Accentuate your Thanksgiving turkey with Italian stuffing! The ciabatta stuffing is a delicious combination of crispy bread, pancetta, and veggies.
Ciabatta stuffing is a make-ahead recipe for the Thanksgiving feast. It can stay for about 3 to 4 days and can be enjoyed with turkey, chicken, or as a side dish.
To make ciabatta stuffing, start by cooking pancetta until golden and crispy. Now cook the veggies in a skillet until soft and crispy. Now combine cooked veggies and pancetta in a bowl.
Stir in bread, chestnuts, cheese, broth, and spices to a bowl. Now transfer ciabatta stuffing to the greased dish and bake it until the top is golden and cheese is bubbly.
Remember to add just enough broth to moist the stuffing. Adding more broth than required can make the stuffing soggy. Beat the eggs before adding them to the bowl of ciabatta stuffing.
If you wanna make ciabatta stuffing for Thanksgiving, collect all the equipment and ingredients required.
You can check out the lists mentioned below and read the instructions for the recipe. Try this recipe now and I’m sure it’ll taste and look as mentioned below.
Other Recipes That You Can Try
- Chinese Fried Rice Recipe
- Mashed Potatoes Recipe
- Brown Rice Recipe
- Carmel Pecan Monkey Bread Recipe
- Pho Rice Noodles Recipe
- Italian Rice Recipe
- Tuna Rice Recipe
- Ciabatta Rolls Recipe
- Pumpernickel Bread Recipe
- Corn Pone Recipe
What Equipment Will You Need To Make Ciabatta Stuffing?
- Oven – You can’t bake the stuffing if you don’t have an oven. So, make sure you have this main equipment for the recipe.
- Baking Dish – Use a 15x10x2 inch glass baking dish to bake the ciabatta stuffing in the oven.
- Skillet – Use a medium-sized skillet to cook pancetta and the veggies for ciabatta stuffing.
- Bowl – Use a large bowl to toss in all the ingredients for the stuffing.
- Spoon – Use a spoon to beat the eggs for the recipe.
- Spatula – To combine all the stuffing ingredients with the chicken stock, use a spatula. Use also need a spatula to stir the pancetta and veggies while they cook in the skillet.
- Foil – You need to cover the baking dish with buttered aluminum foil to keep the stuffing moist and flavorful.
How Much Time Will You Need To Make Ciabatta Stuffing?
| Preparation Time | Cooking Time | Total Time |
|---|---|---|
| 20 Minutes | 1 Hour 10 Minutes | 1 Hour 30 Minutes |
What Ingredients Will You Need To Make Ciabatta Stuffing?
- Butter – Use butter to cook the veggies, grease the pan and the foil. Butter adds more flavor to the veggies while it softens them in the skillet. You’ll need about six tablespoons of butter for this recipe.
- Eggs – Beat or blend two large eggs to moisten and to add more flavor to the ciabatta stuffing.
- Parmesan Cheese – Add a two-thirds cup of grated parmesan cheese to give an Italian twist to the stuffing and to enhance its taste.
- Pancetta – Dice eight ounces of pancetta into one-fourth inch pieces for the stuffing. Pancetta is an Italian sausage that adds a crispy texture and a nice meaty flavor to the stuffing.
- Chicken Broth – Use a cup of canned low-salt chicken broth to deepen the flavors and to add some moisture to the stuffing.
- Ciabatta Stuffing – Ciabatta Stuffing is the key ingredient for the recipe. Use one pound of day-old ciabatta stuffing for this recipe. You can cut the bread into ¾-inch cubes before using it in the recipe.
- Onions – Finely chop two large onions for the ciabatta stuffing. The onions will add a sharp tart taste and a mild sweetness if softened.
- Carrots – Peel and finely chop two carrots for the ciabatta stuffing.
- Garlic Cloves – Chop three garlic cloves to give a mild nutty seasoning flavor to the stuffing.
- Chestnuts – Coarsely break roasted peeled whole chestnuts for the recipe. You can use two jars of roasted whole chestnuts for this recipe.
- Celery Stalks – Chop about three celery stalks to add a fresh earthy flavor to the stuffing.
- Parsley – Use a one-fourth cup of freshly chopped Italian parsley leaves to add a fresh aroma and herbal flavors to the stuffing.
- Rosemary Leaves – Add two tablespoons of chopped fresh rosemary leaves for this recipe. Rosemary adds fresh aromatic flavors to the stuffing.
- Salt – Season the ciabatta stuffing with salt to enhance its flavor.
- Freshly Ground Black Pepper – Add some heat and spiciness to the ciabatta stuffing by seasoning it with freshly ground black pepper.
Steps To Make Ciabatta Stuffing
1. Cook Pancetta And Veggies
Set a large skillet over medium heat and melt two tablespoons of butter in it. Sauté pancetta in this skillet for about ten minutes until it’s golden brown and crispy.
Transfer this crispy pancetta to a large bowl and add the remaining butter to the skillet. Increase the heat to medium-high and add onions, garlic, carrots, rosemary, and celery to it.
Stir and cook for about twelve minutes until the veggies are soft.
