Italian Stuffing
Italian Stuffing
Firm, crusty Italian bread is the secret to this beloved Thanksgiving side dish. If the bread is too soft, it will just fall apart during cooking. Be sure to use thinly sliced salami so that it melts in your mouth with every bite.Recipe courtesy of Catherine Pappas/Living the Gourmet.
Prep Time
10
minutes
Cook Time
1
hour
Servings
6
Total time: 1 hour, 10 minutes
Ingredients
- 8 cup cubed italian bread
- 1 large onion, chopped
- 4-5 cloves garlic, chopped
- 1 cup fresh parsley, chopped
- 5-6 celery stalks, chopped with leaves
- 1 1/2 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
- 6-8 fresh sage leaves, chopped
- 6-8 fresh basil leaves, chopped
- 12 slices salami, chopped (can mix sweet and hot)
- 2-3 tablespoon olive oil
- 2-3 tablespoon sweet butter
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 2 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon fennel seeds
Directions
- Preheat oven 350 degrees F.
- Cube the Italian bread and place on a baking sheet.
- Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and black pepper.
- Bake 12-15 minutes or until the bread becomes slightly golden.
- Heat a large cast iron frying pan with 2 tablespoons butter and 2 tablespoons olive oil.
- Add the chopped herbs, tomatoes and garlic and sauté until the garlic is slightly fragrant.
- Add the chopped celery and onion and continue to sauté until the onion is slightly transparent.
- Add the seasonings and toss.
- Add the chopped salami, cubed bread and the grated cheese; reserving about a quarter of a cup of grated cheese to sprinkle on top.
- If you didn’t reserve a bit, don’t worry just grate more on top.
- Butter a casserole dish and add the stuffing and sprinkle the remaining cheese on top, along with a drizzle of olive oil and a sprinkle of dried oregano and fresh ground black pepper.
- Bake for 30-40 minutes.
- Cover until ready to serve for a more moist dressing.