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For the past 15 years, we have been lucky enough to attend a Thanksgiving feast that requires little to no cooking on my part (although this is probably intentional given my relative inexperience in the kitchen). However, I often dream of pulling out a big frozen bird, thawing him out and then stuffing him with a homemade stuffing to rival all others. I love homemade stuffing and the traditional variety we enjoy on Thanksgiving is delicious. Could I possibly make my own version that was just as tasty?
This week, I happened to try one of the most mouth-watering sandwiches I have ever tasted and the signature components were Boursin cheese & pretzel bread. Whenever I head out to a restaurant, I always seem to order pretzel bread and thought about the possibilities of creating a signature dish using one of my favorite carbohydrates. With two littles in tow, I headed out to #MyMarianos and headed right to the main area where I would find the signature piece of my stuffing – pretzel bread!
Whether you’re looking for a specialty (like pretzel bread) or something more basic like French loaves, Mariano’s has a delicious smelling bakery with a plethora of options when it comes to bread – flavors, shapes, sizes, and varieties. I made a beeline for the pretzel bread as sub rolls and picked up a package of four. I made sure to bring along my Mariano’s Rewards Card for even more savings and recipes with cooking videos.
Next, I circled past the fancy doughnuts, cakes & pastries (stopping for a sample of course) and wound up at my next favorite area of the store – the cheese! Whenever I’ve ordered a pretzel (think ball games, carnivals, restaurants), they always seem to be served with cheese and while I do not typically think of cheese in a stuffing, I knew this would be a hit! I grabbed a package of herbs Boursin for some creaminess and my eyes landed on a 1/2 pound of white cheddar with cranberries – the perfect complement to a Thanksgiving feast!
- 4 small sub rolls of Mariano's pretzel bread
- 2 tbsp. melted butter
- 1 shallot, diced small
- 3 stalks of celery, diced small
- 3 cloves of garlic, peeled & sliced
- 4 strips of thick-sliced Roundy's bacon
- ½ lb. white cheddar cheese with cranberries
- 1 tbsp. Boursin cheese
- 1.5 cups of half & half
- Preheat oven to 250 degrees.
- Diced pretzel bread, toss in butter and spread over cookie sheet.
- Toast for 60 minutes until dry and crisp.
- Cut bacon into small pieces and sauté until browning.
- Saute celery, onion, garlic and bacon until soft.
- Toss in pretzel bread cubes and mix.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- In a separate pan, heat half & half until just below boiling.
- Break apart cheddar cheese and toss into cream with Boursin cheese.
- Heat until melted and mixed.
- Pour over bread mixture until incorporated.
- Pour into casserole dish approximately 9 x 9 round.
- Bake uncovered for 30-40 minutes until golden brown and bubbling.
Voila! Your Thanksgiving table and feast will never be the same without the addition of this cheesy, pretzel goodness. My husband devoured it for dinner after spying the cooking of it on Instagram. He recommends pairing with a Blue Moon or other delicious lager. Mariano’s has everything you need to prepare the perfect holiday meal. For even more inspiration, find Mariano’s on Twitter and Facebook.
Oh goodness! That looks AMAZING! I love pretzel bread but don’t really care for stuffing. I’m going to try this anyway!! 🙂
Seriously yum! Just pinned this for Thanksgiving – should be interested as I try to make this for 25 people!
OMYHEAVENS…..this needs to be on my table. YUM!!!
This looks and sounds delicious Sam!! I might just have to try this. YUM!