This recipe is a family favorite; you’ll find it at every Z holiday dinner! Plus, it’s versatile and can cook simultaneously with other dishes. Serve it with my homemade gravy recipe for the ultimate indulgence.
Table of Contents:
Why Homemade Stuffing?
With all the easy stuffing options on the shelf, why take the time to make your own? Here’s a little motivation.
Toxin-Free
Store-bought stuffing may have a quick-cooking process, but that ease comes with a price! For example, most leading brands of boxed stuffing contain multiple forms of sugar, including high fructose corn syrup and maltodextrin (1). Both sweeteners can affect your blood sugar negatively (2).
Store-bought stuffing also contains anti-caking agents, soybean oil, and unhealthy sodium levels. One serving of boxed stuffing is over 15% of your daily recommended sodium intake! Homemade stuffing doesn’t require preservatives, and you know exactly what’s in it.
New Family Traditions
I’m sure your family has a few recipes passed down from previous generations. These recipes make it seem like the creator is there with you, even if they’ve moved on. Homemade stuffing can quickly become one of these recipes.
You can customize this recipe to fit your family’s preferences. Maybe you prefer to use gluten-free cornbread, add brown rice, or top your dish with cranberries. Get creative! You can easily convert your family’s favorite flavors to the healthy side. With a bit of creativity, you’ll have a recipe that generations will adore.
Mama Z Pro Tip: To make the holidays even more meaningful, include the kids in kitchen prep! Memories are made in the kitchen! Older kids can cube the bread while little ones mix ingredients.
Easy Entertaining
Even if you’re only entertaining family, there may be special dietary needs. This can lead to a lot of time spent in the kitchen, making many different variations of the same dish. Why not simplify the process by creating one allergy-friendly stuffing?
This recipe is a crowd-pleaser, basic enough that most people love it, and gluten-free, which means it’s a good option for most guests. Less time in the kitchen means more time connecting with friends! If serving vegan guests, use all coconut oil instead of butter.
Healthy Stuffing Ingredients 101
How do you create a homemade stuffing that’s delicious and allergy-friendly? The answer is simple: A few kitchen tricks and high-quality ingredients! Here’s what you can find in this side dish.
Onion: Onions contain over 20 different flavonoid antioxidants (3). Antioxidants are important because they fight against free radicals that cause inflammation. Inflammation is linked to chronic pain and the development of many diseases. You can’t eliminate free radicals, but you can fight against them!
Celery: I love stuffing with texture, and vegetables give this dish an exciting feel! Celery contains lutein, a flavonoid that may help fight cancer (4). It also has a high water content, which creates moist stuffing.
Butter or Coconut Oil: Magic happens when you sauté vegetables! Butter or coconut oil are both fantastic, clean options. I love adding butter to my stuffing because it helps the top of the bread cubes have just the right amount of crispiness!
When purchasing your fat, try to buy organic, grass-fed butter and raw coconut oil. To make this recipe vegan-friendly, use raw coconut oil instead of butter.
Apples: A hint of sweetness takes this recipe to a whole new level! We use two different apples, Granny Smith and Gala, to give this stuffing a unique flavor. Granny Smith apples are perfectly tart, while Gala are sweeter. It’s a winning combination!
Gluten-Free Bread: Your guests will never be able to tell you’re not using traditional bread! You have options when it comes to this ingredient. You can make the bread from scratch, which is my favorite option. I use my Mom’s bread machine every Thanksgiving, and it makes the fluffiest loaves.
You can also use store-bought gluten-free bread. If you’re having trouble finding a suitable option, you can find a wide variety online.
Sea Salt: Traditional table salt undergoes a rigorous harvesting process that strips it of most nutrients. We recommend using Colima sea salt because it’s hand-harvested, which leaves the good stuff intact!
Herbs and Spices: Savory herbs are the icing on the cake! This recipe uses a fragrant blend to create one rich stuffing. When cooking for guests, it’s courteous to consider everyone’s needs. This is why I recommend omitting sage if you’re serving nursing mothers. Sage will decrease milk supply(5)!
I use Herbes de Provence instead so everyone can enjoy this side dish.
Vegetable Broth: To keep this recipe vegan, we use vegetable broth instead of chicken. Of course, you can use your favorite kind, but I recommend trying my homemade vegetable broth if you want a natural wellness elixir.
If you don’t have time to DIY, the Pacific Foods broth is a great option that doesn’t contain unhealthy oils.
Make Healthy Dressing
This stuffing is easy to make and yields a large casserole pan. Once you see how simple the process is, you’ll wonder why you didn’t cook from scratch sooner!
- Unrefined (no propellant) coconut oil or olive oil cooking spray for greasing the casserole dish
- ¾ cup organic minced onion
- 1½ cups organic celery, chopped (stalks and leaves)
- 1 cup grass-fed butter or raw organic coconut oil, or a combination of both
- 2 organic apples, chopped - one Granny Smith and one gala
- 9 cups softgluten-free bread cubes, cut from homemade or store-bought bread
- 2 teaspoons freshly ground pink Himalayan salt or sea salt
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground white pepper
- 1½ teaspoons organic Herbes de Provence or crushed sage leaves*
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme leaves (omit if you use Herbes de Provence)
- Organic vegetable broth for consistency
- 1 cup shredded carrots (optional)
- ½ cup unsweetened raisins or dried cherries or cranberries (optional)
- Large casserole pan
- Large saucepan
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spray a large casserole pan with olive oil or coconut oil cooking spray.
- In a large saucepan over medium-high heat, melt the butter and sautè the onion and celery until soft.
- Mix the apples, bread cubes, sea salt, pepper, Herbes de Provence, thyme (if using), and vegetable broth in a large bowl.
- Fold in the onion and celery mixture. Add enough vegetable broth to give the stuffing a wet consistency.
- Spread the stuffing in the prepared pan and bake for 30 to 45 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes.
- Enjoy!
If you have other things in the oven for dinner and want everything done simultaneously, adjust the length of time accordingly based on the temp. The temperature this can cook at is flexible. So if dinner is cooking at 325°F, then cook for 45 minutes to 1 hour.
Step One: Sauté Vegetables
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spray a large casserole pan with olive oil or coconut oil cooking spray.
In a large saucepan over medium-high heat, melt the butter and sautè the onion and celery until soft.
Step Two: Combine Ingredients
Mix the apples, bread cubes, sea salt, pepper, herbes de Provence, thyme (if using), and vegetable broth in a large bowl. Fold in the onion and celery mixture. Add enough vegetable broth to give the stuffing a wet consistency.
Step Three: Bake the Stuffing
Spread the stuffing in the prepared pan and bake for 30 to 45 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes. Enjoy!
One Recipe, Two Stuffings!
This recipe is versatile, and that’s what makes it fun. If you prefer a basic stuffing with a uniform look like the above photo, you can omit the carrots and raisins. You’ll have a traditional stuffing that is sure to please a crowd!
Add shredded carrots and raisins if you want more color and a dash of sweetness. This creates a fancy-looking dressing, as seen in the photo below. Carrots and raisins are a winning combination, and this beautiful color palette is so enticing!
To go the extra mile, substitute my herbed butter for unflavored butter. Want more healthy foods that are sure to please the palate? Here are some of our favorite side dish recipes!
- https://www.myfoodandfamily.com/brands/stovetop/product/00043000034187/kraft-stove-top-stuffing-mix-for-turkey-12-oz-box
- https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15723702/
- https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17997520/
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2615542/
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK501816/
