Vegetarian Stuffing Recipe + Video (2024)

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Best Italian Vegetarian Stuffing recipe for Thanksgiving and Christmas dinner. Caramelized leeks, celery, no meat sausage, fennel and the classic holiday flavors from fresh rosemary, sage and dried cranberries are tossed with dry bread cubes and veggie broth then baked until golden. Rich, savory and divine, watch the how to VIDEO below!

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Vegetarian Stuffing Recipe

You’ll fall in love with this easy, comforting classic Italian bread stuffing from scratch. I like to think of it like a vegetable loaded festive panzanella; savory, hearty, filling, and irresistible. Great with mashed potatoes, green bean casserole, creamed spinach and a fresh tomato cucumber salad, this is without a doubt a most favorite holiday side dish.

Vegetarian Stuffing Ingredients

  • Bread – a crusty sour dough loaf, spent grain, ciabatta or homemade crusty Italian bread is ideal. You want something hearty that will hold up to the rest of the ingredients. Make sure to use dry day old bread or make sure to toast it in the oven first.
  • Leeks – you’ll love the magic caramelized leeks can bring to a dish. It’s worth the effort to chop, clean and cook them in advance. I could just spoon them on top of bruschetta or a slice of focaccia and live happily ever after.
  • Olive oil – forget the butter, you want olive oil for caramelizing the leeks and drizzling the top of the bread stuffing for perfectly crispy and browned edges.
  • Celery – the usual suspect of a deep flavor base, the only thing i love better is lovage which sadly is impossible to find in the US. If you happen to have some fresh or dry use it here, this is your moment!
  • Fennel – because nothing screams Italian like the sweet toasty aroma of fennel seed.
  • Italian sausage – I used meatless beyond sausages browned in a little olive oil. Use the veggie broth to deglaze the pan afterward and capture all that flavor while keeping it totally vegan.
  • Garlic
  • Fresh herbs – just the classic fresh sage and rosemary is all you need.
  • Vegetable broth – for both moisture and flavor.
  • Cranberries – totally optional but I love the little sweet and sour balance they bring to this otherwise extra savory dish, not to mention how festive they look.

How to Dry Bread for Stuffing

  • Air dry – Slice the loaf into 3/4 inch slices then cut or tear them into 3/4 inch cubes. Spread on a large baking sheet and allow to air dry overnight.
  • Bake – Alternatively you could toast the bread cubes in a 375″F oven for 15 minutes or so until they start to get a little color around the edges.
  • Grill – cut thick slices of bread and grill them on both sides until nice grill marks form. Rub both sides of the bread with a garlic clove just like making bruschetta. Tear into rustic pieces and use in the stuffing.

How to Make Italian Vegetarian Stuffing

  1. Prep the bread cubes for stuffing.
  2. Cook the leeks and celery.
  3. Brown the Italian sausage.
  4. Combine everything with the veggie broth and bake in a casserole dish until golden.

Tips + FAQ

  • Make ahead – prep all your ingredients the day before but keep separate and combine before baking.
  • Add ins – sauteed wild mushrooms, marinated artichoke hearts, tart apples, pesto drizzle.
  • Can stuffing be frozen? To freeze the leftovers transfer to lidded containers and pop in the freezer for a few months. Thaw it out before reheating in the oven @350″F for about 25 minutes or so.
  • Should i cover the stuffing while baking? – Cover with aluminum foil for the first 30 minutes, then bake uncovered for an additional 25 minutes or so until golden brown around the edges. This way the stuffing won’t dry out but you’ll still get the crispy top.

Thanksgiving recipes

  • Best green bean casserole
  • Baked sweet potato slices
  • Roasted butternut squash soup with apple
  • Roasted carrots
  • Acorn squash
  • Roasted broccoli
  • Orange cranberry sauce.

Watch How to Make It

Vegetarian Stuffing Recipe + Video (8)

5 from 1 vote

Italian Vegetarian Stuffing

The best Italian style vegetarian bread stuffing recipe for Thanksgiving and Christmas dinner. Caramelized leeks, celery, no meat sausage, fennel and the classic holiday flavors from fresh rosemary, sage and dried cranberries are tossed together with bread cubes and veggie broth and baked until golden.

Print Recipe

Prep Time:30 minutes mins

Cook Time:45 minutes mins

Total Time:1 hour hr 15 minutes mins

Ingredients

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Prepare the Bread

  • Slice the bread loaf into 3/4 inch slices then cut or tear them into 3/4 inch cubes. Spread out on a large baking sheet and allow to air dry overnight. Alternatively toast in a 375”F oven for 15 minutes or so until the bread starts to show a little color around the edges.

