French Canadian Meat Stuffing (Grandma’s Turkey Dressing)

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This French Canadian meat stuffing is made with ground beef, potatoes, onion, celery, and savory seasonings for a hearty alternative to traditional bread stuffing. It was a holiday tradition in our family and always appeared alongside the turkey at Christmas and Thanksgiving.

I remember my grandmother making this turkey dressing when I was growing up, and the smell alone takes me right back to those holiday dinners.

Unfortunately, I never had the chance to make the recipe alongside my grandmother. Over the years, though, I was able to recreate it from my memories of the flavors and aromas I remembered so well.

And now it has become a tradition for another generation.

What Is French Canadian Meat Stuffing?

If your idea of Thanksgiving stuffing involves bread cubes, this recipe may surprise you.

This version is made primarily with ground beef (and sometimes mixed with ground pork, although we just use ground beef) and mashed potatoes, along with onion, celery, poultry seasoning, and sage. The meat and potatoes are mixed together with turkey broth and baked until hot with a lightly golden top.

Some like to just cook their meat stuffing on the stove top. I prefer to pop ours in the oven for a bit for that added crust on top!

You may hear similar family recipes called French Canadian stuffing, meat stuffing, meat dressing, potato stuffing, or turkey dressing. Recipes vary quite a bit from family to family, which is part of what makes these handed-down holiday dishes so special!

Our version is served as a side dish rather than cooked inside the turkey. I feel like I can control the temperature and doneness better that way.

Ingredients for French Canadian Meat Stuffing

You’ll need:

• 2 pounds ground beef
• About 3 cups of chopped russet or gold potatoes
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 2 celery stalks, chopped
• Butter, for mashing the potatoes
• Poultry seasoning, divided
• Dried sage, to taste
• Salt, to taste
• Black pepper, to taste
• 1 cup turkey broth, plus additional broth as needed

Like many grandmas’ recipes that are passed down, a lot of the ingredients don’t have an exact measurement! We measure to taste and adjust as needed.

What Kind of Potatoes Should I Use?

We traditionally make this dressing with russet or gold potatoes, and I leave the skins on. They add a little texture and save some prep time too. Red potatoes are fine too.

Cut the potatoes into fairly small, evenly sized pieces so they cook quickly and finish at about the same time.

You can peel them if your family prefers a smoother stuffing.

How to Make French Canadian Meat Stuffing

1. Cook the ground beef.

Add the ground beef — or hamburger meat as I call it — to a large skillet and season with poultry seasoning, sage, salt, and pepper.

Cook over medium heat, breaking the beef into small crumbles as it cooks, until the meat is completely browned.

Drain the excess grease.

2. Add the onion and celery.

Return the beef to the stove and add the chopped onion and celery.

Sprinkle with additional poultry seasoning and continue cooking until the vegetables have softened and the onion is translucent.

3. Cook and mash the potatoes.

While the beef is cooking, place the chopped potatoes in a large pot and cover them with water.

Bring to a boil and cook until the potatoes are fork-tender.

Drain well, then mash the potatoes with butter.

4. Combine the meat and potatoes.

Add the cooked beef, onion, and celery mixture to the mashed potatoes.

Mash and stir everything together until evenly combined.

Taste and add additional poultry seasoning, sage, salt, or pepper as needed.

Pour in 1 cup of turkey broth and stir until incorporated.

The mixture should be moist but not soupy.

5. Transfer to a baking dish.

Preheat the oven to 350°F.

Spoon the meat stuffing into a large baking dish and spread it into an even layer.

Make several small indentations in the top with the back of a spoon. Ladle a little additional turkey broth over the surface and sprinkle with poultry seasoning.

Cover the baking dish with aluminum foil.

6. Bake.

Bake covered at 350°F for 45 minutes.

Remove the foil and bake for another 15-20 minutes, or until the dressing is heated through and a light golden crust begins to form on top.

Let it rest for about 10 minutes before serving.

And if there’s turkey gravy nearby, definitely spoon some over the top. It just adds a little extra *yum* to it!

