An Unusual Side Dish You Need to Try this Thanksgiving
A Family Tradition: Stuffed Carrots
Here is a different Thanksgiving side dish to try this year – stuffed carrots! “What is a stuffed carrot?” “How do you stuff a carrot?” These are the two questions I always get asked when I talk about my family’s stuffed carrot recipe. As everyone in our family says, it is not Thanksgiving without this unusual side dish. My Grandma Brown made these carrots for as long as I can remember, and I have continued the tradition. Even people who hate carrots love this recipe.
So what exactly is a stuffed carrot? You take whole carrots and cut them in half. After boiling them, you then take each carrot piece and cut out a “V” shape. Next you combine the carrot innards and mix them with cheese, grated onion, mustard, and Durkee’s Famous Sauce and Dressing. They are topped with buttered panko bread crumbs and heated until warmed through.
It’s hard to accurately describe the taste of these stuffed carrots. They have a little zip with the Durkee’s and mustard yet they also contain a hint of sweetness. The savory flavor these carrots provide works really well with turkey and dressing.
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Helpful Hints When Making Stuffed Carrots
If you would like to try making these, then here are a few tips to help you along.
- Try to buy carrots that are uniform in size.
- Make sure you add salt and sugar when boiling the carrots
- The grated onion is optional, but I highly recommend adding it unless you have people that hate onions.
- Target for your carrot pieces to be approximately 4 inches in length.
- Once you cut out the “V” shape from the carrot pieces, mash the removed pieces in the bowl with a potato masher or fork to break it up.
Twists to the Recipe You Can Try
- Adding a little bit of dried dill is my addition to the recipe which really takes it up a notch.
- Dijon mustard makes a nice swap for the yellow mustard.
- Durkee’s Famous Sauce can be hard to find, but you can order it here from Amazon. It really is worth the effort to find it and use it in this recipe.
Stuffed Carrots
Ingredients
- 6 medium sized carrots
- ½ cup grated Cheddar cheese
- 1 tbsp Durkee's Famous Sauce
- 1 tbsp grated onion
- 1 tsp yellow mustard
- 1 tsp dried dill (optional but highly recommended)
- ½ cup panko bread crumbs
- 2 tbsp butter
Instructions
- Peel and wash carrots.
- Cut into halves crosswise. You need the pieces to be approx. 4 inches long.
- Cover carrots with water in a medium size saucepan.
- Add ½ tsp. salt and ½ tsp. sugar to water. Boil carrots until fork tender.
- While carrots are boiling, grate cheese and onion.
- Preheat oven to 350°.
- Spray a small baking dish with cooking spray or coat in butter.
- Remove carrots from pan to a cutting board to cool slightly.
- Cut a thin sliver off each carrot piece on one side so they will lay flat in pan.
- Cut a deep "V" shape out of each carrot piece. Add the cut pieces to bowl along with the thin slivers.
- Lay carrots in the baking dish with the "V" shape facing up.
- Mash the carrots in the bowl using a potato masher or a fork.
- Add the cheese, onion, Durkee's, and mustard. Stir to combine.
- You can add dried dill if you would like. I recommend adding one teaspoon.
- Melt the 2 tbsp. of butter and add panko crumbs. Stir to combine.
- Spread the buttered panko crumbs over the top of the carrots.
- Bake in 350° oven until warmed through and cheese melts and panko topping turns golden brown.
- You can make the stuffed carrots ahead of time and store in refrigerator for 2-3 days. Before baking, top the carrots with the buttered panko crumbs.
You Won't Regret Trying This Recipe
Surprise your Thanksgiving dinner guests by trying out this stuffed carrot recipe. This savory side dish with a hint of sweetness, melted cheese, and crunchy panko crumbs just might become a new family favorite!
If you are in need of more Thanksgiving recipes, then don’t miss Easy Buttermilk Drop Biscuits You Can Make in a Snap, The Best Broccoli Cauliflower Salad Recipe, and The Only Pecan Pie Recipe You’ll Ever Need.
Have a good day!
Kristin
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