Family-style dining, endless portions of the celebrity chef’s favorite family recipes are now available at Nashville Opry Mills
"The dishes that are passed around the tables at Paula Deen’s Family Kitchen are the foods my grandmother Paul taught me how to cook at her own kitchen table,” says Paula. “It means so much to be able to share those traditions and recipes with the Nashville community and its visitors.”
Southern-inspired, mouth-watering dishes created by Paula Deen and her family are now available to locals and visitors of Nashville. The stunning 17,000-square foot, 406-seat restaurant is located next to the beautiful Cumberland River, adjacent to Opry Mills Mall.
To celebrate the grand opening we baked some of our favorite Deen dishes!
Chocolate Cranberry Pecan Oat Cookies
By Paula Deen
Prep time: 25 minutes Cook time: 14 minutes Servings: 24
Ingredients
½ cup plus 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
½ cup granulated sugar
½ cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1 large egg, room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon kosher salt
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 cups old-fashioned oats
½ cup semisweet chocolate morsels
½ cup toasted chopped pecans
⅓ cup dried sweetened cranberries
Directions
Preheat oven to 350°. Line baking sheets with parchment paper. In a large bowl, beat butter and sugars with a mixer at medium speed until fluffy, 3 to 4 minutes, stopping to scrape sides of bowl. Add egg, beating well. Beat in vanilla. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon. With mixer on low speed, gradually add flour mixture to butter mixture, beating just until combined. Stir in oats and all remaining ingredients. Scoop dough by 2 tablespoonfuls, and roll into balls. Place 2 inches apart on prepared pans, and flatten slightly. Freeze for 15 minutes. Bake until golden brown, 12 to 14 minutes. Let cool on pans for 5 minutes. Remove from pans, and let cool completely on wire racks. Store in an airtight container for up to 3 days. Baking Tip: Have some fun with flavor variations when making these cookies. Try swapping chocolate, cranberries, and pecans for white chocolate, cherries, and walnuts.
Cheddar Beer Bread
By Paula Deen
Ingredients
3 cups all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 (12 oz) bottle lager beer
1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
1 cup shredded extra-sharp Cheddar cheese
1 teaspoon chopped fresh dill
Directions
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spray a 9x5-inch loaf pan with cooking spray.
In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and baking soda. Add beer and melted butter, stirring just until combined. Fold in cheese. Spread batter into prepared pan, and sprinkle with dill.
Bake until golden brown and a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean, 55 minutes to 1 hour. Let cool in pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes; serve warm.
Pumpkin Pie
by Paula Deen
Ingredients
Crust:
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon granulated sugar
1/2 cup cold unsalted butter, cubed
3 to 4 tablespoons cold whole buttermilk
Filling:
1 (15oz) can pumpkin
3 large eggs
1 cup half-and-half
3/4 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
Sweetened whipped cream, to serve
Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
For Crust: In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, salt, and granulated sugar. Using a pastry blender, cut in cold butter until mixture is crumbly. Add cold buttermilk, 1 tablespoon at a time, stirring until a dough forms. Turn out dough, and shape into a disk. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
On a lightly floured surface, roll dough into a 12-inch circle. Transfer to a 9-inch pie plate, pressing into bottom and up sides. Trim excess dough. Fold edges under, and crimp as desired. Freeze for 10 minutes.
For Filling: In a large bowl, whisk together all ingredients until smooth. Pour into prepared crust. Place pie on a baking sheet.
Bake until center is set, about 1 hour, covering with foil after 30 minutes to prevent excess browning, if necessary. Let cool completely on a wire rack. Serve with whipped cream. Cover and refrigerate for up to 3 days.
Additionally, located within the restaurant is the Paula Deen Store. Paula has hand-selected every item in the retail space, which features many products from the Paula Deen line, including cookbooks, aprons and cookware, as well as some of Paula’s personal favorite picks and a few items exclusive to her Nashville store.
The restaurant, which will be open seven days a week for lunch and dinner, intends to hire more than 200 employees. To learn more about Deen’s Family Kitchen, visit www.pauladeensfamilykitchen.com.
ABOUT PAULA DEEN’S FAMILY KITCHEN
Paula Deen’s Family Kitchen first opened in April 2015 in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee from restaurateur, television personality, author and American icon Paula Deen. The restaurant now boasts four locations, including Branson, Mo.; Foley, Ala.; and Myrtle Beach, S.C.; with a fifth location opening in Nashville, Tenn. in October 2020. Born from the values of spending time with family and friends sharing a meal together, Paula Deen’s Family Kitchen invites guests to feel at home while enjoying genuine Southern hospitality and family-style dining featuring endless portions of classic recipes directly from the kitchens of Deen and her family. To learn more about Paula Deen’s Family Kitchen, please visit www.pauladeensfamilykitchen.com.