Stuffing with bacon is loaded with parmesan cheese and fresh herbs, while the smoky flavor of bacon infuses every bite.
This savory bacon stuffing is a flavorful upgrade from traditional stuffing and is the perfect side dish to serve with all holiday meals. You can expect this to be the holiday side dish your whole family will be raving about.
What is it?
This homemade stuffing recipe with bacon is crafted with a savory mixture of fresh parsley and sage, sauteed onions, parmesan cheese, and chicken stock. But the real secret is mixing in crisp bacon with a mixture of bacon fat and butter to really saturate the bread mixture with flavor.
This has quickly become my favorite stuffing recipe!
Ingredients and Substitutions
- Unseasoned dried bread cubes - Plain white bread cubes are easiest to find at the grocery store, but sourdough bread is best. You can make your own stuffing cubes by letting sourdough bread slices sit out overnight, and then cut them into cubes. You will need approximately 8 slices of bread.
- Bacon - Regular cut or thick cut bacon is fine. If you are salt-sensitive, buy low-sodium bacon to reduce the saltiness of the bacon.
- Butter - Olive oil can be substituted, but butter is best.
- Yellow onion - A sweet onion can be substituted.
- Chicken stock - Chicken broth or turkey stock can be substituted.
- Shredded parmesan cheese - Grated parmesan cheese can be substituted.
- Fresh parsley - Dried parsley will be a poor substitute, stick to fresh herbs.
- Fresh sage - Fresh rosemary or thyme can be substituted, but sage goes particularly well with the smoky flavor of bacon.
- Fresh ground black pepper
How to Make It
To make this bacon stuffing recipe, first chop the raw bacon into 1" pieces, then place them in a large skillet set over medium heat. Cook the bacon until crispy, then remove it from the skillet and set aside on a paper towel.
Reserve ¼ cup of bacon drippings in the skillet, and add 4 tablespoons of butter along with the chopped onions. Saute the onions until tender, then add the fresh parsley, sage, and black pepper. Cook for an additional minute.
Place the bread cubes in a large mixing bowl, then pour the butter mixture over the cubes and toss together to evenly coat. Next, add half of the parmesan cheese, and reserved bacon.
Pour the chicken stock evenly over the stuffing mixture, then toss to combine.
Place the stuffing in a prepared baking dish, then top with the remaining parmesan cheese, and bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 25 minutes. Remove from the oven when the top turns golden brown and serve.
Storing & Reheating Leftovers
Leftover stuffing should be kept in your refrigerator and stored in an airtight container or covered in plastic wrap. It can be stored for up to one week. The leftovers can be reheated in individual servings in the microwave until warmed through.
Stuffing with Bacon
Equipment
- Baking dish
Ingredients
- 12 ounces unseasoned dried bread cubes (sourdough bread is best)
- 1 pound bacon (chopped into 1" pieces)
- ¼ cup reserved bacon grease
- 4 tablespoons butter
- 1 large yellow onion (chopped)
- 2 cups chicken stock
- 1 cup shredded parmesan cheese (divided)
- ½ cup chopped fresh parsley
- 2 tablespoons fresh sage
- ½ teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Place chopped bacon in a saute pan set over medium heat on the stovetop and fry until crisp.
- Remove the crispy bacon with a slotted spoon, reserving ¼ cup of bacon grease in the pan. Then add the butter and chopped onion.
- Saute the onions until tender and beginning to brown. Scrape any browned bits of bacon from the bottom of the pan as you saute the onions to incorporate their flavor. Then add the fresh sage, parsley, and black pepper. Let the mixture cook for one minute.
- Place the cubed bread in a large bowl and pour in the onion mixture, then carefully fold everything together to ensure the bread cubes are evenly coated.
- Add the cooked bacon, and half of the parmesan cheese to the bowl. Then evenly pour the chicken stock over everything and gently fold the mixture together with a rubber spatula, being careful not to mash the bread cubes.
- Spread the stuffing mixture evenly into a large baking dish and top with the remaining parmesan cheese.
- Place the stuffing in the oven for 25 minutes, then serve.
Notes
Nutritional Information
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