Ciabatta meatball stuffing almost looks too good to eat, but don’t let that stop you! Ready in 20 minutes, it is the best possible mixture of crisp and tender with crusty ciabatta bread, sliced meatballs, fresh veggies, and savory spices. It’s sure to be a new holiday favorite!

Stuffing is a Thanksgiving staple.

Bet you never thought to dress it up with meatballs.

And why not? It’s a variation on sausage stuffing if you stop and think about it.

Plus, adding frozen meatballs gives the stuffing a hearty secret ingredient that is great for ‘dressing’ this dish up with a hearty twist.

Crusty ciabatta bread, hearty Italian meatballs, fresh veggies, and savory spices come together in a hearty Italian-style stuffing that’s also quick and easy.

This ciabatta meatball stuffing tastes amazing since it’s mostly from scratch.

And it takes just 20 minutes to whip up this tasty, homemade stuffing.

That is a lifeline when trying to plan out and make a big deal meal and have everything hot and ready on the table at the same time.

Ingredients

To make this you’ll need:

Butter– If you use salted butter, just add less salt.
Frozen meatballs– Italian style frozen meatballs, thawed and cut in half.
Veggies– Peeled diced carrot, diced white onion, and sliced celery
Chicken stock– You can substitute the drippings from your turkey or turkey stock if you can find it. Chicken broth would also work.
Oil– Olive oil
Seasonings– Dried parsley, dried rosemary, dried sage, salt and pepper
Ciabatta bread– Or ciabatta rolls, rough chopped into 1″ chunks
Fresh parsley– This is optional for garnish

How to Make

Ciabatta meatball stuffing feels dressed up but it’s so easy to make!

Start by melting the butter in a large skillet over high heat.

When the butter melts, cook the carrot, onion, and celery in the melted butter, stirring often, until the veggies are soft.

Transfer the softened veggies to a large bowl.

Add the meatballs, stock, oil, parsley, rosemary, sage, bread, salt and pepper to the same bowl.

Stir everything together until it’s well mixed.

Spread the stuffing mixture out evenly into a large cast iron skillet or into a 9″ x 13″ baking dish.

Bake at 450 degrees, or until golden brown and bread is slightly crisp on top, 15-20 minutes.

Sprinkle with chopped fresh parsley before serving.

Storing Leftovers

Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.

Reheat them in the microwave or in a hot oven until warmed through.

Tips and Tricks

Adjust the seasoning to suit your tastes. You could up add garlic, either fresh or garlic powder, to the veggies if desired.
Slightly old ciabatta bread works best. It’s ok if it’s a little stale. If it’s not a little old, you can toast the cubes in a 350 degree oven for about 8 minutes prior to making the stuffing.
If you want smaller pieces of meatballs, quartering them wouldn’t affect the cook time.

Other Stuffing Recipes

Ciabatta meatball stuffing is a hearty stuffing variation that is super easy and extra delicious.

Make it this holiday season and enjoy!

Looking for other stuffing recipes?

Try these:

If you’ve tried this CIABATTA MEATBALL STUFFING, or any other recipe on my site, let me know in the comment section how it turned out, we love hearing from our readers! You can also follow along with me on PINTEREST, FACEBOOK, and INSTAGRAM to see more amazing recipes and whatever else we’ve got going on!