Kimchi Stuffing

Kimchi filling? What? Yup. I’ll take this hot, spicy sauerkraut and put it in my filling. My family has been doing it since we immigrated to the States. Because like any good Korean family, we can’t imagine a meal without kimchi!

My family moved to America in the late 70’s and so took on so many American traditions. Thanksgiving was one of our favorite holidays because it revolved around food. We love to eat and we love to cook. This was a holiday made for us! Any excuse to overcook and stuff our bellies sounded like vacation heaven.

I usually make the recipe with stale French or sourdough bread, shredded or cut into chunks and tossed with chopped kimchi, onions, celery, walnuts and garlic, baked until slightly brown and crispy on top. It is a beautiful combination of spicy and tangy, nutty and aromatic at the same time. It’s the perfect accompaniment to a roast turkey.

We can’t imagine Thanksgiving without it.

Tips for making kimchi filling

Kimchi filling is really just a version of your favorite filling with kimchi added. The trick is to add the kimchi juices, making sure you reduce the liquid a bit so it’s crispier around the edges. Here are a few tips and tricks for the perfect Thanksgiving filling:

• The drier your bread, the better. You can even shred/chop your bread the night before and leave it out to be drier on the counter. This will prevent your filling from getting soggy.
• If you don’t have stale bread, you can also use fresh bread, but dry it in the oven a little first. Tear or cut into roughly 1/2-inch pieces and place the pieces on a baking sheet. Bake in the oven at 250°F for about 45 minutes, tossing a few times during the baking process.
• The riper the kimchi, the tastier the filling. Sure, you can use fresher kimchi for the filling if that’s all you have in your fridge. But the more fermented your kimchi is, the spicier it will be, adding an extra depth of flavor.
• If you don’t have time to make homemade kimchi, you can always get a jar from the store. Any brand will do as you will be cooking it with all the other good stuff like nuts, veggies, and spices.
• Feed a crowd? You can easily double the recipe and make two pans of kimchi filling. I do this every year for Thanksgiving. You can also use half of the recipe for a weeknight meal with your family.

When we bought our house years ago, I uprooted the front lawn and planted an edible garden. We’re fortunate to have fresh herbs year-round, which means I like to fill our filling with a variety of fresh herbs—sage, rosemary, parsley, oregano, and thyme. But you can just stick with one if you like, or even use your favorite dried herbs.

Swapping out herbs is just an idea, you can also skip the broth, bread or nuts.

Here are a few other ideas:

• Instead of chicken broth, you can use vegetable broth, orange juice, or pineapple juice to moisten the bread a bit.
• You can substitute an old sourdough bread or any other crusty bread. Just don’t use sliced ​​sandwich bread.
• You are welcome to omit the nuts.

Make Ahead and Storage Instructions

If you have leftover filling, let it cool to room temperature. Then place in an airtight container or ziplock bag and refrigerate. It keeps in the fridge for about a week. Don’t freeze it, however, as the cabbage in the kimchi doesn’t take freezing well.

If making this a day ahead, add the filling to your 9×13-inch pan, cover with aluminum foil, and refrigerate overnight. Don’t add the olive oil until you’re ready to cook it.

You can take it straight from the fridge to the oven if you use a metal skillet. However, if your pan is glass, make sure the filling is brought to room temperature before placing in the oven. Bake as instructed.

More satisfying filling recipes

• Mama’s turkey stuffing from the stove
• Sausage, sage and cornbread filling
• Thanksgiving stuffing with yams and pork
• Thanksgiving stuffing with sausage and apples
  wild rice filling
• Cornbread filling with green olives and pecans