Switch Up Your Stuffing for Thanksgiving

Everyone has their go-to recipes, whether it is a special side dish, starch or dessert. One way to introduce new flavors to your holiday meal is to try a new stuffing recipe.

A family favorite, Bonnie Taub-Dix’s Thanksgiving challah-day stuffing is a delicious alternative. “I’ve been making Thanksgiving dinner for my friends and family for over 25 years and I’ve tried lots of different stuffing recipes,” Taub-Dix, RDN, host of the “Media Savvy” podcast, creator of BetterThanDieting.com and author of “Read It Before You Eat It,” told The Journal. “I love the sweet, rich taste and texture of the challah used in this recipe along with the medley of sweet and savory flavors provided by the dried fruit, nuts and veggies nestled within.“ 

Taub-Dix said to be creative: Add your favorite chopped dried fruit and nuts. “And if fresh herbs are not available you can use a few sprinkles of dried seasonings instead,” she said.

Thanksgiving “Challah Day” Stuffing 

25-30 servings (1/2 cup each)
2 challah breads, torn apart into small pieces
3 Tbsp olive oil
5 cloves of garlic, minced
1 medium sweet onion, chopped
2 quarts mushrooms, sliced
4 apples, cored, peeled and coarsely chopped
3/4 cup chestnuts, roasted and chopped
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1/2 cup dried apricots, chopped
1/2 cup dried figs, chopped
1/2 cup total chopped almonds, walnuts and pecans
1/4 cup total fresh chopped parsley, thyme and rosemary
4 eggs
16 oz. container of egg substitute
3 cups low sodium chicken broth
Salt and pepper to taste
Cooking spray

Heat oven to 350°F.

Tear challahs into small pieces and put in a very large bowl. Set aside.

In a large skillet, sauté onion in olive oil until transparent, add garlic and cook for 5 minutes more.

Add mushrooms and continue to cook together until mushrooms are tender.

Add chopped apples, chestnuts, dried fruit, nuts, herbs, salt and pepper and continue to cook together for about 10 minutes. Remove from the stove.

Add the above mixture to challah bread pieces and stir. Add egg, egg substitute, and broth. Combine together.

Spray a large roasting pan with cooking spray.

Place mixture evenly into the pan.

Bake covered with foil wrap for 20 minutes.

Remove foil and bake until the top is golden brown (around 30-45 minutes.)

Chef Olivia Ostrow said her chestnut and truffle stuffing is the smell of heaven in Paris.

“Growing up in the City of Lights, during the holiday season, there was a tradition to go see the incredible window decorations of famous stores around Paris, like Gallery Lafayette,” Ostrow, founder of Ostrow Brasserie (Miami’s first kosher French restaurant), told The Journal. “In front of those stores, there was always an old man warming up chestnuts and selling them to the locals and tourists. It’s my childhood comfort food; plus, adding truffle gives it a uniqueness and a definite French twist!”

Chestnut and Truffle Stuffing

7 cups small pieces of baguette
3 shallots, chopped
2 stalks of celery, chopped
2 cup fresh chestnuts, peeled, chopped
2 cups of truffle peelings with oil
7 oz. beef bacon
1 cup finely chopped tarragon
3.5 Tbsp unsalted margarine
2 Tbsp chopped fresh sage
2 Tbsp chopped fresh thyme leaves
1 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley leaves
1 cup of Chanterelle mushrooms
Cut a slit on the chestnuts 

Spread chestnuts in one layer on an oven tray with parchment paper and bake at around 400° F until skins break open, usually about 10 minutes. Peel and smash the chestnuts.

In a baking pan, arrange the baguette pieces in one layer, spread the truffle peeling on it with its oil. Bake in the oven for 10 minutes, then transfer to a large bowl and set aside.

In a large pan, sauté the beef bacon until crispy; remove from pan, chop and set aside.

Melt butter in the pan. Caramelize the shallots, celery, sage, thyme, tarragon and chanterelle over moderately low heat, stirring, until the onions are lightly brown. 

Combine all the ingredients in the pan with a drop of truffle oil. Mix. 

Pour onto bread and serve!

Debbie Kornberg calls her pistachio rice stuffing deliciously aromatic.

“It is a rice-based dish with just enough bread to give that ‘stuffing-like’ feeling without all the heavy carbs,” Kornberg, founder of SPICE + LEAF, told The Journal 

Thanksgiving Pistachio Rice Stuffing with Mushrooms Cranberries and Fresh Dill

Serves 4 – 6

1 cup uncooked basmati rice (this will yield two cups cooked) or use “old rice,” which can be found at international markets

2 cups water in pot  (or 1  1/2 cup water in rice maker)

1 tsp. SPICE + LEAF Premium Vegan Broth Base

4 Tbsp. olive oil (recommends SPICE + LEAF Galili Olive Oil)

1 onion, finely diced

8-oz. package of sliced mushrooms, diced

2 celery stalks, diced

1/4 cup slivered almonds, toasted

1/4 cup pistachios, toasted

1 Tbsp sesame seeds, toasted

1 – 2 Tbsp fresh dill

1/4 cup dried cranberries

Kosher salt, to taste

1 cup of French bread, cut into cubes (omit bread to make dish gluten-free)

Rinse rice in a bowl at least 4 times. This will help remove the starch from the rice and give you nice clean grains once it has been cooked. Cook rice either in a pot or in a rice maker. 

For Rice in a pot: Place 2 cups of water in a pot and bring to a boil. Add rice and 1 tsp. Vegan Broth Base. Mix well. Cover with lid and cook on simmer for about 18 minutes or until water is fully absorbed into rice. 

For Rice in a Rice Maker: Add 1.5 cups of water, 1 cup of rice and 1 tsp. Vegan Broth Base to rice maker. Mix everything well and set to cook white rice.)

In a dry (no oil) sauté pan toast almonds on a medium high heat. About 2-4 minutes, until nice and toasty brown.

Heat the sauté pan with 2 tablespoons. olive oil. Add onions, mushrooms, and celery and sauté on medium low heat until onions turn a golden brown in color. Set aside. 

Once rice is cooked, place in a large bowl and combine with onions, mushrooms, celery, toasted almonds, and remaining ingredients. Combine everything together well. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons. of olive oil. Add salt to taste. 

Place cubed bread into a sauté pan and cook on medium low heat until bread becomes toasty brown. Add 3 tablespoons water to soften the bread; mix into rice to give a more stuffing-like texture.