Can I get someone to help a girl out? What is the difference between a “stuffing recipe” and a “dressing recipe”? Should I know this already? I grew up calling it dressing, so stuffing doesn’t exactly come naturally for me. When I think of dressing I think of homemade. When I think of a stuffing recipe I think of a box. Is that weird? With that said, this recipe is not from a box and is called a stuffing recipe. It’s a conundrum. Any insight would be appreciated! Now that we’ve gotten that out of the way, can I just tell you how amazing this recipe is? I’m telling you people. It is out of this world. I don’t mean to toot my own horn, but I was uber impressed.
My favorite part of putting this together was making the base. When the butter and the onions and the celery and everything comes together it’s like a symphony of scents wafting through the kitchen. I know that may sound a little dramatic, but trust me. It is divine. I almost wanted to just jump right in to the skillet and slurp it all up. Too far? No really. If anything, this will make your guests lose their mind over wondering when dinner will be!
Butternut Squash, Quinoa, Kale Stuffing
You won't want to wait to jump in and start devouring this Butternut Squash, Quinoa, Kale Stuffing!
Ingredients
- 8 c. bread of choice cut in 1/2 in. cubes (I used a fresh baguette, but the choices are endless*)
- 1/2 stick butter
- 1 c. onions chopped or diced
- 1 c. celery diced
- 1/2 tbsp. sage
- 1/2 tbsp. thyme
- Salt & pepper to taste
- 1/2 c. chicken or turkey broth
- 1 egg
- 2 tbsp. parsley
- 1 c. mushrooms finely diced
- 1 c. kale chopped
- 2 c. butternut squash peeled, seeded, & cubed
- 1 c. quinoa cooked
Instructions
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If using fresh bread for your stuffing recipe, spread out the cubes on a baking sheet and dry in a 300 degree oven for 15-20 minutes.
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Prep your butternut squash by coating the cubes with olive oil and roasting on a baking sheet for 35 minutes at 400.
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Meanwhile, prepare your base. Heat butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onions, celery, and spices. Cook, stirring, until all of the vegetables are tender; 5-7 minutes. Add broth; bring to a simmer and remove from heat.
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Beat egg with parsley in a large bowl; stir in bread cubes, broth mixture, mushrooms, kale, squash, and quinoa.
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Transfer to baking dish. Cover with foil and bake at 375 for 30 minutes. Uncover and bake until golden, about 20 more minutes.
Recipe Notes
[My 2 Cents]
*Alright, let's talk bread. I really wanted to find a whole wheat french baguette and was on a time crunch so I couldn't run to more than one store. I ended up with a white french baguette. Next time for sure I will be using whole wheat bread to take the nutritional value up even more. Your options for bread range anywhere from sourdough, multigrain, challah, brioche, to even potato, semolina, rye, or pumpernickel. Should you choose to use rye or pumpernickel you will want to split half and half with white because of how heavy of breads they are.
This recipe is crazy alterable. You can throw in whatever mix-ins you like (even wild rice would be yummy) or leave out anything you don't like. I will say, that the mushrooms were diced so finely I had no idea they were in there. I'm a mushroom lover, but that's perfect for the non-mushroom lover. I think it would also be tasty to throw in some small apple chunks too. See what I mean? Your options are endless. AND I made this vegetarian, you can of course add meat if you like. Anything from diced ham or salami to bacon or sausage. So live a little and mix it up!
Adapted from Slightly adapted from Food Network Magazine The Thanksgiving Issue Volume 4 No. 9
I like the comination of ingredients in this and it’s versatility- look forward to trying it- I can see how it would be really good “stuffing” the acorn squash with the filling rather than putting the squash in it- OR leave the squash in it and stuff a color assortment of bell peppers- hhmmm? ;) Love your blog btw.
Yvonne
It’s SO good! I hope you do try it, I like your ideas as well. So happy you found me – hope you stick around!
As for the “stuffing” or “dressing” question- I confirm also that stuffing means inside the bird- dressing outside- However I also think it is perhaps could be a “regional” mark from what part of the country you are from- like calling carbonated sweet drinks “soda” “pop” or “cola” depeding where you live. My parents “stuffed” the turkey- but I grew up knowing it as “Dressing” My mom was from Michigan, my dad Kansas, but grew up mostly in Ca- So.. who knows? :)
Yvonne
Thanks for chiming in! What great insight!
Maiden
I agree on the geographical difference to the terms ‘dressing’ and ‘stuffing’. In my part of Canada we call it stuffing but recognize what ‘dressing’ is when the term is used in reference to turkey dinner.
To us though, dressing is something you would put on a salad. :)
Thanks for the recipe, my daughter and I are going to try it this Christmas!
Yvonne
Hahaha… yes.. dressing is what I put on salad as well! Enjoy this recipe – it’s fantastic!
Jenn
This looks great. I love each ingredient, so together they should be great! It is called dressing if it cooked outside of the bird, and stuffing if you cook it in the bird.
Yvonne
Ohmygoodness! Thank you SO much for the insight! That makes a lot more sense.. I suppose I should rename this recipe ;)
I’m not usually a stuffing fan but this looks really good!
I don’t really like stuffing but I love quinoa, kale and butternut squash so this might change my mind. It looks really delicious.
Yvonne
Hmm… I think you would like this, but no guarantees since you aren’t a stuffing fan! If it’s because of soggy bread – I’m in the same boat with you there. The trick is to cook this long enough so the bread isn’t soggy!
Is it weird that I have never had Quinoa before? I should probably fix that at some point. If you keep showing me yummy recipes like this, it may have to happen sooner rather then later. Pinning!
Yvonne
Not weird at all! I hadn’t had it or even heard of it until my husband introduced me to it. It’s so nutritious that it’s hard NOT to have it someway or another. Give it a try, you may fall in love with it :)