You need to be hungry when you make this Cheesy Stuffed Sourdough Loaf. And you need to have other people around to help you eat it up, because you won’t be able to stop eating it, it’s so good! It’s meaty and cheesy and totally delicious!

I used one of those large round sourdough loaves (1 lb. 8 ounces) to make this. You can use mozzarella or provolone cheese—I used some of each. And I used roasted chicken. Instead of roasted chicken, you can use sliced ham, turkey, or salami…whatever you like best. I like using the really thin, thin deli sliced meats in this because it makes stuffing the loaf a little easier. Slices of roasted red peppers are stuffed in this amazing loaf, too.—and if you have any more room to stuff this loaf, you can also use sliced or chopped olives, chopped marinated artichokes, sun-dried tomatoes…even pesto…yum! Sliced mushrooms would be good, too.

You start with a round loaf of sourdough, but by the time you’re done stuffing it, it actually takes on an oval shape. This is a great appetizer for get-togethers, parties, and game-watching—or a yummy snack for you and your family or friends. It’s so good right out of the oven! If it cools before you have time to serve it, just pop it in the microwave to reheat! You will need a pastry brush to brush an olive oil mixture on the bread slices, so you’ll want to make sure you have one before you start!

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CHEESY STUFFED SOURDOUGH LOAF by NancyC

Makes 8 to 10 servings

• 1 (1 lb. 8 oz.) round sourdough bread loaf (or substitute another type of bread if you don’t like sourdough)
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 1 1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• 1 1/4 teaspoon minced garlic
• 1/3 to 1/2 lb. (or about 5 to 8 ounces) thinly sliced roasted chicken, turkey, ham, or  salami
• 10 to 12 ounces sliced mozzarella or provolone cheese, or 5 to 6 ounces of each (about 14  slices total)
• 3/4 to 1 cup roasted red peppers from a jar, well-drained
• Optional: 1/3 to 1/2 cup sliced olives or any of the following: chopped marinated artichokes, sun-dried tomatoes, pesto, sliced mushrooms

Preheat oven to 350˚F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and place your loaf on the sheet.

Slice your round loaf of bread vertically into 3/4″ to 1″ thick slices—but do not slice all the way through to the bottom! (You should end up with about 10 or 11 “slices,” giving you 9 or 10 “slits” to stuff with cheese, meat, roasted peppers, and other things, if you want).

In medium bowl, combine olive oil, oregano, pepper, crushed red pepper flakes, and minced garlic, stirring to mix well. Using a pastry brush, brush both sides of all the bread “slices” generously with this olive oil mixture.

In assembly-line fashion, make 14 “piles” with each slice of cheese, topped with a thin slice of deli meat, then topped with a roasted red pepper slice or two (you could also add or substitute some chopped olives, artichokes, sun-dried tomatoes, pesto, sliced mushrooms, etc. with or in place of the red pepper).

Bend each cheese slice “pile” as if you were going to fold it in half, and fit down in between your bread slices. Because several of the end slices are narrower, one “pile” is enough to fill them up. The wider middle slices will require two “piles” stuffed in between them. For the other slices, I stuffed one-and-a-half of the cheese “piles” in between them. If this sounds confusing, all you really need to remember is to stuff the bread slices with your piles of cheese and other savory goodies till your loaf is well-stuffed!

Bake your stuffed loaf on the baking sheet at 350˚F for 20 minutes or until cheese is melted. Remove from oven, and serve while warm! You can just pull the slices apart as you’re eating it, or cut them with a knife.

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This Cheesy Stuffed Sourdough Loaf is so yummy and cheesy, everyone is sure to love it! Have you ever made an appetizer or snack food similar to this?

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