Classic Bread Stuffing

Below you will find a recipe for a no-frills stuffing: olive oil-toasted bread tossed with sautéed onions and celery, Bell’s seasonings, and copious amounts of butter. Hands down, it is my favorite part of the Thanksgiving meal every year.

Below you will find a recipe for a very classic bread stuffing from my cookbook, Bread Toast Crumbs . It’s seasoned with Bell’s Seasoning, which, if you are unfamiliar, is a finely ground mix of rosemary, oregano, sage, ginger, marjoram, thyme, and pepper. Just pulling out the box every year makes me happy, filling me with nostalgia for Thanksgivings past, occasions attended without fail by all of my favorite people.

Know you can customize the seasonings and add-ins of this recipe to your liking. Also: you can make it ahead and freeze it. This stuffing, along with the kale version , hands down every year is my favorite part of the Thanksgiving meal.

PS: 25+ Thanksgiving Sides

Description

Below you will find a recipe for a no-frills stuffing: olive oil-toasted bread tossed with sautéed onions and celery, Bell’s seasonings, and copious amounts of butter. Hands down, it is my favorite part of the Thanksgiving meal every year.

Notes:

• If you’re using my mother’s peasant bread for the stuffing, you don’t need to remove the crust. And 1.5 lbs of bread is roughly 1.5 loaves of peasant bread. If you are using crusty bread, remove the crust.

• Making Ahead/Freezing/Baking Instructions: You can make this recipe through the covering-the-pan-with-foil step in step 4; then transfer to the fridge for 24 hours. To Freeze: After you transfer the stuffing to the 9×13-inch pan, cover it with foil, then transfer to the freezer for up to 3 months. To bake: Preheat the oven to 350°F. Bake stuffing covered directly from the freezer for 1 hour. Increase the temperature to 400°F and bake uncovered for 15 to 20 minutes.

• Bell’s Seasoning is readily available at most grocery stores. It’s a mix of finely ground rosemary, oregano, sage, ginger, marjoram, thyme, and pepper. If you can’t find it, I would imagine using some combination of the noted dried herbs would work. A smaller amount of chopped fresh thyme, rosemary, sage, and oregano would also be nice.

• 1½ pounds peasant bread or other French/Italian bread, torn into 1 – to 2-inch pieces (about 12 cups ), see notes above

• ½ cup extra-virgin olive oil, divided

• Kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper

• 4 tablespoons ( ½ stick) unsalted butter

• 2 cups finely diced onions ( 1 to 2 onions)

• 1 cup finely diced celery

• 1 tablespoon Bell’s Seasoning , see notes above

• 1½ cups homemade chicken stock or vegetable stock

• 1 egg

• Softened unsalted butter, for greasing

1. Preheat the oven to 400°F. In a large bowl, toss the bread with ¼ cup oil; it will feel saturated. Season the bread with salt and pepper to taste. Spread it onto a sheet pan in a single layer, reserving the bowl. Transfer the pan to the oven and toast the bread for 15 to 20 minutes, or until golden. Set it aside to cool briefly.
2. Meanwhile, in a large sauté pan, melt the butter with the remaining ¼ cup oil over medium heat. Add the onions and celery, season with a pinch of salt, and cook for 5 to 10 minutes, stirring, until soft and beginning to color.
3. Return the toasted bread to the reserved bowl. When the onions and celery have finished cooking, scrape them into the bowl over the bread. Sprinkle with the Bell’s. Add 1 cup stock, ½ teaspoon salt, and pepper to taste. Toss. Taste and adjust the seasoning, adding salt and pepper as needed — this is your chance to get the seasoning right before you add the egg. In a small bowl, whisk the remaining ½ cup stock with the egg and add it to the bowl. Toss them to combine.
4. Grease a 9 × 13-inch baking pan with the softened butter and spread the mixture into it. Cover the pan with foil (see notes above for making in advance and freezing), transfer it to the center rack of the oven, and bake the stuffing for 30 minutes. Uncover the pan and bake the stuffing for 10 to 15 minutes more, until the bread is golden. Remove the stuffing and let it stand for 10 minutes before serving it.

• Prep Time: 20 minutes
• Cook Time: 1 hour
• Category: Side Dish
• Method: Stovetop, Oven
• Cuisine: American

Description

Below you will find a recipe for a no-frills stuffing: olive oil-toasted bread tossed with sautéed onions and celery, Bell’s seasonings, and copious amounts of butter. Hands down, it is my favorite part of the Thanksgiving meal every year.

