Stuffed Italian Bread

Stuffed Italian Bread…who woulda thunk it? But when I first saw this recipe online, I knew it would be awesome. For one thing, I LOVE bread! And for another thing, it involves onions, garlic, and cheese! Be still my beating heart! I knew I had to try this, and I was sure the family would like it, and was I ever right. It was really good and well worth the effort.

One thing worth mentioning is this: you really don’t need to have fresh baked Italian bread; since it’s going to be baked after preparing, using day old reduced price will be fine, and save you some coinage. No one will be able to tell the difference.

Also, the Dijon mustard lends a bit of a tangy taste to the finished dish. It’s not unpleasant, but if you don’t relish that sort of flavor, you may want to leave out the Dijon mustard.

So, first things first. Mince the garlic, onion, and parsley.

Using a grater, shred the sharp cheddar and Monterey jack cheeses.

Using a bread knife, slice the loaf of Italian bread by cutting diagonally one way, almost to the bottom, and then slicing diagonally again the other way. Place the loaf on a large piece of aluminum foil.

Melt the butter and olive oil together in a bowl. Then mix in the onion, garlic, parsley, Dijon mustard, and poppy seeds.

Using a spoon, pour the butter mixture into the cracks of the sliced Italian bread. I found that it worked best if I used one hand to sort of pull apart a row of “cubed” bread and the other hand to pour the butter mixture in. I went row by row, and then used the rest to pour on top of the loaf as a whole.

Sprinkle the cheddar and Monterey jack cheeses into the cracks and on the top just like with the butter mixture. Your hands will get a little messy doing this, but, you know, it’s worth it. ;)

Place another large piece of aluminum foil on top loosely, and seal by crimping the edges of the bottom and top pieces together. You don’t want the foil to be tight or touching the top of the cheesy Italian bread, because when it’s done and you remove the foil, it will have stuck to the cheese and pull it off. So keep the foil loose and not touching the top of the loaf.

Bake in a 350° oven for 15 minutes. Remove the top aluminum foil and bake for another 10 minutes. Serve and enjoy! ~TMMF

Stuffed Italian Bread

1 loaf Italian bread
1 stick butter
2 Tbl olive oil
3 tsp. minced onion
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
1 Tbl. Dijon mustard
1 Tbl. poppy seeds
3 tsp. chopped parsley
12 oz. shredded cheese
   (cheddar and Monterey jack)