French Canadian Meat Stuffing

Yield: 8 servings

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour 10 minutes

Additional Time: 10 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour 40 minutes

Grandma’s hearty French Canadian meat stuffing combines ground beef, potatoes, onion, celery, and savory seasonings for a comforting holiday side dish. Serve it alongside turkey and gravy for Thanksgiving, Christmas, or any family dinner.

4.3 Stars (10 Reviews)

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Ingredients

• 2 pounds ground beef
• 3 cups chopped russet or gold potatoes
• 1 medium onion, finely chopped
• 2 celery stalks, finely chopped
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 cup turkey broth, plus more as needed
• 2 teaspoons poultry seasoning, divided
• 1/2 teaspoon dried sage
• 1 teaspoon salt, or to taste
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper, or to taste

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly grease a large baking dish.
2. Add the ground beef to a large skillet over medium heat. Season with about 1 teaspoon of the poultry seasoning, the sage, salt, and pepper.
3. Cook the beef, breaking it into small crumbles as it browns, until fully cooked. Drain any excess grease.
4. Return the skillet to the stove. Add the chopped onion and celery and cook for about 5 to 7 minutes, or until the vegetables are soft and the onion is translucent.
5. While the beef is cooking, place the chopped potatoes in a large saucepan and cover with water. Bring to a boil and cook until fork-tender, about 10 to 15 minutes.
6. Drain the potatoes well and return them to the pot. Add the butter and mash until mostly smooth.
7. Add the cooked beef, onion, and celery mixture to the mashed potatoes. Stir and mash together until evenly combined.
8. Add the remaining poultry seasoning and 1 cup of turkey broth. Stir well. The mixture should be moist and soft but not runny. Add a little extra broth if needed.
9. Taste and adjust the salt, pepper, sage, or poultry seasoning as desired.
10. Spread the mixture evenly in the prepared baking dish. Make a few shallow indentations in the top with the back of a spoon and drizzle a small amount of additional turkey broth over the surface.
11. Sprinkle lightly with additional poultry seasoning, if desired, and cover the dish with aluminum foil.
12. Bake covered for 45 minutes.
13. Remove the foil and continue baking for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the top begins to turn lightly golden and the dressing is heated through.
14. Remove from the oven and let rest for about 10 minutes before serving.
15. Serve warm with turkey gravy, if desired.

Notes

Russet potatoes will give the dressing a fluffier texture, while gold potatoes will make it slightly creamier.

Add turkey broth gradually if you prefer a firmer stuffing. Too much broth can make the mixture overly soft.

This recipe can be assembled ahead of time, covered, and refrigerated before baking.

If baking directly from the refrigerator, you may need to add a few extra minutes to the covered baking time.

Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3 to 4 days.

Nutrition Information:

Yield: 8 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 444Total Fat: 23gSaturated Fat: 9gUnsaturated Fat: 13gCholesterol: 110mgSodium: 535mgCarbohydrates: 23gFiber: 3gSugar: 2gProtein: 34g

Serving French Canadian Turkey Dressing

We love this meat stuffing so much that we eventually stopped making separate mashed potatoes for our turkey dinners. Instead, we simply make extra dressing.

It is hearty enough to take the place of both the traditional stuffing and mashed potatoes, although nobody is going to stop you from putting all three on your Thanksgiving plate.

Serve it alongside roasted turkey, gravy, cranberry sauce, vegetables, and your other favorite Thanksgiving or Christmas side dishes.

A Holiday Recipe Worth Passing Down

For years, I didn’t realize this recipe was unusual.

It was simply what Grandma made for turkey dinner.

Once we began hosting holiday meals in our own home, though, we discovered that many of our guests had never eaten meat-and-potato stuffing before. Even the skeptical ones usually ended up coming back for more.

That’s one of my favorite things about family recipes. Something ordinary at your childhood dinner table can turn out to be completely new to someone else.

And this is one recipe I’m happy to pass along to my own children.

You can also find more holiday recipes for your Thanksgiving and Christmas menus, including our Thanksgiving turkey, Turkey Pot Pie, dairy-free pumpkin pie, and another Canadian family favorite, our Nanaimo Bars.

Looking for a classic stuffing? Check out our Turkey Bread Stuffing!

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