The Best Vegan Stuffing

This is the BEST stuffing ever! I never really like stuffing until this one, and even better, it's vegan! Enjoy sharing this recipe with friends and family this Thanksgiving!

---

Growing up, I never liked stuffing. I always thought it looked like a mushy mess and I didn’t really like the idea of having random meat inside. Creating a plant-based stuffing has completely changed my judgement and I’ll happily take a helping of it onto my Thanksgiving plate.

The secret lies in the seasoning and a couple of tricks my mom passed onto me to help with avoiding a soggy mess. The recipe uses a multitude of different vegetables, but without the right seasoning the stuffing will taste very bland. Luckily, this recipe doesn’t require a laundry list of different ingredients, but instead just a few that will give you the best “bang for your buck.”

In selecting a bread, I recommend using a mixture of multi-grain bread and garlic croutons. A multi-grain bread is more interesting and will help elevate the recipe, rather than just using wheat bread. The garlic croutons are crucial to help avoid having a complete soggy mess because they are very durable, strong, and crunchy!

Throwing everything together and you get a deliciously simple, easy, and flavorful plant-based stuffing. At my family’s thanksgiving most people actually preferred the plant-based stuffing over the traditional meat stuffing.

ALSO! The best part of this recipe is that you can make this the day before and have it ready to simply pop into the oven to bake before the big feast!

---

Here’s the 411 for those not familiar with the stars of this recipe:

• Garlic Salt: A very basic seasoning that not everyone has on hand. I recommend having this to use for quick cooking on the fly. This can be found at most grocery stores in the seasoning section.
• Vegan Breakfast Sausage: This is an optional ingredient, but if you want to include a plant-based meat substitute I recommend using a breakfast sausage. Field Roast has a delicious Vegan Apple Maple Breakfast Sausage that pairs perfectly with the stuffing recipe. This can be found at health food grocery stores like Whole Foods or Sprouts Farmer’s Market.

---

Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 45 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour
Servings: 8 - 10

---

INGREDIENTS

• 2 c Yellow onion, diced
• 2 c Celery, diced
• 1 c Bell Pepper, diced
• 1 c Mushroom, diced
• 1/3 c Green Onion, sliced
• 1/2 c Cilantro, chopped
• 1 Tbsp Flaxseed Meal
• 2 1/2 Tbsp Water
• 1 c Dry Lentils or 9 oz Vegan Breakfast Sausage
• 9 slices Sweet Multigrain Bread
• 5 oz Seasoned Croutons
• 1/2 tsp Garlic Salt
• 2 tsp Garlic Powder
• 1/2 tsp Cumin Powder
• 1/4 tsp Thyme
• 1/4 tsp Poultry Seasoning
• 1 c Vegetable Broth

---

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Warm up the oven to 350F.
2. Cut the bread slices into small, bite sized pieces.
3. Lay these flat on a baking sheet and toast until crispy on both sides, about 10-15 minutes. Watch out as these can burn easily.
4. If using lentils, cook the lentils until tender. Drain thoroughly.
5. If using vegan breakfast sausage, cut into bite sized pieces and cook in a wok for a few minutes. Remove once fragrant.
6. Toss the onion, celery, and bell pepper in the wok with a bit of oil and saute.
7. Once the onions start to look translucent, throw in the mushrooms.
8. Saute the vegetable mixture until the celery is soft, about 5 more minutes.
9. Toss in the garlic salt, garlic powder, cumin, thyme, and poultry seasoning. Mix thoroughly and cook for about 2 more minutes.
10. In a large mixing bowl, combine your bread, croutons, vegetables, lentils (or breakfast sausage), green onion, and cilantro. Mix thoroughly but carefully so you don’t mush the bread.
11. Slowly add 1 cup of vegetable broth and continue mixing the stuffing.
12. Taste the stuffing and add what you think is needed.
13. Make the flaxseed egg by combining the flaxseed meal and water. Let it sit for about 5-10 minutes or until thick.
14. Mix the flaxseed egg into the mixture.
15. Toss the stuffing into your baking pan and cover with tin foil.
16. Bake for 20-25 minutes. Remove the tin foil. Bake for another 5 minutes to firm up the top of the stuffing.
17. Serve!

---

I hope you enjoy the ease of creating this delicious stuffing and ENJOY it even more on the special day along with all your other delicious creations! Let me know how you liked it and if you tried out any variation of this recipe!
- Nutti Nelli