As we venture into the holiday season, I know cooking is not everyone's first love and this can be a stressful activity!

Enter a simple, beautiful side that will be a fine accompaniment to just about every meal. This simple stuffing recipe elevates a traditionally boxed dish by using fresh brioche (my personal favorite is Trader Joe's, but brioche can also be found at many local bakeries, Costco, Sam's and Walmart). Then we add in the usual suspects, celery, onion, garlic, etc. Bake, add a bit of hard-rind cheese to crisp and enjoy, but that's not all...

I found in testing that this dish is fabulous for leftovers too in a unique way. Keep reading to find out all this easy-peasy two-fer recipe has to offer, including all my tips!

Happy Eating!

Simply Stunning Brioche Stuffing

(Bonus: Squash Bowls with Leftover Stuffing!)

Prepare First

2 Loaves Brioche Bread

1 Bunch Celery

2 Medium Onions

1 Head of Garlic

1 lb Button Mushrooms (optional)

Prepare While Cooking

1 c Salted Butter

2 tsp Salt

1 Tbsp Fresh Cracked Pepper

4 c Chicken or Vegetable Stock

6 oz Parmesan Cheese (Asiago/Parm/Romano all work)

*Leftovers 

1-2 small Gourds or Squash of Choice (pictured is Acorn Squash)

½ to 1 lb Sausage of Choice (Italian or Breakfast Pork or Turkey)

Additional hard-rind cheese or maple syrup for drizzling (optional)

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1. Prepare your stuffing by cutting your bread slices with a VERY sharp knife so as not to mash them. Cut in 6-8 pieces per slice until you have large chunks. Allow these chunks to dry out on the counter for 2-3 days covered with a towel. (Note: You can also dry out the already made stuffing on a baking sheet at 350F for 20-40 minutes, checking and turning every 10 minutes until dry but not burnt.)

2. Roughly chop celery, onions, and garlic to desired thickness.

3. To a large stock pot over medium heat (the bread is quite voluminous to start), add 1 cup butter and once melted, add the chopped celery, onions, and garlic. Cook for 5-10 minutes or until onions are translucent.

4. Add small button mushrooms (if using), salt and pepper, and mix thoroughly.

5. Add dried out brioche chunks then slowly pour in stock while mixing to avoid large dry spots. Another method is to add brioche chunks to a 9x13 casserole dish, and evenly pour the vegetable mixture on top followed by the chicken stock.

6. Bake for 20-30 minutes until stock is absorbed.

7. Remove from oven and change temp to Low Broil.

8. Shred cheese over the top of the stuffing mix and broil for an additional 5-10 minutes until cheese is golden brown and bubbly. Watch carefully for burning!

9. Enjoy with any fall or winter dish!

Leftover Bonus Recipe If you find yourself with more stuffing, which I doubt, you can always repurpose this meal with your favorite fall gourd!

1. Preheat oven to 400F.

2. Wash and poke your gourd all around with the tip of a knife 5-6 times. Microwave for 2 minutes, flip and microwave for 2 minutes more.

3. Split the gourd in half lengthwise then scrape out the inside “guts,” and seeds and dispose of or bake for yet another snack.

4. Spread 1 teaspoon of olive oil inside each half, rubbing with your fingers to provide a thin coat over the entire flesh side. Sprinkle with desired salt and pepper then add to a roasting pan flesh side down.

5. Roast for 30-40 minutes until soft.

6. While roasting, add sausage of choice to a pan over medium-high heat and break up while browning until no pink remains. Once fully cooked, mix in desired amount of leftover stuffing and set aside.

7. Remove gourd/squash from oven, flip to be flesh side up then stuff loosely with sausage and leftover stuffing.

8. Shred a small amount of cheese on top and place back in the oven at 350F for 10-15 minutes until warm and bubbly. If using pork, drizzle a bit of maple syrup just before plating.

9. Enjoy in front of the fire on a cold winter night!

Final Thoughts:

• Drying out your bread – There are multiple ways to do this. You can either cut up the bread and leave it out on the counter covered with a towel for a couple days, or dry it out in a low heat oven (~200F) and check every 10 minutes to ensure it’s not browning too much.

• Stock/Better than Bouillon – If you’re a fan of the Better than Bouillon brand and running low on homemade stock, you can always use other flavor such as sauteed onion and/or roasted garlic to play with flavors in this dish.

• Easy Homemade Stock - If you’re a fan of rotisserie chicken, once you’ve eaten the majority of the meat, add one (or MORE) chicken carcasses to a crockpot with any almost expired veggies, fill with water and set on low for 12-14 hours while you sleep! I do this every time we have a Costco chicken, then fill 16 oz freezer-safe containers, and I never run out of stock!