Take a seat turkey, there’s only room for Italian beef at the table this year. We were so inspired by Portillo’s fan @pauljcozzi who made an Italian beef stuffing last Thanksgiving that we had to create our own! Dig into the most Chicago Thanksgiving recipe ever created.
What you’ll need
- Small Take and Make Italian Beef Kit, which includes:
- Italian beef and cold gravy
- Hot giardiniera
- Sweet peppers
- Eight 4" French bread rolls
- 1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
Directions
- Preheat oven to 350°. Cut French bread into 1” cubes and divide between 2 rimmed baking sheets. Bake for 12 minutes until cubes are dry, but not hard.
- Place entire contents of gravy container in a large saucepot. Heat over medium heat until gravy reaches 180°F. Do not boil. This takes about 20 minutes.
- While gravy is heating, use scissors to cut open beef package and gently squeeze the package to loosen the beef. Remove the beef from the package onto a cutting board. Hold a section of beef in the palm of one hand, then carefully separate the individual slices. Stack the slices, being careful to avoid tearing or shredding the beef.
- Add enough prepared beef slices to the gravy to create 2-3 sandwiches at a time and stir. Add more beef one minute at a time and continue to stir in between additions. For maximum flavor and tenderness, keep the temperature between 165°F and 180°F.
- Cut sweet peppers into half-inch pieces and set to the side
- Drain about a half jar of giardiniera peppers into a small bowl and set to the side (add more if you like it hot!)
- Reserve 2 cups of gravy from the saucepot and set to the side
- Add cubed bread to a large mixing bowl. Using tongs, add about 2 ½-3 cups of Italian beef (it’s okay if some gravy joins), then add 1 ½ cups gravy to the mixture. Add sweet peppers, hot peppers, and 1 cup of the shredded mozzarella cheese. Toss thoroughly with a large spoon.
- Pour mixture into 9x13 pan. Add 1/2 cup remaining cheese and ¼ cup gravy from sauce pot.
- Cover with foil and bake for 35 minutes. Uncover and bake another 15 minutes until crisp and golden. If you prefer your Italian beef sandwiches dipped, pour a little more gravy over your serving before devouring.
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