If you are looking for some “real food” holiday dishes to add to your Thanksgiving table then you are in the right place! Below is a fabulous recipe for the pictured Chestnut and Prosciutto Bread Stuffing that you put inside your turkey or bake as a separate dish on the side. We also have some other tasty real food holiday dishes in our archives including the following (and please be sure to share your favorites in the comments below…don’t forget links!):
- Pesto Cream Cheese Bake – The perfect appetizer to snack on while waiting for the bird to finish cooking!
- Sweet Potato Casserole – Kind of like the old favorite…except with a lot less sugar! :)
- Whole-Grain Corn Bread – Bake these in one casserole dish or as individual muffins (that can even be made in advance and frozen).
- Butternut Squash Soup – One of our all time favorite fall dishes whether it’s a holiday or not.
- Brown Rice Risotto – A dish that for years has always made its way to our family holiday table.
- Salad Inspiration – Lots of different salad combo ideas.
- Shortcut Chocolate Pecan Pie – Made with a simple homemade whole-wheat crust.
- Whole-Wheat Biscuits – What is Thanksgiving without some yummy homemade bread to “sop” up all that gravy left on the plate?
I also want to share a quick note about Molly’s Suds, maker of “clean” laundry products that are safe for the whole family. Did you know that some mainstream laundry detergents (like Dreft and All Free) contain over 120 ingredients? Molly’s Suds was started by a fellow mom, and their laundry powder is made from only earth-derived ingredients that don’t include any added fillers or toxic fragrances. Molly’s Suds also offers sustainable wool dryer balls that can help reduce static and drying time by up to 50% (depending on your dryer and the heating element).
Chestnut and Prosciutto Bread Stuffing
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoons butter
- 4 ounces prosciutto (diced)
- 1/3 cup onions (diced)
- 2 cloves garlic (minced)
- 2 cups chestnuts (shelled, roasted, and chopped)
- ½ cup chicken broth (+ ¾ cup, divided)
- 1 apple (Granny Smith recommended. Diced)
- ½ cup parmesan cheese (grated)
- 1 egg
- 4 slices whole-wheat bread (toasted and chopped into 1 to 2 inch chunks)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (if baking as a separate casserole dish).
- In a medium-sized saute pan over medium heat melt the butter. Add the diced prosciutto and allow to cook until it starts to turn brown and turns crispy on the edges, about 5 minutes.
- Add the onion and garlic and continue to cook until the onion begins to soften.
- Stir in the chopped chestnuts and 1/2 cup of chicken broth and let simmer until liquid is reduced by half.
- Turn off heat and stir in diced apple, Parmesan cheese, egg, toasted bread chunks, and remaining 3/4 cup chicken broth.
- Use mixture to stuff your turkey or transfer to a 8" x 8" or 9" x 9" square baking dish and bake until golden brown on top, about 20 – 25 minutes.
Delicious! We’ve made this with Thanksgiving dinner for the past three years and it’s my favorite part of the dinner…even tops the turkey!
This stuffing was the big hit at my first time hosting Thanksgiving! I also used the green bean casserole, sweet potato casserole, and some appetizer ideas. Thank you so much for helping me serve an easy, real food meal!! It looks like I’ll keep hosting, though everyone’s been forewarned that next year I will only be making the turkey and stuffing since I’ll have a 4 month old! :)
Ok can’t find chestnuts in my area. Anyone try this with a different nut yet? Any suggestions?
Hi Heather. How about walnuts, macadamias, hazelnuts, or pecans? ~Amy
I’m planning thanksgiving dinner. Do you know about how many servings the stuffing serves?
Hi. Lisa’s recipes generally feed a family of four with some leftovers. I would say as I side, this would comfortably serve 6. Hope that helps. ~Amy
Hi. Love your site. What do you do about recipes asking for dry chicken or beef bouillon? I was looking for a dry brown gravy recipe and they all cal for beef bouillon which is FULL of bad stuff. Do you have a recipe?
Hi Cheryl. We don’t have a recipe. Could you make a beef broth perhaps and use that? Jill
Lisa, everyone loved the stuffing! I was already told that i will be n charge of the stuffing ever year and basically, i am to host every year too. Dinner was a big success!
Where did you buy chestnuts? (I live in Charlotte). Thanks!!
Hi Randi. I saw them at both Trader Joe’s and Earthfare. Jill
Lisa,
Your stuffing sounds awesome! It will be on my Thanksgiving table. I cannot wait! I am hosting for the first time this year so I will cook as I do everyday. Will let you know how it goes. This is a “processed food” crowd so fingers crossed!
Hi. I just featured your blog in a recent blog post I wrote for RecipeLion about eating on a budget! Your recipes look great, and I love that there’s no processed foods AND they’re inexpensive. Nice job!
You can see my blog post here: http://blog.recipelion.com/slash-your-grocery-bill
I have never had prosciutto:) I am also unsure as to where to find it? I have bacon in my freezer can I use that in place of prosciutto? thanks for your help!
Hi Jamie. You could possibly try the bacon. You can get prosciutto at Earthfare or Whole Foods if you have one nearby. Jill
Oh yum!!! This looks absolutely amazing, and well-deserved . I read the whole receipe and i am definitely going to taste it atleast once.
Where do you find your prosciutto? I recently moved to a small town and I’m having the hardest time finding it nearby.
Hi April. I usually get mine at Earthfare or Whole Foods. I will say though, that it is not necessarily local. So, if you’re following the challenge, then you’ll need to consider that. Jill
I’m most excited for the whole wheat biscuits! And the awesome pumpkin pie above! I will just add a simple dish of Confetti Mashed Potatoes! http://fresh-you.blogspot.com/2012/02/confetti-mashed-potatoes.html Enjoy everybody! Oh, and the dryer balls sound really cool! Love the reduced drying time! I love how hand-me-downs smell (dryer-sheet-scented), but I can never bring myself to use dryer sheets b/c of all the chemicals :~
This looks delicious! I love prosciutto and I can just imagine that it pairs perfectly with the apple flavor. Check out my real food recipe for pumpkin pie http://www.hungryhealthygirl.com/2012/10/28/the-best-healthy-pumpkin-pie-ever/