Cook the Vegetables

  • Preheat a large heavy bottom skillet over medium flame with a lug of olive oil. Add the cleaned leeks with a good pinch of salt and saute until they begin to get some color and caramelize. Add in the celery and a little splash of veggie stock if needed and give everything a good stir. Cook until the celery begins to soften.

  • Push the leeks to the side to make a little space in the center. Drizzle a little olive oil and add the garlic, sage and rosemary. Cook until fragrant, stir to combine and remove from heat. (This step can be done the night before and refrigerated)

Prepare the Sausage

  • Preheat large cast iron pan over medium heat with a drizzle of olive oil. Cut the Beyond Italian sausage into 1 inch pieces and add them to the hot pan. Use a flat end wooden spoon to break it up into chunks as it browns.

  • Sprinkle with a pinch of red pepper flakes for extra heat + add the fennel seeds. Toss everything to toast well in all the sausage dripping. Use a slotted spoon and transfer everything to a bowl.

  • Add the vegetable broth to the pan with the sausage dipping and deglaze all the brown bits from the bottom. Use a silicone spatula to scrape everything from the bottom.

Combine

  • In your largest mixing bowl add the dried or toasted bread cubes, cooked leeks and celery mixture, the browned Italian sausage, chopped parsley and cranberries. Give everything a good toss.

  • Pour 1/3 of the veggie broth over the bread mixture and toss again. Add another 1/3 of the broth and combine well before adding the rest of the broth and mixing again.

  • Oil a 9x13 inch roasting dish making sure to get the sides as well.

  • Transfer the stuffing mixture to the pan and finish with a good drizzle of olive oil.

Bake the Stuffing

  • Cover the dish with aluminum foil and bake in the preheated 375”F oven for 30 minutes. Remove cover and bake another 25 minutes or so until the top is nicely golden.

Video

Notes

How to Dry Bread for Stuffing

  • Air dry - Slice the loaf into 3/4 inch slices then cut or tear them into 3/4 inch cubes. Spread on a large baking sheet and allow to air dry overnight.
  • Bake - Alternatively you could toast the bread cubes in a 375"F oven for 15 minutes or so until they start to get a little color around the edges.
  • Grill - cut thick slices of bread and grill them on both sides until nice grill marks form. Rub both sides of the bread with a garlic clove just like making bruschetta. Tear into rustic pieces and use in the stuffing.

Nutrition

Calories: 46kcal | Carbohydrates: 11g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 1g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 481mg | Potassium: 63mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 535IU | Vitamin C: 3mg | Calcium: 30mg | Iron: 1mg

Course: Side Dish

Cuisine: Italian

Keyword: Stuffing, vegetarian

Servings: 6 people

Calories: 46kcal

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Vegetarian Stuffing Recipe + Video (2024)

FAQs

What does adding egg to stuffing do? ›

Eggs: Two lightly beaten eggs help hold the dressing together and add moisture.

Which pepperidge farm stuffing is vegetarian? ›

Made from specially baked stuffing bread, and then dusted with just the right touch of herbs and spices. It is the ideal complement to your entrées.

How to make stuffing Gordon Ramsay? ›

Make the stuffing, melt butter in a large frying pan and gently sauté onion and garlic for five minutes until soft. Stir in the herbs for one minute then add breadcrumbs to absorb butter. Mix in zest, pine nuts and seasoning and cook over medium heat for about seven minutes until crumbs start to brown and crisp.

What is vegetarian stuffing made of? ›

Heat a frying pan until medium hot, add the butter, onions and sage and fry gently for five minutes until softened. Place the breadcrumbs in a bowl with the softened onions and mix to combine. Add the egg and season with salt and black pepper. Mix well then form into golf-ball sized balls and place on a roasting tray.

Why is my stuffing gummy? ›

If the stuffing came out too wet and soggy (aka bread soup!) try not to over mix it, otherwise it'll turn into mush. Curtis Stone says to pour it on a large sheet tray and spread it out. Bake it on high heat to crisp it up, but make sure it doesn't burn.

In what did recipes did people originally use stuffing? ›

The earliest documentary evidence is the Roman cookbook, Apicius De Re Coquinaria, which contains recipes for stuffed chicken, dormouse, hare, and pig. Most of the stuffings described consist of vegetables, herbs and spices, nuts, and spelt (a cereal), and frequently contain chopped liver, brains, and other organ meat.

