Leftover Stuffing Strata – A Great Use for That Leftover Thanksgiving Stuffing!!!

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Cooking, Dressing, Egg, Food, holiday, recipe, Strata, Stuffing, Thanksgiving leftovers

Leftover Stuffing Strata

I had a bunch of my Southwestern Cornbread and Chorizo Stuffing leftover from Thanksgiving. We had enjoyed some of it as is and I was ready to try something new. I had seen a different strata recipe on one of my favorite cooking shows (Food Network’s The Kitchen) and a lightbulb went off in my head! Why not use my leftover stuffing (or dressing!) as the bread component of a strata?!? This would be an awesome brunch dish for Black Friday!

I think this would work well regardless of the type of stuffing you made. You could change the flavor profile by changing up the veggies and cheese you use. I went with the Southwestern theme of my original stuffing recipe and this strata was fabulous!!! I have tried to write the recipe in a way that will help you work with what you have.

Enjoy!

Leftover Stuffing Strata

2 1/2 – 3 cups of leftover stuffing/dressing

4 small green tomatoes, diced (You could change this up to tomatillos, red bell pepper, or even leftover green beans!)

1/2 white onion, diced (This could also be red onion, green onions or leeks)

5 -6 eggs

1/2 cup half and half

1 – 1/2 cups grated cheese (I used pepper jack. If you had a more traditional stuffing recipe, jack, cheddar or even grayer cheese would be a great add)

Dash hot sauce

Paprika or hot Hungarian Paprika

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a skillet, cook veggie of your choice (I used green tomatoes) and onions in a tablespoon or two of oil or butter until softened. Drop spoonfuls of leftover stuffing/dressing into a greased casserole dish, leaving some space between spoonfuls. Spoon veggies from skillet over stuffing. Do not pack down. You want to leave room for the egg mixture to seep down into mixture.

In a mixing bowl, crack eggs and beat lightly. Add half and half, a dash or two of hot sauce (optional), grated cheese and a bit of salt and pepper. Mix together and then pour over stuffing and veggies in casserole.

Sprinkle a little paprika over the top of the casserole. Cover dish with lid or foil and bake for 30 minutes. Remove lid and bake for an additional 10 minutes.

Makes 4-6 servings.

Southwest Cornbread and Chorizo Dressing – A Thanksgiving Staple!

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Butternut Squash, Chorizo, cornbread, Dressing, Friendsgiving, mushrooms, side dish, Stuffing, Thanksgiving

I love chorizo!!! So why not put it in your Thanksgiving dressing (or stuffing!)?!? The combination of fresh baked cornbread, chorizo and fresh veggies makes this stuffing a homerun. It is my absolute favorite dish on the Thanksgiving table.

You can find the recipe here.

Thanksgiving Part 5 – The Best Dressing EVER!!!! Lets Just Say There Is Chorizo In It!!!

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cornbread, side dish, Southwest Chorizo Dressing, Stuffing, Sunset Magazine, Thanksgiving

For some odd reason that I don’t understand, I am the only person in my family that likes stuffing/dressing. Who are these people I live with??? Since they don’t much care for it, I rarely make it. Thanksgiving is my one exception though! I ALWAYS make dressing on Thanksgiving and several years ago I came across a recipe that is so fantastic, even my dressing-free family and friends love it. One of my girlfriends stakes her claim on our leftovers every year!

One year we picked up a holiday edition of Sunset magazine and this is where I found my all-time favorite dressing recipe. This dish is extremely colorful and the variety of unique ingredients create a bold, bright flavor. Let’s just say there is chorizo involved! CHORIZO!!!! Geez I love that stuff!!! There is also fresh baked corn bread, mushrooms and butternut squash, just to name a few.
I just know you and yours will love it as much as we do!!!

Southwest Cornbread and Chorizo Dressing

1 butternut squash (1 1/4 to 1 1/2 lb.)

