This Italian Bread Stuffing recipe is about to become your new go-to for Thanksgiving. Whether you serve it on its own or use it as a stuffing for your turkey, this easy ciabatta stuffing adds a flavorful twist to a traditional holiday side dish!
8cupsday-old ciabatta cut into 1 inch chunks(this was around 1 ½ loaves for me but it will depend on the size of your loaves)
Cooking spray
2Tablespoonsbutter
1Tablespoonolive oil
1 ¼cupdiced onion
1 ¼cupdiced celery
3-4largegarlic cloves, minced
1teaspoonkosher salt
¼teaspoonground black pepper
1teaspoonItalian seasoning
¾cupswhite wine
3cupschicken broth(or turkey broth)
1 ½cups raisins
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and line a sheet pan with parchment.
Spread bread chunks onto pan in a single layer (use multiple pans if you need to) and toast in oven for 10 minutes.
While the bread toasts, melt butter and oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.
Add onions and celery and saute for around 4-5 minutes, stirring often to soften.
Add garlic and saute a minute more until fragrant.
Season with salt, pepper and Italian seasoning and deglaze the pan with wine.
Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer wine for 2 minutes.
Add bread, raisin and broth to the pan and stir well to combine until the bread has absorbed most of the liquid.. As you stir, the bread break down, this is good. You can leave some chunky or stir until it's fully broken down, depending on your texture preference (I like to leave some chunks for a little texture).
Pour the mixture into a greased 9" x 13" pan and spread into an even layer.
Bake uncovered for 45 minutes or until the top is golden brown. Check it half way through and if it browns too quickly, cover it in foil until the last couple minutes.
Serve immediately.
Video
Notes
Make homemade bread cubes. I like to cut the ciabatta into 1-inch chunks and leave it out overnight so that it's a little bit stale. Then, while I'm making the rest of the dressing components on the stove, I toast it in the oven to crisp it up a bit more so that it absorbs the broth nicely.
Use a mix of butter and olive oil. This combo prevents the butter from burning when you're sautéing the veggies.
Achieve the perfect texture. Once I mix the bread into the stovetop mixture, I keep stirring and folding it in so that it starts to break down. I still like to keep some of the bread chunky and intact, but that's more a matter of personal preference. You can also let the bread break down more if you'd like.
Season to taste. As with all my recipes, taste as you go and just before serving to ensure this Italian bread stuffing is to your liking.
In the bird or on the side? Although I personally prefer my dressing outside of the bird, you can absolutely use it to stuff the bird. Be sure to stuff the cavity just before placing the turkey into the oven — letting it sit in the turkey at room temp can introduce bacteria. Also, make sure that the internal temperature of both the turkey and the stuffing reaches 165 degrees to avoid food-borne illness. And make sure you don't over-stuff it!
Prep ahead- You can dice the onion and celery ahead and cut the bread into chunks. You can also assemble all the way up before baking and covered and refrigerate. Remove from the fridge 30 minutes before baking.
Leftovers and storage- This will last up to 4 days covered in the refrigerator.