Is stuffing better with or without eggs? ›

Eggs add richness to the stuffing, and makes it cohere better. I'd use two eggs per pound of bread.

What can you use as a binder instead of eggs in stuffing? ›

Cornstarch. This is our binder! Cornstarch makes a great egg substitute in vegan baked goods. Turns out it's great for making an eggless stuffing as well!

Who sells vegan stuffing? ›

Sainsbury's 12 Sage & Onion Vegan Stuffing Balls 270g | Sainsbury's.

What is the most popular stuffing at Pepperidge Farm? ›

Best Classic: Pepperidge Farm Herb Seasoned Classic Stuffing

Though we preferred the seasoning in the Arnold stuffing in general, we didn't always love its perfect little cubes. We pined for something more like fresh torn bread, with some little crumbs and some irregular shards.

Is it better to make stuffing with fresh or dry bread? ›

Follow this tip: Stale, dried-out bread makes the best stuffing. Either dry out your bread starting a few days before you plan to make the stuffing by letting it sit out or, if you don't have the extra time, cut the bread into cubes, and then toast over a low heat in the oven until dry.

Why is stove top stuffing so good? ›

Rich with double chicken stock, tons of butter, and handfuls of aromatics, it is in my opinion the best cornbread dressing in the world.

Why is stuffing not vegetarian? ›

Most stuffing uses Egg and/or butter to bind the ingredients together, and consequently it is not suitable for vegans - though it is suitable for vegetarians.

Is Kraft Stove Top stuffing vegetarian? ›

No. This product is not vegetarian as it lists 2 ingredients that derive from meat or fish and 4 ingredients that could derive from meat or fish depending on the source.

Is stovetop cornbread stuffing vegetarian? ›

This product contains 2 ingredients that are not vegetarian and 2 ingredients that may not be vegetarian.

How soggy should stuffing be before baking? ›

The stuffing should be moist but not wet. If there is a puddle of broth at the bottom of the bowl, you've added too much. Add more bread to soak up the excess moisture. If the mix is still dry and crumbly, add more liquid and toss gently until it starts to clump together.

Is it better to make stuffing the day before? ›

The short answer to whether you can making stuffing ahead of time is yes. "Making stuffing ahead saves time, allows stove and oven space for other things, and making it ahead gives time for the flavor to fully develop," Chef David Tiner, Director at Louisiana Culinary Institute in Baton Rouge, tells Southern Living.

Is stuffing better, moist or dry? ›

Stuffing should be moist, not dry, because heat destroys bacteria more rapidly in a moist environment. Once the bird is stuffed, it should be placed immediately in an oven set no lower than 325°F. Check out the cooking chart for recommended cooking times for stuffed turkey of various sizes.

What do Americans call stuffing? ›

Stuffing and dressing are commonly used as different names for the same thing—a dish consisting of bits of bread (or other starchy things) and various seasonings. The dish can be made by stuffing it (hence the name) inside a turkey or other bird that will be roasted, or by baking or cooking it separately.

What is Christmas stuffing made of? ›

Starting with dried sourdough bread, celery, onion, parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme, chicken broth and eggs. A whole stick of butter goes in the pan adding onions, herbs and garlic (sausage is optional). Eggs combine everything together before going in the oven on a baking dish.

Why is stuffing so tasty? ›

Stuffing has a symbiotic relationship with turkey. As it cooks, the herbs in the stuffing infuse into the bird, giving it a lot more flavor. The turkey, in turn, drips all its delicious juices into the stuffing as it cooks, moistening it and making it taste great.

How do you keep stuffing moist when cooking? ›

Typically, baking the stuffing inside the bird helps keep the mixture moist. “I prefer stuffing (in the bird) to dressing (outside of the bird) because all those delicious drippings that come off the turkey gets absorbed right into the stuffing,” Bamford says.

What does adding an egg to a recipe do? ›

Eggs play an important role in everything from cakes and cookies to meringues and pastry cream — they create structure and stability within a batter, they help thicken and emulsify sauces and custards, they add moisture to cakes and other baked goods, and can even act as glue or glaze.

How do you keep stuffing from getting soggy? ›

Up your stuffing game with stale bread

Spread the pieces out in an even layer on a sheet pan, and let them get stale — yes, stale. If you don't have the time (or the counter space) to leave your chunks of bread out, you can put them in the oven at a low temperature to dry out, per Serious Eats.

How are eggs used as a binder? ›

Eggs can act as binding agents. As their proteins set, eggs bind ingredients together giving strength and stability to meatloaves, casseroles and baked goods.

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