Our stuffing muffins are delicious and are a great side dish for Christmas or Thanksgiving. Naturally, the stuffing can also be used in a more traditional sense, to stuff the turkey or chicken or in the middle of a pork roll. The secret ingredient makes them extra special.
Why muffins?
Simply, stuffing muffins are easier for serving. They are the perfect single serve, but are still small enough for someone to have two if they really love stuffing (which is likely to have with these stuffing muffins).
In muffin form, stuffing also takes less time to cook and is not try on the outside and soggy in the middle
Inspiration from an unusual source
One of my favourite dishes as a child was my Mum’s tuna mornay.
Sauce Mornay is named after French statesman Philippe Duplessis-Mornay. It is similar to béchamel sauce but has cheese added – traditionally Gruyère. In Australia, any dish that is served in a sauce mornay mixture is called a mornay. Americans call it a casserole and macaroni and cheese is the most common casserole that uses sauce mornay.
I think my Mum probably picked up her tuna casserole dish when she was on an exchange in the States. It was what I would request for my birthday dinner or any special occasion. Her secret ingredient: crumbled potato chips.
For some reason, when I was doing some last minute grocery shopping before thanksgiving, I found myself standing in front of the specials. For some reason, my Mum’s tuna mornay sprang to mind and I had an idea.
What is the secret ingredient in my stuffing muffins?
Pringles! Simple, original Pringles. Other brands of potato chips – thick, ripple cut if possible – would work too.
Stick to plain, salted crisps. Other flavours would not work well and would overpower the other ingredients.
The potato chips add delightful little bits of crunch to the stuffing, without overpowering the other ingredients. The combination of the apple, bacon, mincemeat and cashews on its own is delicious, but the Pringles just add something to these stuffing muffins.
Update: Do you need vegetarian stuffing?
We have some vegetarians in our family who love the taste of stuffing, but no the meat. Last year, I was in charge of making stuffing for Christmas dinner while we were in Australia. This stuffing muffin idea was perfect as it meant that we could easily cook stuffing without cooking it inside the turkey.
I ended up making two lots of stuffing. One was as stated in the recipe. The second was for vegetarians. Of course, the stuffing muffin recipe needed a little tailoring.
For the vegetarian stuffing muffins, I forewent the bacon and mince meat. Instead, I added an extra egg and a good handful of finely sliced dried apricots. I used vegetable stock instead of milk and browned a finely chopped brown onion in butter, together with some of the spring onion. I think I added a few extra cashews too.
Even these vegetarian stuffing muffins disappeared quickly.
Don’t forget the side dishes
The meat and stuffing muffins alon won’t make a feast. Why not make some of our Brussel sprout gratin and our tasty pumpkin and feta salad to go with them? Yum!
Make some stuffing muffins to go with your next roast
Whether you are cooking a roast turkey for Christmas or Thanksgiving, make some of these stuffing muffins as a side dish or use the recipe to stuff your bird. I doubt anyone will guess what the secret ingredient is, but you will taste the difference. The the little bits of crunch are delightful!
Delicious stuffing muffins
Equipment
- fry pan
Ingredients
- 7 slices of bread toasted
- 80 g bacon finely chopped
- 150 g mincemeat sausage
- 3 spring onions finely sliced
- 2 eggs large
- a handful of cashews roughly chopped
- 2 apples peeled, cored and cut into small pieces
- a bunch of parsley about 5 sprigs, finely chopped
- approx. 20 Pringles original
- salt pepper and grated nutmeg to taste
- milk to bind
- oil to grease the pan
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 170°c (fan-forced).
- Brush a muffin pan with a little oil to prevent the stuffing muffins from sticking.
- Cut the toast into small squares and place in a bowl.
- Brown the mincemeat, bacon and half of the spring onion. When it is ready, add it to the bowl.
- Add the remaining spring onions to the bowl together with the apple, parsley and cashews. Season well with salt, pepper and nutmeg.
- Crack the eggs into the bowl and then mix well to combine. Add just enough milk to get the mixture to stick together, but not enough to make it soggy.
- Crush the pringles over the mix and briefly mix through.
- Fill the cupcake moulds with the mixture then place the tray in the oven. Bake for 15-20 minutes until they start to brown. Serve warm.
- Alternatively, use the stuffing to stuff your turkey, duck or chicken and cook until the meat is cooked. You can also use it for the inside of a rolled pork.
Notes
Nutrition
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