Cast Iron Brown Butter Griddle Stuffing With Chestnuts and Herbs

When it comes to Thanksgiving stuffing, there’s no one tradition. There’s cornbread in the South, oysters in the Northeast, sausage and day-old bread in the Midwest, rice in the Northwest. And within these traditions, each family has its own particular take.  

Our riff on traditional bread-based stuffing omits sausage, making it a hearty vegetarian option. There’s a caramel base note coming from the just-browned butter, a nutty richness from the chestnuts, and an herbal boost from the addition of sage, thyme and rosemary.

While this recipe for cast iron griddle stuffing works wonderfully in your conventional home oven, we designed it to be cooked in an Ooni to free up some space while the bird and green bean casserole are cooking. 

We love it both warm and bubbling out of the oven or mellowed out after 15 minutes. If you’re lucky enough to have some left, you can even use whatever isn’t eaten the next day to make a Leftover Stuffing Pizza.

Time 
40 minutes 

Yield
Serves 4 to 6 as a side 

Equipment 
Ooni Pizza Oven
Ooni Infrared Thermometer
Ooni Cast Iron Skillet Pan

Ingredients 
3 tablespoons (43 grams) cold salted butter, cubed
4 shallots, finely chopped
generous pinch kosher salt or flaked sea salt
sprig fresh rosemary
sprig fresh thyme
⅔ cup (60 grams) chestnuts, halved (optional)
⅓ cup (50 grams) walnuts, finely chopped)
1 stalk celery, finely chopped (optional)
1 egg, lightly beaten
½ teaspoon (0.5 gram) dried thyme
½ teaspoon (0.5 gram) dried sage 
1 cup (227 grams) chicken broth or instant stock, cold 
5 ¾ cups (200 grams) stale crusty bread, torn into 1 to 2 inch chunks 
freshly ground black pepper 

Method
Fire up your Ooni pizza oven, aiming for 482°F (250°C) on the stone baking board inside. Use the infrared thermometer to accurately check the temperature. 

As the oven preheats, place the cast iron pan and 2 tablespoons of cubed butter inside. After the butter melts and turns light brown, remove the pan from the oven and add the finely chopped shallots, salt and herb sprigs.

Cook outside the oven until the shallots soften, roughly 5 minutes. If using celery and nuts, add and  return the pan to the front of the oven to cook for 3 to 5 minutes more, turning regularly. Remove the pan and discard the fresh herb sprigs. 

In a medium bowl, combine the beaten egg, dried herbs, and ¾ of the stock. Fold in the cooked vegetables and combine until everything is well coated and moist. If the mixture feels dry, keep adding the remaining stock, a few tablespoons at a time, until the bread is very moist. 

Return the mixture to the skillet (it should already be greased from cooking the onions). Don't be tempted to overfill. Sprinkle the remaining tablespoon of chopped butter up over the top. Cover the skillet with foil and return to the mouth of the oven. 

Cook for 10 minutes, turning halfway through. Carefully remove the foil and return the skillet to the oven for 7 to 10 minutes to crisp the top, turning the pan every minute or so to ensure an even golden brown all over. 

Once cooked, serve warm or cold and enjoy.