Italian Bread Dressing Recipes

ITALIAN BREAD DRESSING

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350°F. In large bowl, add bread cubes; set aside. In 12-inch skillet, melt 1/4 cup butter over medium heat until light brown. Remove from heat; stir in sage, salt and pepper. Pour sage butter over bread cubes and toss gently. On 2 cookie sheets, spread out seasoned bread cubes. Bake 15 minutes or until light brown; return to bowl.
• Meanwhile, in medium bowl, place the dried fruits. Add boiling water to cover and allow to stand at least 10 minutes to plump and soften fruits. Drain; add to seasoned bread cubes.
• Increase oven temperature to 375°F. In same skillet, melt remaining 1/4 cup butter over medium heat. Add onion, celery and carrots to butter; cook 7 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are tender. Add to dressing mixture in bowl; gently toss. Stir in broth. Stir in beaten eggs just until blended.
• Spray 13x9-inch (3-quart) glass baking dish with cooking spray. Spoon dressing into baking dish. Bake uncovered 40 to 45 minutes or until golden brown.

MID-SUMMER ITALIAN BREAD SALAD

Steps:

• Rub a peeled clove of garlic around a wooden salad bowl.
• Pull apart or chop the bread into bite-size pieces.
• In the prepared salad bowl, combine the bread, tomatoes, cucumbers, red onions, garlic, basil and thyme. Add enough olive oil and vinegar to lightly coat, toss and serve.

ITALIAN SEASONED BREAD

Steps:

• In bread machine pan, place all ingredients in order suggested by manufacturer. Select basic bread setting. Choose crust color and loaf size if available. , Bake according to bread machine directions (check dough after 5 minutes of mixing; add 1 to 2 tablespoons of water or flour if needed).

ITALIAN DRESSING

Steps:

• Place the first 10 ingredients in a blender. Cover and process until pureed. While processing, gradually add oil in a steady stream. Refrigerate leftovers.

ITALIAN-STYLE BREAD STUFFING

Steps:

• Heat olive oil or butter in large pot at medium high heat.
• Stir in chopped onion, celery, and peppers and saute till onions are translucent.
• Add oregano, parsley, sun-dried tomatoes, salt and pepper.
• Fold in bread cubes, tossing till other ingredients are evenly dispersed among the bread cubes.
• Slowly add beef broth as you toss the bread cubes, adding only enough broth to moisten the cubes to your taste (you don't want them to get soggy, just moist enough to clump together).
• Dump all ingredients into a 1 and 1/2 quart casserole dish and bake at 350 degrees F. for 40 minutes. Serve as side dish for roast beef, pot roast, etc.

ITALIAN SAUSAGE AND BREAD STUFFING

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F with rack in middle. Generously butter baking dish.
• Put bread in 2 shallow baking pans and bake, switching position of pans halfway through baking, until just dried out, about 10 minutes.
• Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a 12-inch heavy skillet over medium-high heat until it shimmers, then cook half of sausage, stirring and breaking it into small pieces, until golden brown, about 6 minutes. Transfer with a slotted spoon to a large bowl. Brown remaining sausage in remaining tablespoon oil, transferring to bowl.
• Pour off fat from skillet and wipe clean. Heat butter over medium heat until foam subsides, then cook onions, celery, garlic, and ½ teaspoon each of salt and pepper, stirring occasionally, until golden, 12 to 15 minutes. Add vegetables and bread to sausage.
• Whisk together eggs, ½ cup cream, turkey stock, cheese, and parsley, then stir into stuffing and cool completely, about 30 minutes. Reserve 5 cups stuffing to stuff turkey and spoon remainder into baking dish, then drizzle with remaining ¼ cup cream. Cover stuffing and chill.
• About 1 hour before stuffed turkey is finished roasting, bring dish of stuffing to room temperature. When turkey is done, increase oven temperature to 425°F and bake stuffing, covered tightly with foil, until hot throughout, about 20 minutes. Remove foil and bake until top is golden and crisp, about 15 minutes more.
• Cooks' Note: Bread can be toasted 3 days ahead and kept (once cool) in a sealed bag at room temperature. Stuffing can be prepared (but not baked) 4 hours before roasting turkey. If baking stuffing at the same time as potatoes, put stuffing in upper third of oven and potatoes in bottom third (allow extra time).