I’ve been talking to a lot of people who say their favorite holiday dish is the stuffing, or dressing. I have to agree. My family’s traditional stuffing recipe has changed over the years. The ingredients are the same but the preparation is totally different. I remember my mother stuffing the turkey before it went into the oven. My stuffing is done separate from the bird and I believe it makes a big difference in the way that the turkey cooks. You can check out my turkey recipe under the “holiday dishes” category in the menu (top right hand side) of my homepage.
I’m going to a Christmas party this year so I’m bringing the stuffing. I’m using a disposable, deep sided baking pan for easy transport.
In my opinion the best bread for the bread cubes is Ciabatta bread. Let’s talk a little bit about the bread cubes and how easy it is to make your own.
I do think that you’ll want to make a large amount of this recipe. Family and friends love this dish and always want extra helpings. It’s also great to serve the next day, especially with a ladle of you favorite gravy on top!
Yields: 12 servings
Prep Time: includes prepping all veggies along with, sauteing all ingredients -40 minutes
Baking Time 1 hour 10-15 minutes
Total Cook Time: 1 hour 50-55 minutes
The day before I make the stuffing, I make the homemade bread cubes.
Equipment:
2- 1/4 size sheet pans
Ingredients:
2 loaves of Artisan bread – Ciabatta,
3/4 of cup olive oil
1-1/2 tablespoons of Kosher salt
1 teaspoon of freshly cracked black pepper
Directions:
Preheat oven to 250 degrees F.
In a very large mixing bowl, add the bread cubes, Kosher salt and black pepper. Slowly drizzle the olive oil into the bowl, and with the other hand toss the bread cubes around so they are all evenly coated with the olive oil, salt and pepper.
Spread the coated bread cubes evenly over both sheet pans. Bake for 1-1 1/2 hours until bread is light toasted and completely dried out.
Day of Stuffing- Step 1:
Using 1/4 cup of butter (4 tablespoons) grease 13 x 9 x 2 casserole baking dish.
Ingredients:
2 pints of whole Cremini mushrooms quartered
2 tablespoons of fresh thyme leaves
1 tablespoon of minced garlic
2 tablespoon of unsalted butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon Kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
Directions:
In a large saute pan, on medium heat, add butter and olive oil to pan. Add in the Cremini mushrooms, minced garlic, pepper and fresh thyme leaves. Stir all the ingredients through and saute mushrooms for about 5 minutes. Once the mushrooms have softened and released their juices, sprinkle in the salt. Saute for another 10 minutes. Turn the heat off and transfer the mushroom to a bowl and set aside.
Step 2 and 3:
Italian Sausage:
Ingredients;
1 pound each of sweet and hot Italian sausage, casings removed
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon Kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
1 sprig of fresh rosemary
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 large onion diced
2-1/2 cups of chopped celery
2 teaspoons minced garlic
1 tablespoon Kosher salt
1 teaspoon of freshly cracked black pepper
Directions:
In a large saute pan, on medium heat, add in olive oil and sausage braking it up with a wooden spoon. Add the sprig of fresh rosemary and cook for around 15 minutes or until no longer pink. Discard the rosemary stems, drain. Remove cooked sausage with a slotted spoon and transfer to a bowl.
In the same saute pan. on medium heat melt butter. Add in onion, celery, minced garlic, Kosher salt, and pepper. Saute until tender, about 8-10 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool.
Step 4: The Mix:
3 large beaten eggs (cage-free)
3/4 cup of grated Parmesan cheese
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary leaves
2 tablespoons of fresh chopped sage leaves
2 tablespoons of freshly chopped Italian parsley
1 tablespoon Kosher salt
1 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
1 quart unsalted chicken broth
Directions: Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
In a large bowl, add the beaten eggs, cheese, all herbs and seasonings. Add the cooked mushrooms. Combine really well so the mushrooms are completely coated.
In another very large bowl, combine cooked bread cubes, cooked sausage, and cooked celery mixture. Add the egg- mushroom mixture to the bowl and toss through.
Finally, slowly pour the chicken broth over all the ingredients, allowing all the bread cubes to absorb the liquid. Continually stirring gently, as you add the liquid. There will most likely be extra liquid in the bowl, that liquid will get absorbed during the baking process.
Spoon the stuffing mixture to the buttered casserole dish. Pour over any excess liquid left in the bowl. Cover and bake for 1 hour. Uncover, bake and additional 10-15 minutes, or until light golden brown, and meat thermometer reads 160 degrees F.
