Grandma's recipe so they can make it for their own family. I would now like to pass it on to you.

• Preparation Time: 20 mins
• Cooking Time: 6 hr
• Total Time: 6 hr 20 mins
• Calories: 612 Calories

Ingredients

• 1 large egg
• 1 cup water (Optional)
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 large onion, chopped
• salt and ground black pepper to taste
• 1 pound ground beef
• 2 lemons, cut in half
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped, or to taste
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
• 1 (15 pound) whole turkey, neck and giblets removed
• 4 cloves garlic, chopped, or more to taste
• ½ cup freshly shredded Parmesan cheese
• 2 teaspoons garlic powder, or to taste
• ½ cup chopped fresh mushrooms (Optional)
• ½ (1 pound) loaf day-old Italian bread
• 2 large stalks celery with leaves, chopped

Recipe Instructions

Step 1

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).

Step 2

Place the ground beef into a skillet, and cook and stir the meat until browned and crumbly, breaking it up into chunks as it cooks, about 10 minutes. Drain grease. Place the ground beef into a large mixing bowl.

Step 3

Tear the bread into rough chunks, and place into a bowl; soak bread in water until moistened, and squeeze the water out of the bread. Crumble the wet bread into the bowl with the ground beef. Mix in the onion, celery, mushrooms, 4 cloves of garlic, flat-leaf parsley, Parmesan cheese, and egg until thoroughly combined. Season with salt and black pepper.

Step 4

Rinse the turkey, and pat dry with paper towels. Lightly stuff the turkey with the ground beef mixture, and place into a roasting pan with a lid. Rub the turkey with olive oil, squeeze lemons over the turkey, and sprinkle 2 more cloves of garlic, the garlic powder, and more salt and black pepper over the bird.

Step 5

Roast the turkey uncovered in the preheated oven until the skin is browned, about 45 minutes. Reduce heat to 350 degrees C (175 degrees C), and cover the turkey with the lid. Continue roasting until the juices run clear and an instant-read meat thermometer inserted into the thickest part of a thigh reads 180 degrees F (80 degrees C), about 5 more hours. Baste occasionally. If the bottom of the roasting pan looks dry, pour in water.