When it comes to Thanksgiving stuffing, there’s no one tradition. There’s cornbread in the South, oysters in the Northeast, sausage and day-old bread in the Midwest, rice in the Northwest. And within these traditions, each family has its own particular take.
Our riff on traditional bread-based stuffing omits sausage, making it a hearty vegetarian option. There’s a caramel base note coming from the just-browned butter, a nutty richness from the chestnuts, and an herbal boost from the addition of sage, thyme and rosemary.
While this recipe for cast iron griddle stuffing works wonderfully in your conventional home oven, we designed it to be cooked in an Ooni to free up some space while the bird and green bean casserole are cooking.
We love it both warm and bubbling out of the oven or mellowed out after 15 minutes. If you’re lucky enough to have some left, you can even use whatever isn’t eaten the next day to make a Leftover Stuffing Pizza.
Time
40 minutes
Yield
Serves 4 to 6 as a side
Equipment
Ooni Pizza Oven
Ooni Infrared Thermometer
Ooni Cast Iron Skillet Pan
Ingredients
43 grams cold salted butter, cubed
4 shallots, finely chopped
Generous pinch kosher salt or flaked sea salt
Sprig fresh rosemary
Sprig fresh thyme
60 grams chestnuts, halved (optional)
50 grams walnuts, finely chopped)
1 stalk celery, finely chopped (optional)
1 egg, lightly beaten
0.5 gram dried thyme
0.5 gram dried sage
227 grams chicken broth or instant stock, cold
200 grams stale crusty bread, torn into 2 to 3 cm chunks
freshly ground black pepper
Method
Fire up your Ooni pizza oven, aiming for 250°C on the stone baking board inside. Use the infrared thermometer to accurately check the temperature.
As the oven preheats, place the cast iron pan and 2 tablespoons of cubed butter inside. After the butter melts and turns light brown, remove the pan from the oven and add the finely chopped shallots, salt and herb sprigs.
Cook outside the oven until the shallots soften, roughly 5 minutes. If using celery and nuts, add and return the pan to the front of the oven to cook for 3 to 5 minutes more, turning regularly. Remove the pan and discard the fresh herb sprigs.
In a medium bowl, combine the beaten egg, dried herbs, and ¾ of the stock. Fold in the cooked vegetables and combine until everything is well coated and moist. If the mixture feels dry, keep adding the remaining stock, a few tablespoons at a time, until the bread is very moist.
Return the mixture to the skillet (it should already be greased from cooking the onions). Don't be tempted to overfill. Sprinkle the remaining tablespoon of chopped butter up over the top. Cover the skillet with foil and return to the mouth of the oven.
Cook for 10 minutes, turning halfway through. Carefully remove the foil and return the skillet to the oven for 7 to 10 minutes to crisp the top, turning the pan every minute or so to ensure an even golden brown all over.
Once cooked, serve warm or cold and enjoy.
