It’s cooking time for the holidays! I love Barefoot Contessa’s recipes. So, I wanted to share one of her’s that I’ve changed a bit. This is absolutely delicious with any meal anytime day or night. My kids even ate it for breakfast! And as always, if you need more holiday recipes — Just Ask!
Seasonal Stuffing
Ingredients
6 cups of fresh bread cubes (It’s okay to use the pre-baked stuffing kind, too.)
2 Tbsp of good olive oil
1 Tbsp butter
4-5 slices of bacon, cut into small pieces
4 cups of sliced leeks (which belong to the onion family — so I used white onions instead and it was perfect! Just don’t mistake fennel for leeks. Eeeks!)
1 Tbsp chopped fresh tarragon leaves
1/4 cup red table wine
Salt and pepper
1/3 cup minced fresh Italian parsley
4 eggs
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
1 cup chicken stock (canned is fine!)
1 1/2 cups grated Gruyére cheese
Optional: 1 1/2 pounds cremini mushrooms. I’m not a mushroom lover so I omit these.
Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees and spread fresh bread cubes on a baking sheet for 15-20 minutes. Omit this step if you’re using store-bought baked stuffing bread cubes.
In a large sauté pan, heat oil and butter over medium heat. Add the bacon and cook for 5 minutes or until crispy brown. Stir in the onions and cook for 10 minutes until translucent. Toss in the tarragon, red wine, salt, and pepper and cook for an additional 10 minutes. If you’re using mushrooms, stir these in at this time, as well. Turn off the heat and add the fresh parsley.
In a big bowl, whisk together the eggs and add the cream, chicken stock, and 1 cup of the cheese. Make sure it’s shredded. I made this with cheese cubes and it didn’t melt as well. Add the baked bread cubes and onion (or mushroom) mixture and let it sit at room temperature.
After about 30 minutes, mix well and pour the yummy goodness into a 13x2 inch baking dish. Sprinkle with remaining cheese and bake for 45 minutes until browned. Yum!
Enjoy the holidays with your loved ones!
