Spanakopita Stuffing

Heat oven to 300 F degrees.

Place bread cubes in a single layer on a large, rimmed baking sheet. Bake to dry out with no browning, 15 to 20 minutes, tossing halfway. Remove to cool.

Slightly warm the chicken stock over low heat in a sauce-pot. Season to taste with salt and black pepper, (stock should be flavorful). Set aside to cool.

Divide the spinach into two extra large bowls. As you add the spinach, lightly sprinkle with salt in layers. This will help to begin wilting the spinach, while you prep the remaining ingredients.

Melt 4 tablespoons butter in a 6-quart pot over medium heat. Add the onions and the light green onion slices. Season with salt and pepper and sauté until tender, 5 – 6 minutes.

Add the spinach into the pot, pushing it down to fit. It will be loaded at this point, donta you worry! Cover and reduce the heat to medium-low to steam the spinach, 1 to 2 minutes. Remove the lid. Begin tossing and rotating the spinach from the bottom to the top. Increase the heat to medium. Keep tossing and stirring until fully wilted, once it starts, it happens quickly, about 1 minute. Remove from the heat to cool.

Add the cooled spinach mixture, nutmeg, feta, dill, parsley, dark green onion slices, and bread cubes into a large mixing bowl. Toss to absorb the flavor into the bread. Stir in the eggs and add the chicken stock. Continuously stirring to absorb the stock into the bread cubes until evenly combined.

Remove the stuffing to a buttered 2-quart baking dish. Top with the remaining 3 tablespoons butter, dolloped on top. Cover and refrigerate to fully absorb all that great flavah. See Chefie Tip.

Bake at 350 degrees F., until browned on top, hot and bubbly, 40 – 45 minutes. Remove to rest and set, about 10 minutes.