We are less than 2 weeks away from Thanksgiving, you guys! How that happened is a mystery to me (I swear I was just wearing flip flops and summer dresses). But I’m embracing the holidays, because no matter how fast time flies this is the best time of year, amiright?? So sit back, relax, and try to take it all in. Before we know it Thanksgiving will be over and we’ll be moving onto Christmas, eek!
But one thing at a time….today I’m bringing you one more side dish idea for your Thanksgiving menu: Pretzel Bread Stuffing! I know, right?! Stuffing is good enough, but pretzel bread?? Over the top. I’m telling you, this is the only way I want to eat my stuffing from now on! I’ve kept the other ingredients super simple and classic – lots of delicious fresh herbs and a good ole’ mirepoix (meer-pwah), which is a fancy french word for a mixture of onions, carrots, and celery. How bad could that be?
Ingredients
Lots of grocery stores carry pretzel bread these days, but my favorite by far is from Trader Joe’s. This little guy is just 99 cents and oh so delicious. If you pick these up, be sure to buy an extra stick – because if you’re like me, you’ll find yourself eating it straight out of the bag on the ride home :) For this recipe you’ll need about 8 cups of cubed bread, which translates to 4 of these:
How to make it
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Put the pretzel bread pieces on a baking sheet in a single layer and bake for 10 minutes.
While the bread is in the oven, heat a large sauté pan over medium-high heat with the extra virgin olive oil for a couple minutes. Add the onions, celery, mushrooms, and carrots. Cook, stirring occasionally for 3-4 minutes.
Add the garlic and all the chopped fresh herbs, and cook for another 3-4 minutes. Add the kosher salt and black pepper, stir to combine. Turn off the heat.
Put the baked chunks of bread into a large bowl, then add the vegetables and chicken stock or broth. Stir well to combine. Taste to check for seasoning and season with salt if necessary.
Spray a large baking dish with nonstick spray, then transfer the stuffing into the dish. Bake for 25 minutes, until it’s crusty on top.
Et voila! How simple is that?
- 8 cups day-old pretzel bread (a little over 1 pound), cut into 1/2 inch cubes
- 2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 large onion (1 1/2 cups), diced
- 8 celery stalks (around 2 cups), diced
- 2 large carrots (1 cup), diced
- 8 ounces mushrooms (stems removed), chopped
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1/4 cup Italian flat-leaf parsley, chopped
- 1 1/2 Tablespoons fresh thyme, chopped
- 1 Tablespoon fresh sage, chopped
- 2 teaspoons fresh rosemary, chopped
- 1 1/4 cup low sodium chicken stock or broth
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Put the pretzel bread pieces on a baking sheet in a single layer and bake for 10 minutes.
- While the bread is in the oven, heat a large sauté pan over medium-high heat with the extra virgin olive oil for a couple minutes. Add the onions, celery, mushrooms, and carrots. Cook, stirring occasionally for 3-4 minutes.
- Add the garlic and all the chopped fresh herbs, and cook for another 3-4 minutes. Add the kosher salt and black pepper, stir to combine. Turn off the heat.
- Put the baked chunks of bread into a large bowl, then add the vegetables and chicken stock or broth. Stir well to combine. Taste to check for seasoning and season with salt if necessary.
- Spray a large baking dish with nonstick spray, then transfer the stuffing into the dish. Bake 30 minutes, until it’s crusty on top.
Looks deeeeeeeelish!!!
Thanks, Lolo! :) xx
Can you assemble a few hours ahead and then bake ?
Yes, absolutely!