Notes:

• If you’re using my mother’s peasant bread for the stuffing, you don’t need to remove the crust. And 1.5 lbs of bread is roughly 1.5 loaves of peasant bread. If you are using crusty bread, remove the crust.

• Making Ahead/Freezing/Baking Instructions: You can make this recipe through the covering-the-pan-with-foil step in step 4; then transfer to the fridge for 24 hours. To Freeze: After you transfer the stuffing to the 9×13-inch pan, cover it with foil, then transfer to the freezer for up to 3 months. To bake: Preheat the oven to 350°F. Bake stuffing covered directly from the freezer for 1 hour. Increase the temperature to 400°F and bake uncovered for 15 to 20 minutes.

• Bell’s Seasoning is readily available at most grocery stores. It’s a mix of finely ground rosemary, oregano, sage, ginger, marjoram, thyme, and pepper. If you can’t find it, I would imagine using some combination of the noted dried herbs would work. A smaller amount of chopped fresh thyme, rosemary, sage, and oregano would also be nice.

• 1½ pounds peasant bread or other French/Italian bread, torn into 1 - to 2-inch pieces (about 12 cups ), see notes above

• ½ cup extra-virgin olive oil, divided

• Kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper

• 4 tablespoons ( ½ stick) unsalted butter

• 2 cups finely diced onions ( 1 to 2 onions)

• 1 cup finely diced celery

• 1 tablespoon Bell’s Seasoning , see notes above

• 1½ cups homemade chicken stock or vegetable stock

• 1 egg

• Softened unsalted butter, for greasing

1. Preheat the oven to 400°F. In a large bowl, toss the bread with ¼ cup oil; it will feel saturated. Season the bread with salt and pepper to taste. Spread it onto a sheet pan in a single layer, reserving the bowl. Transfer the pan to the oven and toast the bread for 15 to 20 minutes, or until golden. Set it aside to cool briefly.
2. Meanwhile, in a large sauté pan, melt the butter with the remaining ¼ cup oil over medium heat. Add the onions and celery, season with a pinch of salt, and cook for 5 to 10 minutes, stirring, until soft and beginning to color.
3. Return the toasted bread to the reserved bowl. When the onions and celery have finished cooking, scrape them into the bowl over the bread. Sprinkle with the Bell’s. Add 1 cup stock, ½ teaspoon salt, and pepper to taste. Toss. Taste and adjust the seasoning, adding salt and pepper as needed — this is your chance to get the seasoning right before you add the egg. In a small bowl, whisk the remaining ½ cup stock with the egg and add it to the bowl. Toss them to combine.
4. Grease a 9 × 13-inch baking pan with the softened butter and spread the mixture into it. Cover the pan with foil (see notes above for making in advance and freezing), transfer it to the center rack of the oven, and bake the stuffing for 30 minutes. Uncover the pan and bake the stuffing for 10 to 15 minutes more, until the bread is golden. Remove the stuffing and let it stand for 10 minutes before serving it.

• Prep Time: 20 minutes
• Cook Time: 1 hour
• Category: Side Dish
• Method: Stovetop, Oven
• Cuisine: American

Find it online : https://alexandracooks.com/2020/11/13/classic-bread-stuffing-25-more-thanksgiving-side-dishes/

In this vegetable side dish, roasted kabocha squash slices are showered with crispy garlic, capers, and chilies, and served over a simple, lemony yogurt sauce. Start to finish this takes about 35 minutes to assemble, and the combination is irresistible! 🌶 🌶 🌶 🌶

Here’s a vegetable side dish I am loving: lemony yogurt sauce + roasted kabocha squash + spicy garlic-caper oil.

I still have not made the vinaigrette, but at the tail end of last winter, I replaced the crushed red pepper flakes in a sauce used in a favorite green bean recipe with a spoonful of the Calabrian chili paste and poured the mixture over roasted kabocha squash slices.

The combination was irresistible, the heat and the acidity from the Calabrian chili paste so nicely balancing the sweet, earthy squash. I never got around to sharing the recipe last winter, because this discovery coincided with the onset of what many home cooks face in early March: winter squash (and root vegetable!) fatigue. Thought it was better to save until now.

I hope you all love this one as much as I.

What to serve with this roasted kabocha squash?

