Ciabatta Stuffing with Chestnuts and Pancetta

Recipe courtesy Giada De Laurentiis

Show: Everyday ItalianEpisode: Italian Thanksgiving

Rated: 5 stars out of 5Rate itRead users' reviews (148)

Cook Time:
1 hr 10 min
Level:
Easy
Yield:
8 to 10 servings

Times:

Prep: 20 min
Inactive Prep: --
Cook: 1 hr 10 min
Total:: 1 hr 30 min

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Ingredients

6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) butter
8 ounces pancetta, cut into 1/4-inch dice
2 large onions, finely chopped
2 carrots, peeled and finely chopped
3 celery stalks, finely chopped
2 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary leaves
3 garlic cloves, chopped
2 (7.4-ounce) jars roasted peeled whole chestnuts, coarsely broken
1/4 cup chopped fresh Italian parsley leaves
1 pound day-old ciabatta bread, cut into 3/4-inch cubes
2/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan
1 cup (or more) canned low-salt chicken broth
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 large eggs, beaten to blend

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Butter a 15 by 10 by 2-inch glass baking dish. Melt 2 tablespoons of butter in a heavy large skillet over medium heat. Add the pancetta and saute until crisp and golden, about 10 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the pancetta to a large bowl. Melt the remaining butter in the same skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onions, carrots, celery, rosemary, and garlic. Saute until the onions are very tender, about 12 minutes. Gently stir in the chestnuts and parsley. Transfer the onion mixture to the large bowl with the pancetta. Add the bread and Parmesan and toss to coat. Add enough broth to the stuffing mixture to moisten. Season the stuffing, to taste, with salt and pepper. Mix in the eggs.

Transfer the stuffing to the prepared dish. Cover with buttered foil, buttered side down, and bake until the stuffing is heated through, about 30 minutes. Uncover and continue baking until the top is crisp and golden, about 15 minutes longer.

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Giada De Laurentiis's Thanksgiving Menu

AppetizerItalian Greens and Herb Salad
Main DishTurkey with Herbes de Provence and Citrus
Side DishSpicy Parmesan Green Beans and Kale
DessertChocolate-Hazelnut Tart

Giada De Laurentiis's Thanksgiving Menu (11)

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Comments & Reviews

recipe Ciabatta Stuffing with Chestnuts and Pancetta
Sherry Schaumburg, IL 11-09-2009
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This was pretty good, but not fabulous.
Rated: 4 stars out of 5

I think I read all 147 reviews before I made this dressing. I was pretty excited as the majority found it amazing. I went to... several stores looking for the perfect ingredients and found them. You can imagine the build up at this point. So, I make the dressing and it was good, but not exquisite like I had thought it would be. I don?t think I?m a huge fan of chestnuts. Had the chestnuts been crunchy, maybe that would have made a difference. Overall, I liked and I will make this again, but I might switch out the chestnuts for something tastier. Read more
recipe Ciabatta Stuffing with Chestnuts and Pancetta
Morgan Cincinnati, OH 10-31-2009
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AMAZING!
Rated: 5 stars out of 5

This is now THE family Thanksgiving stuffing recipe. Best stuffing I've ever had.
recipe Ciabatta Stuffing with Chestnuts and Pancetta
Roseann Lancaster, PA 10-26-2009
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Family asks me to make at ever major holiday
Rated: 5 stars out of 5

My family loves this dish. I have got into the habit of making a double batch. It upsets my family when there are no left... overs for the next day, which is even better as the flavors set. This is one of those recipes you pass along for generations. Read more
recipe Ciabatta Stuffing with Chestnuts and Pancetta
Dawn Orlando, FL 05-27-2009
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The ONLY stuffing for Thanksgiving
Rated: 5 stars out of 5

This has been a staple at Thanksgiving and Christmas for about five years now. My son won't even let me consider making a... different stuffing. If we visit with family for the holidays, he always volunteers us for this. Can't say that I mind. Everyone who tastes this, falls in love with it. Thanks Giada!Read more
recipe Ciabatta Stuffing with Chestnuts and Pancetta
Rena Long Beach, CA 01-01-2009
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Outstanding! The only stuffing recipe you'll ever need!
Rated: 5 stars out of 5

This stuffing is absolutely outstanding, Giada! Brava! I began making it a few years back after seeing the Italian... Thanksgiving episode, and have been doing it ever since. EVERYone, and I mean EVERYONE loves it! It's always the first dish we run out of because everyone keeps going back for 2nds, 3rds ... In fact, I'm pretty sure my husband could eat just this dish and nothing else at Thanksgiving and be completely content! We now make it throughout the year from time to time since it's such a favorite and so easy to make. I don't eat pork, so I omit the pancetta. Also, the first year I made it, I forgot to buy chestnuts so I omitted those as well. We've never missed them in the dish, it's still so tasty! Some years, I have substituted vegetable broth in place of chicken broth for the vegetarians in our family ... still delicious I have found that I use a bit more than the recipe calls for. Also, I use grated Pecorino Romano instead of Parmesan. Being lactose intolerant, I cannot do cow's milk cheeses but sheep's milk cheeses are fine. Thank you, Giada, for this terrific addition to our favorite recipes! Read more
recipe Ciabatta Stuffing with Chestnuts and Pancetta
Jennie Fort Meade, MD 11-30-2008
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Wonderful!
Rated: 5 stars out of 5

The only change I made to this recipe was to roast fresh chestnuts instead of using jarred. My entire family at the... Thanksgiving table loved it. I was worried at first that there was too much onion or that the pancetta would prove too salty, but it was excellent.Read more