Gluten-Free Recipes – Gluten-Free Stuffing Recipe Take Four

After much experimentation, I have now successfully made FOUR different types of gluten-free stuffing.  The two recipes for gluten-free stuffing already on my site, the gluten-free herbed bread stuffing I made during my video shoot for MyRecipes.com, using this stuffing recipe and substituting gluten-free bread.  So with three successes under my belt, I started to feel a little bit more confident with my ability to make gluten-free stuffing.  So for Thanksgiving this year I did something bold.  I tried an all new recipe without a test run.  Now this is not something I would normally do.  But it was a small group for Thanksgiving (three of us and a toddler), we had plenty of other dishes, and no one would be heartbroken if the recipe turned out horribly.  Well, to my great delight, the recipe turned out to be the best gluten-free stuffing yet.  Not only that, my sister-in-law Jenn declared it the ‘best stuffing ever’ and wants it to be our new family tradition (even though she doesn’t have to eat gluten-free).  While I left Texas to return to NYC the morning after Thanksgiving, Jenn assures me that even the leftovers were delicious, which is not a small feat considering how gluten-free baked goods tend to fall apart.  There’s quite a bit of chopping with this recipe, but it’s well worth it.

Gluten-Free Stuffing Recipe with Pears, Prosciutto and Hazelnuts (adapted from Eating Well)

4-5 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
4 ounces thinly sliced prosciutto, cut into small strips
2 cups chopped onion (about 1 large)
2 cups diced fennel bulb (about 1 large)
1/4 cup minced shallot
2 teaspoons minced fresh sage
2 teaspoons minced fresh thyme
1 teaspoon minced fresh rosemary
1 loaf WholeFoods Gluten-Free Bakehouse prairie bread, cut into 3/4-1-inch cubes
2 ripe but firm pears, chopped
1/3 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley
2/3cup toasted chopped hazelnuts
12-16-ounces reduced-sodium gluten-free chicken broth
2 teaspoons salt
Freshly ground pepper to taste

1. Preheat oven to 250°F. Spread bread cubes on a baking sheet and toast until crisped and dry, 15-25 minutes.  The cubes are slightly larger than a traditional recipe because gluten-free bread is more likely to crumble if the cubes are smaller 2
2.Preheat oven to 350°F. Coat a 9-by-13-inch baking dish with cooking spray.
3. Heat 2 teaspoons oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add prosciutto; cook, stirring, until crispy, about 5 minutes. Drain on a paper towel.
4. Use the same pan and heat the remaining 2 teaspoons oil over medium-high heat. Add onion, fennel and shallot and cook, stirring, until softened and beginning to brown, 8 to 10 minutes. Add sage, thyme and rosemary and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Transfer everything to a large bowl and gently stir in pears, parsley, hazelnuts, the prosciutto and half of broth.  Gently stir in bread cubes, season with salt and pepper and spoon into the prepared baking dish.  Drizzle remaining broth over the mixture and cover with foil.
5. Bake for 40 minutes; remove the foil and bake until the top begins to crisp, 25 to 30 minutes.

The combination of textures and flavors made this stuffing a standout – and we didn’t even need the gluten-free gravy I made to give it extra moisture. My sister-in-law insists I left her with all of the leftovers to make sure she gained weight because it was so tasty.  Well, since there are still many holiday parties and dinners to come, here are some tips from RealSimple on how to eat healthy during the holidays.