Incredibly flavorful Cauliflower Stuffing with buttery mushrooms, tart apples, and pecans. Enjoy it as a lower carb, gluten free option for Thanksgiving or as a healthy side dish any night of the week!
Stuffing without bread? Blasphemy. Bread is quite possibly my favorite food, as evidenced by the Spinach Mushroom Stuffing and Pomegranate Za'atar Stuffing I make every year (drenched in my Vegan Mushroom Gravy).
But what about a gluten free stuffing to pacify Aunt Sally? A low carb dressing for cousin Bob? A little something for your keto cousin Karen?
Cauliflower couldn't be more different from bread, I get it! But this stuffing is so insanely delicious in its own right. Have I ever led your tastebuds astray?
Rather than thinking of this as a replacement for the bready stuffing we all know and love, consider this a fun addition to the Thanksgiving recipe collection. You can have your bread stuffing and it it, too.
How to make healthy stuffing
What's healthier than a stuffing made of 100% veggies? As a Dietitian, you know I love seeing veggies playing a key role on the turkey table!
- Preheat the oven to 450F and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Melt butter in the microwave then chop all your veggies.
- Place the veggies, garlic, and apple in your biggest mixing bowl.
- To the bowl with cooled butter, add egg, soy sauce, spices, salt and pepper. Whisk until combined.
- Pour mixture over veggies, tossing to coat. Dump mixture evenly onto baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes, flipping halfway. Add pecans and bake another 10 minutes.
- Garnish with parsley and serve!
Key ingredients
Don't be intimidated by the lengthy ingredient list--it's mostly just veggies and spices! You can also add cooked crumbled sausage (regular or vegan) if you're looking for the flavors of sausage stuffing.
- Cauliflower: The main event of our stuffing.
- Carrot: I love the sweet pop and color carrot adds. Rainbow carrots would be gorgeous here.
- Celery: I think celery is a must for stuffing but if you're celery averse, you can omit it.
- Onion and garlic: Our aromatic flavor base!
- Mushrooms: Roasted mushrooms add major meatiness to this dish. I don't recommend skipping them! I buy them sliced to lessen prep time. Cremini or Baby Bella are great.
- Butter: It may seem like a lot of butter but the fat is what makes this reminiscent of stuffing. It adds so much flavor! Olive oil can be substituted for dairy free.
- Reduced Sodium Soy Sauce: I wanted extra umami since there's no broth in this recipe. Tamari can be used for gluten free stuffing.
- Egg: Egg adds a little more richness. This stuffing still doesn't bind together like traditional stuffing, so it can easily be omitted for vegan or egg free stuffing.
- Sage and thyme: The spices that give our stuffing the token cozy herby flavor.
- Apple: I love the sweet tart bite of apple here for contrast. Granny Smith will add all tartness, so if you want more sweetness, use Honeycrisp or Golden Delicious. You want a crisp apple that's not too sweet.
- Pecans: Pecans add so much dimension, flavor and needed texture. I really don't think any other nut will have the same effect! I'd suggest walnuts if you absolutely cannot get pecans. I would not recommend almonds.
How to serve
- enjoy for breakfast with a fried egg and hot sauce
- serve with all your favorite Thanksgiving sides
- serve as a side dish for dinner with fish, veggie burgers or chicken
I recommend fresh here so it roasts properly.
Yes, you can omit the pecans. I do think they add SO much flavor and crunch, though!
Yes! Up to three days in advance, make recipe as directed through step 5. Before serving, continue with step 6.
You can warm individual servings in the microwave or warm more leftovers in the oven at 350F for 10-15 minutes, or until hot.
How to store
Store leftovers in an air-tight container for up to 4 days.
More healthy Thanksgiving sides
- Maple Balsamic Roasted Brussels Sprouts
- Vegan Sweet Potato Casserole
- Vegan Green Bean Casserole
- Pumpkin Pie Bars
- Favorite Cranberry Orange Sauce
- Skillet Cornbread
- Vegan Gravy
Click here for the step-by-step web story instructions for this recipe!
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Cauliflower Stuffing
- Prep Time: 20 min
- Cook Time: 30 min
- Total Time: 50 minutes
- Yield: 8-10 servings 1x
- Category: Side Dish
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
Incredibly flavorful Cauliflower Stuffing with buttery mushrooms, tart apples, and pecans. Enjoy it as a lower carb, gluten free option for Thanksgiving or as a healthy side dish any night of the week!
Ingredients
- 1 medium head cauliflower, chopped into small florets
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 3 medium carrots, chopped (1 cup)
- 2 medium stalks celery, finely chopped (½ cup)
- 8 oz sliced cremini or Baby Bella mushrooms
- 1 large apple, unpeeled, cored and chopped (Honeycrisp, Golden Delicious or Granny Smith)
- ⅓ cup unsalted butter (can sub olive oil)
- 1 large egg
- 1 ½ tsp soy sauce (sub tamari for gluten free)
- 1 ¼ tsp dried sage
- 1 tsp dried thyme
- ½ tsp fine sea salt + lots of freshly ground black pepper
- ½ cup raw pecans, chopped
- ¼ cup fresh parsley, chopped
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 450 F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Melt butter in a small bowl. Set aside to cool while you chop the veggies.
- In your largest mixing bowl, combine cauliflower, onion, garlic, carrots, celery, mushrooms and apple.
- To the bowl with cooled butter, whisk in egg, soy sauce, sage, thyme, salt and pepper. Pour mixture over vegetables. Toss well to combine until everything is coated.
- Divide mixture evenly between baking sheets so veggies are in an even layer. Roast for 20 minutes, rotating the pans halfway (so the top pan is now on the bottom rack). No need to stir.
- Carefully remove pans from oven and sprinkle pecans evenly onto baking sheets, tossing with a spatula to combine. Roast for another 10 minutes.
- Transfer to a serving dish if desired. Garnish with parley and serve!
Notes
VEGAN: Use olive oil instead of butter and omit the egg.
Robin says
Alexis, I just made this and it is absolutely delish !!!! I sampled it and note sure there will be any left for thanksgiving ..... back to the store I go 🙂
★★★★★
Alexis Joseph says
Amazing, so happy this is going to make the spread Robin!!
Hannah says
This is the perfect alternative to traditional stuffing! You’re not missing out in the flavor and can get some veggies in at the same time!
★★★★★
Alexis Joseph says
SO glad you loved it, Hannah!