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Ombré Gratin
Alexa Weibel
2573 ratings with an average rating of 4 out of 5 stars
2,573
3 hours
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The night before serving, spread the bread pieces on a sheet pan and let sit on the counter to dry out. Alternatively, you can bake them at 250 degrees until completely dried out and no longer soft, 20 to 30 minutes.
When ready to make the stuffing, transfer the bread to a large bowl. Heat oven to 350 degrees and grease a 9-by-13-inch or 8-by-11-inch baking dish with softened butter.
Melt the 4 tablespoons butter in a large skillet over medium-high and add the onion. Season with salt and pepper, and cook, stirring occasionally, until translucent and slightly browned at the edges, 5 to 7 minutes. Stir in the oregano and tomato paste and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the stock and scrape up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan.
In a medium bowl, beat the egg with a fork, then beat in the milk. Pour the stock mixture and milk mixture over the bread and toss with two spoons until evenly coated. Add 1 cup mozzarella, and toss again until well combined. Let sit until the bread fully absorbs the liquid, about 5 minutes.
Transfer the stuffing and any accumulated liquid to the greased baking dish, spread out evenly and top with the remaining 1 cup mozzarella. (To make ahead, you can stop at this stage, cover the dish and refrigerate for up to 24 hours.)
Bake, uncovered, until heated through and the cheese is melted, 15 to 25 minutes. (You may need to add a few minutes to the bake time if the stuffing has been refrigerated.) Sprinkle a pinch of oregano over the top and serve immediately.
Yes, and you could probably add chicken, turkey, or pork sausage if you wanted to make it a meal in itself.
Use the equivalent amount of garlic knots from the pizzeria, torn up and toasted. They are a go-to for any recipe calling for stale bread or croutons, with the garlic already on board. Think Caesar salad, or whole, nestled under a roasting chicken.
OMG, you had me at "Pizza". Who cares if there is a turkey shortage? Just make this, add some sausage or chicken and a salad and you're good to go!
Added pepperoni and olives and it was a hit.
Kids big and small would probably like this-I've noticed that most children don't eat much but mashed potatoes, bread and dessert at the Thanksgiving feast.
This was amazing and such a crowd pleaser at our Thanksgiving! I did add three cloves of garlic and I think for next time, I'll throw a couple of anchovies in the sauce.
Add sauteed mushrooms and small cubes of salami or pepperoni - my favorite pizza in casserole form. This is favorite with kids, too!
Why not just use tomato sauce instead of paste and stock?
I made this on Saturday, and it was a HUGE hit and so easy! Five stars all the way!
Ohmygod, this stuffing is off the charts! I would have scrolled past it, if my husband hadn't been walking by and exclaimed how we needed to try it. I could see making this and serving with sauteed spinach and tomatoes as a side. Or bringing it to a potluck so I know I wouldn't have to bring home any leftovers. Thanks Eric Kim!
Make sure you really dry out your bread. I used challah, baked it for 20 minutes and thought it was dried out enough, but it soaked up too much liquid and tasted doughy after cooking.
Oof, huge fail for me, but the blame lies not at the feet of Mr. Kim but rather with the bizarre-tasting GF “brioche” from Canyon Bakehouse (whose other products are generally excellent). I bet this is terrific made with normal brioche (which I, the daughter of a European professional baker, wish I could eat with impunity). Try adding red pepper flakes with the oregano and/or sliced black olives along with the cheese.
While this looked promising, the finished product made as directed looks very little like the image. Should have used marinara sauce (more than 2 T.) and more cheese. Otherwise, it’s very uninspiring.
So so good! Far from your traditional stuffing but it is a crowd pleaser and a delicious side for a small gathering with friends
I imagine the stock and paste rather than sauce is to make it more "stuffing" like.
"SGM"'s (here, from 11 mos ago) asks: "Which is correct: 1 whole challah (weighing 12 -14 ounces) or four cups (weighing about 4 ounces)? They aren’t equivalent..." Can anyone answer this? Also, I'm very interested in making this for Thanksgiving, but can anyone say how well this 'really' pairs with traditional turkey and gravy?
I'm guessing that the 4 cups come from torn bread taking more volume than a loaf. Tearing the bread will render the 12-14 oz loaf into ~4 cups of torn bread.
Add sauteed mushrooms and small cubes of salami or pepperoni - my favorite pizza in casserole form. This is favorite with kids, too!
IMHO this was WAYYY too cheesy (never thought I’d hear myself utter those words!) I left out the onion because I have an allium allergy but I doubt that made much difference. Also the challah bread couldn’t stand up to the heavy cheese. I’ll def try again but next time I’ll use stale Italian bread and cut the cheese in half.
Ohmygod, this stuffing is off the charts! I would have scrolled past it, if my husband hadn't been walking by and exclaimed how we needed to try it. I could see making this and serving with sauteed spinach and tomatoes as a side. Or bringing it to a potluck so I know I wouldn't have to bring home any leftovers. Thanks Eric Kim!
Not sure what happened but I followed the recipe and my entire gang gave it a thumbs down as far as making it again. It just wasn’t that flavorful, seemed like a blob of slightly soggy red bread with lots of cheese. First time for a thumbs down out of all I’ve made following NYT recipe’s, lucky they have been a hit otherwise.
This tastesThere isn’t enough tomato to make it look or taste at all like pizza.
This was amazing and such a crowd pleaser at our Thanksgiving! I did add three cloves of garlic and I think for next time, I'll throw a couple of anchovies in the sauce.
Made this for Sunday Brunch. It tasted good but the instructions left me confused. Which is correct: 1 whole challah (weighing 12 -14 ounces) or four cups (weighing about 4 ounces)? They aren’t equivalent. I chose the four cup measurements and it came out quite flat. Is there a mistake in the recipe or list of ingredients?
i added pepperoni, spinach, and a couple T of marinara sauce that I had leftover, and also broiled for a couple minutes to brown the cheese. Also cooked the onions in a skillet and refilled the skillet with the entire mixture - it absorbed the flavors and saved me from using and cleaning another dish.
While this was delicious and kid-friendly, it doesn’t really stand as a meal on its own.
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