My holiday is split this year: I’m spending tonight in Arlington with my Uncle and Cousins, and tomorrow I’ll be heading home to New York to be with my Mom and her boyfriend. For that reason, it’s as good as Thanksgiving for me right now. How better to commemorate the special occasion with this fabulous recipe for millet, butternut squash, brussels sprout & cranberry stuffing–a vegan spin on Thanksgiving’s greatest side dish!
This stuffing uses a gluten free bread base, which makes it suitable not only for vegans, but also those with wheat and gluten allergies. I used the Food For Life millet bread, which I actually got so that I could experiment with a GF version of my banana caramel bread pudding (more on that soon!). I will confess that I don’t love this bread on its own—for toast, say—but I do love it in other applications, like this stuffing. It has the thickness and texture of cornbread without the hassle of actually baking cornbread, and it’s made from one of my favorite whole grains—millet!!
Like many stuffing recipes, this one involves a bunch of steps, but don’t be deterred by the longer cooking process. You can definitely roast the vegetables 1-2 days in advance, or you can make the stuffing a day in advance and then pop it into the oven to bake on the day of your holiday celebration. Once the initial roasting step is over, really, it’s easy as pie. (Maybe easier than pie.)
1-1 1/4 pounds (16-20 ounces) peeled and cubed butternut squash (cubes should be 3/4-1 inch)
1 pound brussels sprouts, ends trimmed and cut in half
2 large or 4 small shallots, cut into quarters
2 tablespoons grapeseed, safflower, or canola oil, divided
1 cup chopped white or yellow onion (about 1 small onion)
1/2 cup chopped celery (1 large stalk)
10 slices [url href=”https://www.foodforlife.com/product/breads/gluten-free-rice-millet-bread” target=”_blank”]millet bread[/url] (or any whole grain or gluten free bread of choice), left out for a day to become slightly dry, then cut into 3/4-inch cubes
1 1/2 cups low sodium vegetable broth
2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary
2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves
1 teaspoon all purpose or vegan poultry seasoning
1/2 cup dried cranberries
Salt and pepper
Instructions
Preheat oven to 375F. Line 1 or 2 (depending on oven size) baking sheets with parchment or foil. Toss the squash, sprouts, and shallots in 1 tablespoon oil and sprinklel with salt and pepper. Roast till vegetables are very tender and becoming caramelized (about 35-40 minutes). Remove vegetables from oven and reduce oven heat to 350.
Heat the other tablespoon oil in a large sauté pan over medium heat. Add the the onion and celery. Cook vegetables, stirring frequently, till they’re tender and clear (about 5-7 minutes). Add the bread cubes and allow them to become gently toasted with the vegetables and oil.
Add the roasted vegetables, broth, nutritional yeast, cranberries, and seasonings to the pan. Heat and stir the mixture until the broth has been absorbed by the bread. Add salt and pepper to taste, as well as extra herbs if desired.
Transfer the whole mixture to a lightly oiled, 9 x 13 casserole dish. Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until the top is a little golden. Serve.
Notes
You can roast the vegetables a day or two in advance, or you can follow steps 1-3 and refrigerate the stuffing up to 1 day in advance. On the day you’re serving it, simply transfer it to a casserole dish and bake as instructed.[br][br]Leftover stuffing will keep for up to 4 days in an airtight container in the fridge, and it’s delicious.
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This is the kind of holiday dish that makes it easy for people with different eating styles–vegan, omni, gluten free, and everything in between–to share the same meal at the same table without any sense of sacrifice. It’s such a keeper. My next challenge will be try try it with homemade vegan cornbread–maybe that can be next year’s holiday offering!
For now, I wish you all a great Thanksgiving holiday.
I made the kitchen sink stuffing yesterday for a belated family Thanksgiving. It was wonderful! I used brown rice instead of millet bread because I wasn’t able to find it! Thanks! 🙂
These look fantastic. I love stuffing, and bring my own vegan version to the holiday dinner — but these will definitely be on the “try soon” list!
Mine is a traditional bread stuffing, with extra carrots and mushrooms, roasted garlic and pecans. Nice thing is, some of the omnivores in my family ask for it now. That’s what’s so great about veganizing some of these celebratory/comfort foods: done well, they can start to bridge the gap and get relatives and friends thinking that veg food can be a “traditional favorite” too. Thanks for more inspiration!
Wow! I am so impressed! The mock meat made from cauliflower and nuts is especially intriguing! I will be giving that a try very very soon! Thank you for the awesome stuff G, and I am wishing you the happiest of Holidays!
That kitchen sink stuffing sounds incredible! Definitely on my list of things to try – your recipes are dominating that list as per usual. Have a great thanksgiving!
Except for the cauliflower, the stuffing I have planned for tomorrow is so close to stuffing #2, that I’m tempted to face the crowds tomorrow and get a cauliflower so I can make this exact version. Or send my husband. 😀 Have a great double Thanksgiving!
i wish I had these recipes when I went to the store! my stuffing is in the oven right now. it’s a cornbread one, because I can make GF cornbread very easily. but i was always a fan of the regular stuffing more than cornbread ones. thanks for trying some more GF recipes out for us gluten avoiders! and have a happy thanksgiving!