2 tablespoons firmly packed dark brown sugar

1 onion (6 oz.)
1 red bell pepper (8 oz.)
1 fresh fennel head (9 oz.)
1 pound mushrooms
1 pound chorizo sausage (see notes)
1/4 cup (1/8 lb.) unsalted butter
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1 tablespoon chopped fresh sage leaves
1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme leaves
2 large eggs
1 cup fat-skimmed chicken broth 
CORNBREAD (RECIPE FOLLOWS)

Preparation
1. Peel and seed squash. Cut into 1-inch chunks; you should have about 3 cups. In a 3- to 4-quart pan over high heat, combine 1/2 cup water with brown sugar and the squash. Bring to a boil, cover, reduce heat to medium, and cook, stirring once, until squash is almost tender when pierced, 8 to 10 minutes. Uncover and cook, occasionally stirring gently, until most of the water is evaporated, 3 to 5 minutes longer. Remove from heat and let cool.
2. Peel and chop onion. Rinse, stem, seed, and chop bell pepper. Rinse fennel and trim off and discard base of head and tough stalks. Chop enough fennel to make about 1 cup. Rinse mushrooms and slice 1/4 inch thick.
3. Squeeze sausage from casings and break into chunks into a 12-inch frying pan or 5- to 6-quart pan over medium-high heat; stir often until lightly browned and crumbly, 7 to 10 minutes. Pour sausage into a wire strainer to drain; discard fat.
4. Preheat oven to 350°. Add butter to unwashed pan over medium-high heat; when melted, add onion, bell pepper, and fennel and stir often until vegetables begin to soften, 7 to 8 minutes. Add mushrooms and stir until limp, about 3 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in sausage, cilantro, sage, and thyme. Add squash.
5. In a large bowl, whisk together eggs and broth. Break cornbread into 1/2-inch chunks and drop into bowl. Add sausage mixture and stir gently to combine. Scrape dressing into a buttered 9- by 13-inch baking dish and cover with foil.
6. Bake until hot in the center, 40 to 50 minutes. Uncover and bake until top is crisp and golden brown, 10 to 15 minutes longer.
Makes 10-12 servings. 
Cornbread: Preheat oven to 400°. In a bowl, mix 2 boxes (8 1/2 oz. each) corn muffin mix, 3/4 cup milk, and 2 large eggs until blended but still slightly lumpy. I have also used Marie Callender corn bread mix. Just follow package instructions. Pour batter into a buttered 9- by 13-inch baking pan. Bake until top is golden brown, 15 to 20 minutes. Let cornbread cool in pan on a rack.

Spinach and Mushroom Manicotti – Ahhhh! Cheesy Pasta Goodness!!!

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#insidekelskitchen, Cooking, Food, manicotti, marinara, mushroom, pasta, recipe, ricotta, spinach, stuffed, Stuffing, vegetarian

  
Why on earth have I never eaten or made manicotti before??? Somehow I made it through 49 years without encountering this delicious food! I was thinking about what to make for dinner the other night. I try and think of what I’ve made the few previous days and make something different. I run through the various meats in my head (Chicken? Beef? Pork?) and I run through flavor profiles (Mexican? Italian? Spicy? Creamy?). So the other day I was stumbling on the meat. Nothing sounded good, so I decided it was time to make a vegetarian entrée. My friend Michael had mentioned manicotti in a Facebook post and I had my inspiration! Manicotti it is!!!

Even though I’d never eaten it before, I had a vision in my mind of what it would be; a nice big pasta tube stuffed with cheesy goodness! I picked up some ready-made Barilla pasta at the store and the recipe on the back of the package actually looked pretty good, so I decided to go with it. It did not disappoint! The ricotta, spinach and mushroom stuffing was creamy and wonderful. OK, I’ll admit it! I did lick the bowl that I mixed the filling in.

I topped my stuffed manicotti with my homemade marinara sauce (See August 11, 2015 blog post for recipe). I don’t mean to brag, but I LOVE my sauce! It’s so delicious!

Since I decided to leave any meat out of this recipe and chose low-fat ricotta, this was a pretty low-fat meal. But don’t let this fool you! This was still a very hearty and satisfying meal and it was easier to make that I expected. I will definitely be making this again in the future!

  
Stuffed Manicotti with Spinach and Mushrooms

1 box manicotti (14 pasta tubes)

1 batch homemade marinara or 1 jar ready-made

1 clove garlic, chopped or pressed

12 oz Ricotta cheese

12 oz mushrooms, chopped

Salt and pepper to taste

12 oz fresh spinach

1 cup Parmesan cheese, grated

1 egg

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cook manicotti in salted boiling water for 7 minutes, drain and set aside to cool. Spray sauté pan with non-stick spray. Over medium heat sauté garlic until tender, add mushrooms, add salt and pepper. Cook until mushrooms are tender. Steam the spinach and chop well. Mix ricotta, egg, mushrooms, spinach and half the parmesan. Add additional salt and pepper to taste. Spoon the filling into the manicotti tubes. In a 9 x 13 inch greased baking dish, place ½ the marinara sauce, arrange the manicotti on top and cover with remaining marinara and parmesan cheese. Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 30 minutes.

Enjoy!

