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Hot and Spicy Cheesebread Stuffing with Jones Bacon

Note for the cook: This recipe works best with day old Stella’s Hot & Spicy Cheesy Bread. If you can’t get your hands on some Stella’s Hot n spicy cheesy bread, I would suggest using day old thick white bread and adding some crushed red pepper flakes.
Prep Time20 minutes
Cook Time55 minutes
Total Time1 hour 15 minutes
Course: Side Dish
Cuisine: American
Keyword: cheesebread, hot and spicy cheesebread, stuffing, thanksgiving
Servings: 8
Author: Hip Foodie Mom

Ingredients

  • 8 to 10 cups Stella’s Hot & Spicy Cheesy Bread or day old bread cut into 1-inch cubes
  • 1 lb. 16 oz. Jones Dairy Farm Cherrywood Smoked Sliced bacon or Italian sausage
  • 1 medium to large onion diced
  • 1 cup (4 ribs) celery diced
  • 16 oz cremini mushrooms diced
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil extra virgin
  • 1 to 2 cloves garlic minced
  • Kosher salt and pepper to taste
  • 3 large eggs beaten
  • 1/4 to 1/2 cup chicken stock + more if needed
  • 1/3 cup fresh parsley diced
  • 2 heaping teaspoons fresh tarragon finely diced
  • 2 to 2 ½ cups Wisconsin cheddar cheese freshly grated
  • 1 to 2 teaspoons red chili pepper flakes optional

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 350˚F. Arrange bread cubes on rimmed baking sheet and toast until lightly golden and crispy, for about 20 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool.
  • Using large non-stick pan or skillet, cook bacon slices (or sausage) in batches until crispy, about 8 to 10 minutes, placing cooked bacon on a paper towel lined plate. Crumble or chop bacon into bits.
  • Discard only some bacon fat, leaving about 2 tablespoons in pan. Turn heat up to medium high and sauté onions, celery and mushrooms until softened, stirring occasionally, about 7 to 8 minutes. Feel free to add the olive oil if you need it. Add garlic, mix together and let cook for about 1 minute. Season with salt and pepper. Remove from heat.
  • Using large mixing bowl, combine the bread cubes, bacon bits or crumbled sausage, eggs, 1/4 cup chicken stock (plus more if needed*), parsley, tarragon, freshly grated cheese and red pepper flakes. Mix to combine; add the cooked onion and mushroom mixture and mix together again. Transfer mixture to greased 9x12-inch baking dish and bake uncovered for about 30 to 35 minutes, or until browned on top and cooked through. Enjoy!

Notes

*I only add a 1/4 cup of chicken stock because the mushrooms release water and the onion/celery/mushroom mixture will have some liquid but feel free to add a little more chicken stock if you need it.