2. Toss In With Broth
Transfer these veggies into the bowl containing pancetta. Add the ciabatta stuffing, chestnuts, parsley, and parmesan cheese to the bowl.
Toss them together after adding chicken broth. Season with salt and pepper and add beaten egg. Toss the mixture again to combine all the flavors and coat with chicken broth.
3. Bake And Serve
Grease the glass baking dish with butter and transfer the ciabatta stuffing into it. Butter the foil and cover the pan with it (butter side down).
Bake it in the preheated oven (350 F) for about thirty minutes until brown and cheese is bubbly. Remove the foil from the baking dish and bake further for fifteen minutes.
Nutritional Information
| Calories | 4548 kcal |
| Carbohydrates | 474 g |
| Protein | 153 g |
| Fat | 226 g |
| Saturated Fat | 98 g |
| Polyunsaturated Fat | 32 g |
| Monounsaturated Fat | 80 g |
| Trans Fat | 3 g |
| Cholesterol | 734 mg |
| Sodium | 62124 mg |
| Potassium | 4193 mg |
| Fiber | 14 g |
| Sugar | 58 g |
| Vitamin A | 25108 IU |
| Vitamin C | 210 mg |
| Calcium | 1533 mg |
| Iron | 11 mg |
How Will Ciabatta Stuffing Look And Taste Like?
Ciabatta bread is an Italian-styled Thanksgiving stuffing. It has crispy brown ciabatta bread pieces mixed with soft and delicious veggies.
Cheese added to the stuffing adds more flavor and fun to it. The taste of this stuffing is enlivened by adding fresh herbs like rosemary and parsley.
Every forkful bite is filled with the flavors of crunchy chestnuts, crispy pancetta, garlic, pepper, eggs, and many more.
The parmesan cheese added to this stuffing adds more flavor to the stuffing. The deep aromatic flavors with crunchy chestnuts take it to the next level. Try this recipe now and you won’t be able to resist these delicious crispy bites.
Recipe Card
Ciabatta Stuffing Recipe
Equipment
- Oven
- Baking Dish
- Skillet
- Bowl
- Spatula
- Spoon
- Foil
Ingredients
- 6 tablespoons Butter
- 2 Large Eggs (beaten to blend)
- ⅔ cup Parmesan Cheese (freshly grated)
- 8 ounces Pancetta (¼-inch diced)
- 1 cup Chicken Broth (canned)
- 1 pound Ciabatta Bread (day-old and cut into ¾-inch cubes)
- 2 Onions (finely chopped)
- 2 Carrots (peeled and finely chopped)
- 3 Garlic Cloves (chopped)
- 14 ounce Chestnuts (peeled, roasted, and coarsely broken)
- 3 Celery Stalks (finely chopped)
- 2 tablespoons Fresh Rosemary Leaves (chopped)
- ¼ cup Fresh Italian Parsley Leaves (chopped)
- ¼ teaspoon Salt
- ¼ teaspoon Freshly Ground Black Pepper
Instructions
- Take a large skillet over medium heat and add two tablespoons of butter to it.
- Toss in pancetta and cook for about 10 minutes until it’s golden brown and crispy.
- Transfer it to a large bowl and add the remaining butter to the skillet.
- Now, increase the heat to medium-high and add garlic, onion, rosemary, carrots, and celery to it.
- Stir and cook for about 12 minutes until the veggies are soft.
- Add these veggies to the bowl containing pancetta. Stir in the Ciabatta, chestnuts, parsley, and parmesan cheese.
- Toss them all together after you add chicken broth. Season it with salt and pepper and add beaten egg.
- Toss the mixture again to combine all the flavors and coat the stuffing with chicken broth.
- Start by greasing the glass baking dish with butter and then, transfer the ciabatta stuffing into it.
- Butter the foil and cover the pan with it (butter side down).
- Bake this stuffing in the preheated oven (350 F) for about 30 minutes.
- Remove the foil from the baking dish and bake further for 15 minutes.
Video
Nutrition
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What can I substitute for eggs in stuffing?
The most important ingredient of stuffing may be the binder, for it keeps all the other elements in place. For a fluffy texture, use eggs. Stock is the most used binder. Less conventional possibilities include fruit juice (such as apple or orange) and alcohol (wine or liqueur).
What can you use in place of pancetta in ciabatta stuffing?
Pancetta is the same cut as American bacon, so that’s the first substitute that comes to mind for ciabatta stuffing. Canadian bacon, salt pork, prosciutto, smoked ham, and smoked sausage are all good choices as well.
What is bread stuffing made of?
This classic ciabatta stuffing recipe will complete just about any meal! Celery, onions, and butter are tossed with dried bread cubes, then topped with broth and baked until hot and golden.
Why is it called stuffing?
From a culinary point of view, “stuffing” is what is cooked inside the turkey because, well, it is “stuffed inside.” Makes sense, no? “Dressing” refers to the savory mixture that is cooked outside the turkey, “dressing” up or enhancing the serving platter.
Conclusion
I hope you liked the recipe of ciabatta stuffing! Share your experience with this recipe in the comments below. Try our other holiday recipes for your Thanksgiving feast.
