Vegetarian Apple Cranberry Stuffing

Vegetarian Apple Cranberry Stuffing
4.5 from 2 ratings
This Apple Cranberry Stuffing is a healthy, vegetarian version of classic Thanksgiving stuffing. It uses fresh whole grain bread, onions, and celery for the base. The flavor comes from the medley of herbs, chopped apples and cranberries.Recipe courtesy of Nourished by Nutrition
Prep Time
40
minutes
Cook Time
45
minutes
Servings
10
servings
Vegetarian Apple Cranberry Stuffing
Total time: 1.4 hours
Ingredients
  • 12 ounce sprouted whole grain bread, cut into 3/4-inch cubes
  • 1/2 cup dried cranberries or golden raisins
  • 1/2 cup hot water
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 cup chopped onion
  • 2 cup chopped celery
  • 1 small honeycrisp apple, diced
  • 1 tablespoon minced garlic
  • 1 teaspoon dried thyme
  • 1 teaspoon dried rosemary
  • 1 and 1/2 teaspoons sea salt
  • 1 teaspoon black pepper
  • 2 cup low-sodium vegetable stock
  • 1/4 cup melted ghee or olive oil
  • 2 large eggs
Directions
  1. To dry out the bread the day before, let the bread sit out on the counter uncovered for 24 hours or more.
  2. It needs to be completely stale to prevent soggy stuffing.
  3. If using fresh bread, preheat the oven to 400F.
  4. Arrange bread cubes on a rimmed baking sheet.
  5. Bake for 20 minutes, flipping the bread after 10 minutes.
  6. Once dried out, place bread in a large bowl.
  7. Turn the oven to 350F and lightly coat a 9×13 baking dish with olive oil or ghee.
  8. Place the dried cranberries or golden raisins in a small bowl with hot water.
  9. Let soak for 10 minutes then drain and discard the water.
  10. Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high.
  11. Add onion and celery to the pan and sauté for 6 minutes, or until tender.
  12. Add the apple and sauté for an additional 5 minutes.
  13. Add the garlic, drained cranberries, thyme, rosemary, salt, and pepper.
  14. Stir until evenly combined and cook for another minute fragrant.
  15. Add apple mixture to bread and toss.In a medium bowl, whisk the eggs.
  16. Add in the vegetable stock, melted ghee or olive oil and whisk to combine.
  17. Drizzle half over the bread mixture.
  18. Let the bread soak up the liquid and slowly add the rest of the liquid a little at a time.
  19. The bread should be wet but not soggy.
  20. If you find your bread is completely wet without using all of the liquid, that’s okay.
  21. Let stand 5-10 minutes.
  22. Place the stuffing mixture in the baking dish and cover with foil.
  23. Bake for 35-40 minutes, remove foil and bake for an additional 15 minutes to crisp up the top.
  24. Leftovers can be kept in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week.
  25. To reheat, bring the baked stuffing to room temperature so that it will re-heat evenly; about 30 minutes.
  26. To reheat it, drizzle the top of the stuffing with about 1/4 cup of stock and bake at 350 until it’s warmed through.