Delicata Squash and Sage Stuffing (or dressing)

I love homemade stuffing because it is such a forgiving recipe that you can use so much creativity in and it’s usually something that most people enjoy just once a year and I always look forward to make it. This recipe is a culmination of my favorite fall flavoring all wrapped up into a thanksgiving dressing. It makes a great breakfast with some over-easy eggs if there are any leftovers the next day.

Ingredients

1 loaf of French bread of ciabatta bread cut into small crouton sized cubes (feel free to use old bread!)

3 delicata squash

2 leeks

3 celery ribs

3 garlic cloves

2 tablespoons fresh sage

2 tablespoons fresh thyme

2 eggs (whisked)

3 cups chicken stock

½ stick of butter (melted)

8 ounces of pancetta

½ cup dried cranberries

2 tsp garlic powder

3 tsp onion powder

Olive oil

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and coat the bread cubes in olive oil, salt, pepper, onion powder, and garlic powder. Place evenly between two baking sheets and toast for about 20 minutes or until very crispy and dried out. While the bread is baking, Findlay chop leeks and celery. Thinly slice the squash into small slices and then quarter. Heat a large saucepan and cook the pancetta until crispy remove the meat from heat and return to pan with leeks, celery and garlic, cook until slightly caramelized and remove from heat. Add squash to pan and add salt and pepper, sauté until squash is slightly brown, about ten minutes. Add chicken stock, eggs and melted butter together, combine well. In a large bowl mix the bread cubes, vegetables, pancetta, herbs and cranberries, reserve a little bit of fresh herbs to garnish the stuffing after it is done cooking. Once mixed well, add the mixture to a greased 13x9 pan. Place in oven at 350 degrees for about 50 minutes. Turn heat to 450 or broil (if you can keep a close eye on it!) for about 8-10 minutes to just brown the top. Add reserved fresh herbs to top and enjoy!