Thanksgiving Tips Part 5 – The BEST Stuffing EVER!!! There is Chorizo in it!!!

Tags

Cooking, Food, recipe, Southwest Cornbread and Chorizo Dressing, Stuffing, Thanksgiving, Tips

  
For some odd reason that I don’t understand, I am the only person in my family that likes stuffing. Who are these people I live with??? Since they don’t much care for it, I rarely make it. Thanksgiving is my one exception though! I ALWAYS make stuffing on Thanksgiving and several years ago I came across a recipe that is so fantastic, even my stuffing-free family and friends love it. One of my girlfriends stakes her claim on our leftovers every year!

One year we picked up a holiday edition of Sunset magazine and this is where I found my all-time favorite stuffing recipe. This dish is extremely colorful and the variety of unique ingredients create a bold, bright flavor. Let’s just say there is chorizo involved! CHORIZO!!!! Geez I love that stuff!!! There is also fresh baked corn bread, mushrooms and butternut squash, just to name a few.

I just know you and yours will love it as much as we do!!!

Southwest Cornbread and Chorizo Stuffing

1 butternut squash (1 1/4 to 1 1/2 lb.)2 tablespoons firmly packed dark brown sugar

1 onion (6 oz.)

1 red bell pepper (8 oz.)

1 fresh fennel head (9 oz.)

1 pound mushrooms

1 pound chorizo sausage (see notes)

1/4 cup (1/8 lb.) unsalted butter

1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro

1 tablespoon chopped fresh sage leaves

1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme leaves

2 large eggs

1 cup fat-skimmed chicken broth 

CORNBREAD (RECIPE FOLLOWS)
Preparation

1. Peel and seed squash. Cut into 1-inch chunks; you should have about 3 cups. In a 3- to 4-quart pan over high heat, combine 1/2 cup water with brown sugar and the squash. Bring to a boil, cover, reduce heat to medium, and cook, stirring once, until squash is almost tender when pierced, 8 to 10 minutes. Uncover and cook, occasionally stirring gently, until most of the water is evaporated, 3 to 5 minutes longer. Remove from heat and let cool.

2. Peel and chop onion. Rinse, stem, seed, and chop bell pepper. Rinse fennel and trim off and discard base of head and tough stalks. Chop enough fennel to make about 1 cup. Rinse mushrooms and slice 1/4 inch thick.

3. Squeeze sausage from casings and break into chunks into a 12-inch frying pan or 5- to 6-quart pan over medium-high heat; stir often until lightly browned and crumbly, 7 to 10 minutes. Pour sausage into a wire strainer to drain; discard fat.

4. Preheat oven to 350°. Add butter to unwashed pan over medium-high heat; when melted, add onion, bell pepper, and fennel and stir often until vegetables begin to soften, 7 to 8 minutes. Add mushrooms and stir until limp, about 3 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in sausage, cilantro, sage, and thyme. Add squash.

5. In a large bowl, whisk together eggs and broth. Break cornbread into 1/2-inch chunks and drop into bowl. Add sausage mixture and stir gently to combine. Scrape dressing into a buttered 9- by 13-inch baking dish and cover with foil.

6. Bake until hot in the center, 40 to 50 minutes. Uncover and bake until top is crisp and golden brown, 10 to 15 minutes longer.

Makes 10-12 servings. 

Cornbread: Preheat oven to 400°. In a bowl, mix 2 boxes (8 1/2 oz. each) corn muffin mix, 3/4 cup milk, and 2 large eggs until blended but still slightly lumpy. I have also used Marie Callender corn bread mix. Just follow package instructions. Pour batter into a buttered 9- by 13-inch baking pan. Bake until top is golden brown, 15 to 20 minutes. Let cornbread cool in pan on a rack.

Coming Soon to a Blog Near You – Thanksgiving Tips!

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Cooking, Food, Holidays, Mashed potatoes, recipes, Stress-free, Stuffing, Sweet potatoes, Techniques, Thanksgiving, Tips, Turkey

  
Just a teaser here! I’ve been anxiously awaiting this month! Thanksgiving is my jam and I can’t wait to share my cooking tips, tricks, and techniques with all of my food blog friends! So if you haven’t followed my blog yet and you want to learn some skills that will make your Thanksgiving delicious and stress free, follow my blog now! I’m going to have a series of Thanksgiving related blog posts! 

MMMMMMM! Turkey! Stuffing! Mashed potatoes! Sweet Potatoes! Salads! Veggies! Desserts! The list goes on and on! Come join the glutenous fun!!!!