I love how that first recipe could conceivably be a meal all on its own, with so many veggies! And thanks for the shout-out. I’ve never thought about using the meat in a stuffing. . . but will try it out, now!
Wishing you a wonderful Thanksgiving with both sets of relatives in both places. Enjoy time with family and some great food–and being back in NYC! Big hugs! xo
Thank you so much for these wonderful stuffing ideas. You are so creative and have given me inspiration to play around with different ingredients to make the stuffing I have been craving.
Gena you have me intrigued and I don’t even like stuffing! It’s just one of those foods that between the flavors and the texture, just have never been a big fan but the fact that yours is chunky and hearty, and of course vegan, and low on added salt…nice! And oh, love that you put cranberries into it!
Have fun celebrating your holiday in VA and NYC! Hope the travel and the whole thing goes off without a hitch!
Oh yum. Both look fantastic. I am now totally reconsidering the stuffing idea I have in mind for tomorrow – it is a vegan grain-free stuffing made with socca flatbread instead of bread with lots of apples, sage and cranberries.
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I made the kitchen sink stuffing yesterday for a belated family Thanksgiving. It was wonderful! I used brown rice instead of millet bread because I wasn’t able to find it! Thanks! 🙂
Both of these recipes look delicious, I think I will try the mushroom one for Christmas!
OMG Gena your stuffing looks so good and then healthy!!!! I love it, it goes on my to do list!!
Looks lovely! Love both raw and cooked stuffings!
These look fantastic. I love stuffing, and bring my own vegan version to the holiday dinner — but these will definitely be on the “try soon” list!
Mine is a traditional bread stuffing, with extra carrots and mushrooms, roasted garlic and pecans. Nice thing is, some of the omnivores in my family ask for it now. That’s what’s so great about veganizing some of these celebratory/comfort foods: done well, they can start to bridge the gap and get relatives and friends thinking that veg food can be a “traditional favorite” too. Thanks for more inspiration!
Wow! it looks very delicious! These recipes are actually the best for thanksgiving day.. It’s very healthy as well. Yummy!
Wow! I am so impressed! The mock meat made from cauliflower and nuts is especially intriguing! I will be giving that a try very very soon! Thank you for the awesome stuff G, and I am wishing you the happiest of Holidays!
That kitchen sink stuffing sounds incredible! Definitely on my list of things to try – your recipes are dominating that list as per usual. Have a great thanksgiving!
They both look so delicious! Have a very happy Thanksgiving!!
I hardly even know what stuffing’s supposed to taste like, but those both sound wonderful to me.
I hope you have a treasure of a time with loved ones this season!
This is exactly something I’ve been looking for! Thank you so much!
These look delicious and healthy! Will definitely be trying one out for Christmas! Thanks!
Except for the cauliflower, the stuffing I have planned for tomorrow is so close to stuffing #2, that I’m tempted to face the crowds tomorrow and get a cauliflower so I can make this exact version. Or send my husband. 😀 Have a great double Thanksgiving!
Drooling! I can’t wait to try these recipes:)
I can tell you for sure,both of these are going to be made after Thanksgiving (since I’ve got pastry duty this year).
happy happy thanksgiving Gena!!
This looks wonderful and I’m not a huge stuffing fan, but the flavor combos sound right up my alley. Can’t wait to try, thanks!
These both look great! My issue with stuffing has always been a lack of vegetables and you solved that one!
Both look and sound delicious! I love a good bread based stuffing… You just can’t beat the traditional taste with pumped up nutrition!
i wish I had these recipes when I went to the store! my stuffing is in the oven right now. it’s a cornbread one, because I can make GF cornbread very easily. but i was always a fan of the regular stuffing more than cornbread ones. thanks for trying some more GF recipes out for us gluten avoiders! and have a happy thanksgiving!
I love how that first recipe could conceivably be a meal all on its own, with so many veggies! And thanks for the shout-out. I’ve never thought about using the meat in a stuffing. . . but will try it out, now!
Wishing you a wonderful Thanksgiving with both sets of relatives in both places. Enjoy time with family and some great food–and being back in NYC! Big hugs! xo
Thank you so much for these wonderful stuffing ideas. You are so creative and have given me inspiration to play around with different ingredients to make the stuffing I have been craving.
Gena you have me intrigued and I don’t even like stuffing! It’s just one of those foods that between the flavors and the texture, just have never been a big fan but the fact that yours is chunky and hearty, and of course vegan, and low on added salt…nice! And oh, love that you put cranberries into it!
Have fun celebrating your holiday in VA and NYC! Hope the travel and the whole thing goes off without a hitch!
Oh yum. Both look fantastic. I am now totally reconsidering the stuffing idea I have in mind for tomorrow – it is a vegan grain-free stuffing made with socca flatbread instead of bread with lots of apples, sage and cranberries.