Depending on what else I’m cooking, sometimes I’ll simply make the squash with the spicy oil. But to make the dish a little more substantial, I’ll tumble the roasted squash slices over my favorite, simple yogurt sauce: Greek yogurt, fresh lemon juice, and salt.

We’ve been eating it this way all week either topped with a poached egg or aside tinned fish, most often this Korean Double Hot Tuna , which we love.

If you are serving this as a side dish for four people or so, I think it would be really nice with spatchcock roast chicken — either Dorie’s or this one with dates and artichoke hearts — or this simple fish recipe or a classic roast chicken .

Alternatively, if you wanted to keep this vegetarian, I think you could throw some chickpeas over the squash before you drizzle over the chili oil.

Can you eat the skin of the kabocha squash?

I made this recipe yesterday in Instagram Stories, and I received so many messages asking if you can eat the skin of the kabocha squash. The answer is: Yes! It’s delicious.

And the truth is, you can eat the rind of so many squashes. Delicata comes to mind first, but the skin of Acorn and others, including, butternut squash are also edible.

Here’s the play-by-play:

How to Roast Kabocha Squash

First, halve and seed the squash. Kabocha squash, like other varieties of squash, is not the easiest to cut into. I whack it with a sharp knife and use force to split the squash in half. If you own a microwave, you can microwave it for 2 to 4 minutes, which will soften it and make it easier to cut.

Cut the squash into 1/2-inch thick slices. Spread the squash onto a sheet pan, toss with olive oil and salt, and roast at 400ºF until …

… caramelized!

Meanwhile: slice 4 to 6 cloves of garlic thinly.

Place the garlic in a skillet with olive oil, capers, and Calabrian chili paste . Place the skillet over low heat.

Meanwhile, smear a lemony yogurt sauce — Greek yogurt, fresh lemon juice, and salt — over a platter.

Arrange the squash slices over top.

Finally: crank up the heat under the skillet; then …

… pour it over the squash. This is delicious served immediately or at room temperature.

Description

In this recipe I use Calabrian chili paste , but please don’t feel you have to rush out to get it to make this … but maybe order it for future use? Or holiday gift giving? I love the stuff.

As noted in the ingredient list, use 1/2 teaspoon or more crushed red pepper flakes, depending on your heat tolerance, in its place.

• 1 kabocha squash, roughly 2.5 – 3 pounds
• 4 tablespoons olive oil, divided
• kosher salt
• 2 tablespoons capers
• 4 to 6 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
• 1 tablespoon Calabrian chili paste or 1/2 to 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, see notes above
• 1 cup Greek yogurt
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

1. Heat the oven to 400ºF convection. Halve the kabocha squash — be careful! It’s not easy. If you own a microwave, I’ve heard microwaving the squash for 2 to 4 minutes will soften it, and therefore make it easier to cut into. Scoop out the seeds. Slice the squash into 1/2-inch thick slices.
2. Arrange the squash slices on a sheet pan. Drizzle with 1 tablespoon olive oil and season liberally with salt. Spread the squash into an even layer. Transfer pan to the oven. Roast for 3o minutes or so, checking after 20. I find it generally takes roughly 30 minutes to get some good caramelization on the underside of the squash slices. Once you see the undersides of the squash looking caramelized, transfer the pan to the broiler and broil for about 2 minutes, checking often, until the top surface of the squash slices begin to lightly caramelize. Remove pan from the oven and set aside.
3. Meanwhile, place the remaining 3 tablespoons oil, 2 tablespoons capers, 1 tablespoon Calabrian chili paste or crushed red pepper flakes, and thinly sliced garlic cloves into a small skillet. Set it over low heat.
4. In a medium bowl, stir together the cup of Greek yogurt, 1 tablespoon of lemon juice, and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Taste. Add more salt to taste. Smear this yogurt mixture over a platter. Tumble the roasted squash slices over the yogurt smear, and arrange them to fit.
5. Once the platter is arranged with the yogurt and squash, you can crank up the heat under the skillet stovetop. Cook until the garlic just begins to color and the capers begin popping — it’s OK if the garlic gets crisp, but you don’t want it to get too dark or it will taste bitter. Pour the sizzling oil over the squash. Serve immediately or at room temperature.

• Prep Time: 10 minutes
• Cook Time: 35 minutes
• Category: Side Dish
• Method: Stovetop, Oven
• Cuisine: American