The Holiday's are here and for me a big part of the Holiday's are family and friend gatherings filled with delicious food, love and laughter. One of my favorite Holiday dishes that was always on the table for me growing up was my dad's homemade stuffing. This is a similar version of this dish with a few changes to make it a bit more heart healthy by cutting back on the amount of butter and salt. The new addition features a mix of olive oil, butter, broth and a bunch of fresh herbs for a flavorful stuffing to wow your Holiday guests. Once you try homemade stuffing you will never go back to the boxed prepackaged version.
The first step is to dry out your bread by placing in the oven until it gets nice and crispy. This step can be done several days in advance to save you some time. Just simply place the bread in an air tight container until you are ready to make the dish.
To cut back on the amount of sodium in this dish I have opted for a bunch of fresh herbs to help flavor the stuffing. Fresh herbs are loaded with flavor and are full of antioxidants. You can often find a fresh poultry herb mix this time of year which is great for using in your stuffing.
The next step is to saute finely diced onion and celery in a little olive oil and butter. The original dish used about a stick of butter, which is high in saturated fat. Saturated fats have been known to increase your bad cholesterol levels such as LDL. Replacing some of the butter with olive oil made for a good swap to lower saturated fat content and it still tastes amazing!
Add in the fresh herbs at the end to keep their pungent flavor and aroma. Then add the mixture to the bread and toss together as well as 1 cup of low sodium broth. The bread will start to soak up all the delicious flavors from the herbs. Bake covered for about 20 minutes then remove from the oven and give it a stir and add another 1/2 cup of broth over the top so it does not dry out and bake an additional 10 minutes and that's it! A delicious homemade stuffing.
I made this recipe using the Flavis line of breads, which can be found here. Their bread is a lower protein, sodium, potassium and phosphorous bread which is great for those with chronic kidney disease. Their bread is also gluten free for those with a gluten intolerance. Even with all these health benefits for those having to monitor certain dietary restrictions this bread tastes great! This way I know everyone can enjoy this traditional Holiday dish at my table despite the many health concerns that may be present.
Holiday Stuffing
Author: Brittany Sparks
Makes: 10 (1/2 Cup) Portions
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 45 minutes
Total Time: 60 minutes
Ingredients
5 Slices Flavis Hearty White Bread
5 Slices Flavis Hearty Wheat Bread
2 Tbsp Unsalted Butter
2 Tbsp Olive Oil
1 Cup Onion, Diced (~1 Medium)
1 Cup Celery, Diced
1 Tsp Fresh Thyme
1 Tsp Fresh Sage, Finely Chopped
1 Tsp Fresh Rosemary, Finely Chopped
1 Tbsp Fresh Parsley, Chopped
½ Tsp Salt
½ Tsp Pepper
1 ½ Cups Unsalted Chicken or Vegetable Broth
Directions
Heat oven to 425 degrees.
Cut or tear bread into ½ inch squares. Place the bread on a baking sheet and distribute evenly so the bread is in a single layer. Bake in a 425 degree oven for 10 to 15 minutes or until the bread is crisp. Remove from oven and set aside.
In a large skillet heat the olive oil and butter. Add the diced onion and celery and sauté, stirring occasionally for 6 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in the fresh herbs, salt and pepper.
Add the bread to a large bowl and toss with the onion, celery and herb mixture. Add 1 cup of the broth and stir to combine. Place the mixture into a medium sized baking dish (~9 x 13 in). Cover the top with foil and bake in a 350 degree oven for 20 minutes. Then remove the foil and give the stuffing a stir. Pour the remaining ½ cup broth over the top and bake uncovered for an additional 10 minutes. Remove from oven and enjoy.
Notes:
The bread can be prepared ahead of time (follow directions #1 and 2).Store in an air tight container for up to 4 days prior to making the recipe.
Nutrition Facts
Serving Size (1/2 Cup):
Calories 104, Protein 0.7 g, Total Fat 5.8 g, Saturated Fat 2.5 g, Sodium 210 mg, Total Carbohydrate 12 g, Dietary Fiber 3.2 g, Potassium 65 mg, Phosphorous 10 mg, 12.8 mg Calcium.
This post was created for Flavis. Their products are tasty and great for those with chronic kidney disease as they are low in protein, sodium, potassium and phosphorous! All thoughts and opinions expressed in this post are my own. Thank you for supporting the brands that make Nutrition by Brittany possible!