Description
This Stuffed French Bread recipe is a comforting and hearty meal featuring a savory ground beef mixture combined with celery, creamy soup, and melted cheddar cheese, all packed inside a warm, crusty French bread loaf. Perfect for a quick weeknight dinner or a satisfying appetizer for gatherings, it’s easy to prepare and delights with its blend of flavors and textures.
Ingredients
Scale
Main Ingredients
- 1 loaf French bread
- 1 pound lean ground beef
- 2 Tablespoons dried minced onion (or freshly diced white onion)
- 1/2 cup chopped celery
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic
- 1 can (10 ounces) cream of celery soup (or cream of mushroom or chicken soup)
- 2 Tablespoons milk
- 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 3/4 teaspoon pepper
- 1 ½ cups freshly grated cheddar cheese
- 1/2 Tablespoon chopped parsley (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat Oven: Preheat your oven to 350° F to prepare for baking the assembled french bread.
- Cook Beef Mixture: In a large skillet over medium-high heat, brown the ground beef with dried minced onion until cooked through. Drain any excess grease. Add chopped celery and minced garlic to the skillet and cook for a few minutes until the celery softens. Then stir in the cream of celery soup, milk, Worcestershire sauce, salt, and pepper. Simmer the mixture until it is heated through, about 5 minutes.
- Prepare Bread: While the beef mixture heats, slice the French bread in half lengthwise into two equal pieces. Scoop out the soft bread from the centers and tear it into small pieces. Add these bread pieces into the beef mixture in the skillet, stirring to combine evenly.
- Assemble Bread: Place the two halves of French bread on a large baking sheet. Spoon and spread the warm beef and bread mixture evenly over the bottom half of the bread. Sprinkle the shredded cheddar cheese evenly over the filling, then cover with the top half of the bread.
- Bake and Serve: Bake the stuffed bread in the preheated oven for 10 to 15 minutes or until the cheese is fully melted. Remove from the oven and allow the bread to stand for 5 minutes before slicing. Optionally, garnish with chopped parsley and serve warm.
Notes
- You can substitute cream of celery soup with cream of mushroom or chicken soup based on preference.
- For a little extra flavor, sprinkle some chopped parsley on top before serving.
- Make sure to drain the beef well to avoid a soggy filling.
- Leftovers can be refrigerated for up to 2 days and reheated in the oven to maintain crispness.
