10 ingredients and vegan, my mom’s old fashioned stuffing is perfect for the upcoming holiday season. Start to finish, this side requires less than 60 minutes to prepare. Grab a fork, and dig in to this family-favorite dish.
I wish I could take credit for this recipe. But alas…I cannot. My mom has been preparing this stuffing recipe for almost 40 years. It’s not Thanksgiving without this delicious side sitting on our dining room table. It has traveled through our family and now it’s one of my husband’s favorite foods. Although I have adapted it here to be vegan, and to include a few of my favorite seasonal add-ins, I hope that you all find my mom’s old fashioned stuffing to be just as amazing as our family does.
Old Fashioned Stuffing
Soft yet crunchy. Salty and sweet. Tasty and, well…delicious! This old fashioned stuffing is made with only 10 ingredients and requires about 1 hour of time to prepare. Not bad for the Thanksgiving side. It’s so simple and completely customizable (see Add Ins below). And let me just say that, yes, I am aware that we use 1 CUP of vegan butter in this recipe. I know. It’s a lot. But this is a side dish. And it’s meant to be eaten on a day of celebration. So don’t panic. It’s ok. We can use a cup of vegan butter and still live. I promise. Good, now that we’ve gotten that out of the way…
The bread
Begin by using your favorite loaf of rustic bread. I’m a huge sourdough fan so that’s what I chose to use. If the crust of your bread is rather crunchy you can remove it just to make sure that the top of your stuffing doesn’t become too hard when cooked. Once that’s taken care of, cut your loaf into large cubes. You’ll need about 9 cups of cubed bread which is about 1, 14oz loaf.
The Celery and Onions
Now, let me just say that for some reason, my mom does not like large pieces of celery or onion in her stuffing. She’s a big texture person so perhaps that’s why she always pulverizes them in the food processor for this recipe. To be honest, I prefer the onions and celery this way. Maybe it’s because I’m my mother’s daughter. Or maybe it’s because that’s just the nostalgia of the dish for me. Either way, give it a try. Place your celery in the food processor and pulse until VERY FINELY chopped. Do the same with the onion. If this doesn’t sound appealing to you, feel free to finely chop the celery and onion yourself. You do you.
Combining
In a large skillet, melt 1 cup (remember, you’ll be ok) of vegan butter. Once melted, add in the celery and onion. Allow to cook for 2-3 minutes until soft. If your celery and onion pieces are larger, they may need to cook for 4-5 minutes. Just cook them until they’re tender. Once cooked, turn off the heat and add sage, thyme, truffle salt, pepper and 3 cups of cubed bread. Toss to coat. This bread will become very soggy rather quickly. Don’t worry, this is what we’re going for. At this point add in the other 6 cups of cubed bread as well as any add ins.
Add Ins
This is where my recipe really deviates from my mom’s. I decided to add in some fresh cranberries as well as chopped walnuts. You can either leave these things out completely or replace them with other seasonal favorites such as: chestnuts, pecans, pomegranate arils, cooked vegan sausage, or sliced apples.
Bake it
Once you’ve added (or not) any extras it’s time to bake the stuffing. Grease an 8×8 inch dish with vegan butter and dump in the stuffing. Cover with aluminum foil (or a rimmed baking sheet) and bake at 325*F for 30 minutes. Then remove the foil and bake uncovered for an additional 15 minutes until the top is crispy. Serve and prepare for this to become a new family holiday classic.
I would like to end this post by saying “Thank you” to my mom. Not just for sharing this recipe but for instilling in me, at a young age, a love of cooking. She taught me the joy of bring family and friends together over meals. Holidays have always held a special place in my heart because I can remember, even a child, assisting in the kitchen. From this stuffing dish at Thanksgiving, to cookies on Christmas Eve, the holidays, for me, are marked by meals. So thank you Mom, for instilling in me at such a young age the true meaning of holidays: spending time with the people you love. Sharing laughs, love, and, of course, food.
Enjoy friends.
Ingredient Health Benefits
Celery- vitamin A, vitamin C, B vitamins, calcium, iron, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium
Cranberries- rich in fiber; excellent source of vitamin C, phytonutrients
Onion- antioxidants; fiber; vitamin C; folate
Walnuts- Omega 3s, thaimine, B6, folic acid, phosphorus, magnesium, copper, Vitamin E, polyphenols
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Mom’s Old Fashioned Stuffing
Equipment
- Food Processor
Ingredients
- 1½ cups celery, pulsed in food processor
- ¾ cup onion, pulsed in food processor
- 1 cup vegan butter
- 9 cups loaf sour dough bread, cubed
- 1½ tsp salt
- 1½ tsp dried sage
- 1 tsp dried thyme
- ½ tsp pepper
- ⅓ cup chopped walnuts
- ⅓ cup dried cranberries
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375°F. Grease an 8×8 baking dish with vegan butter.
- In a large skillet, melt the vegan butter. Add celery and onion and cook until soft.
- Stir in 3 cups of cubed bread and toss to coat. Add remaining 6 cups of cubed bread, walnuts, and dried cranberries.
- Transfer to prepared baking dish and cover with foil or top with a rimmed baking sheet. Bake covered for 30 minutes.
- Uncover and cook for additional 15 minutes until top is crunchy.
