Vegetarian Holiday Stuffing

This is my Vegetarian Holiday Stuffing that I’ve been perfecting for many years.

When I first became a vegetarian about 25 years ago I decided that I needed Thanksgiving and Christmas dinner to be tasty, just like they were when I ate meat. So, I set forth to make a great stuffing. And, I think I’ve perfected it! Moist, full of flavor, even my meat-eating guests don’t realize there’s no meat in it.

I love mushrooms in stuffing. That yummy meaty taste. That mushroom flavor. And, the way mushrooms smell when they cook. All amazing! I love them. But, my husband doesn’t necessarily agree with me. He doesn’t care for the texture of mushrooms, but he doesn’t mind the flavor. So, I’ve learned that if I chop them up really small he doesn’t even notice them, but they add a great flavor. I chop them in the {affiliate} food processor; it’s really easy to do it that way, and takes almost no time at all.

I use whole roasted and peeled canned or jarred chestnuts. This year I found these {affiliate} pouched organic chestnuts at Sprouts Market. I love the ease of already prepared chestnuts. And it saves your fingers from all that work shelling chestnuts! Of course, you could roast your own (it’d be fun to do with your kids, and once you had enough to snack on you can throw them in the stuffing), follow these great instructions on how to roast them.

About a day or two before Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner I start making my own homemade broth. It makes it smell like a holiday dinner! And, it gets me in the holiday spirit. This is the broth that I love to use. The extra time it takes to make your own broth is so worth it! The food tastes richer and yummier. And, it helps me to clear out the fridge and the freezer of all those veggie bits, making more room for the prepared dishes (it’s like a win-win!).

You can make this stuffing in advance (remember, this doesn’t have the same safety issues that a poultry stuffing would have). I usually make it the day before and keep it in the fridge. I also use this same stuffing to stuff the turkey if I’m going to be making a turkey. I don’t eat that stuffing, but my guests say they never realize that the stuffing is vegetarian, so it all works out. And, this way I don’t have to make 2 stuffings (though sometimes I make a double batch of this veggie stuffing).

I suggest using {affiliate} Mrs. Cubbison’s Dressing in this stuffing. I like that it has seasonings already in it, and I like the odd shapes and the fact that they aren’t perfect little cubes. I have made my stuffing with my homemade bread crumbs, and it turns out great. But, let’s be honest, who has time during the holidays to make everything, including the stuffing mix, from scratch. If you’d like to read more about the easy way to make your own bread crumbs, take a look here, and you’ll get a great recipe for White Bean Gratin Casserole.

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Vegetarian Holiday Stuffing

Servings 6

Author Debi

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon plus ¼ cup olive oil divided use
• 1 onion chopped
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 lb mushrooms sliced
• 2/3 cup canned water chestnuts quartered
• 1 cup shelled chestnuts cut in half
• ¼ cup ½ stick butter
• 3 cups broth
• 1 12 ounce box Mrs. Cubbisons Seasoned Dressing

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Heat ½ tablespoon olive oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat, swirling to coat pan. Add chopped onion and salt and sauté, stirring occasionally, until golden brown, about 20 minutes. If onions start to cook too quickly, add about ¼ cup water to slow the cooking and allow carmalization. Remove onions from pan to a large bowl, and set aside.
3. Heat ½ tablespoon olive oil in the same pan and add in the mushrooms. Sauté mushrooms until they release all of their water and start to brown, about 10 minutes. Remove mushrooms and either place in the large bowl with the cooked onions, or place the cooked mushrooms in a food processor and pulse until finely chopped, adding finely chopped mushrooms to the bowl after chopping. Stir water chestnuts and chestnuts into the bowl with the veggies.
4. In the same pan, melt butter, adding ¼ cup olive oil, and once butter is melted, stir in broth. Heat broth to a low a low boil, and remove from heat. Stir dressing into broth, and mix moist dressing into the bowl with the veggies. Taste dressing for moisture and seasoning. If the dressing seems a bit dry (remember, the dressing will dry out a bit in the oven), add in more broth, mixing to combine. Spoon dressing into large oven-proof casserole dish, and bake for 30-45 minutes, until heated through.
5. Serve hot, garnishing with chopped chives, green onions, or fresh thyme leaves if desired.

Recipe Notes

Dressing can be made in advance and refrigerated until ready to use. If you’re putting cold dressing in the oven, you may need additional baking time to heat through.