Fresh vegetables, thyme, and sage make this the Best Paleo Thanksgiving Stuffing! Full of robust flavor, it’s ready to go in 45 minutes! {Paleo + Vegan}
I am dying to know, does your family do the big, traditional sit-down dinner during the holidays? Or is it finger foods all the way? Between our families, K-Hubs and I experience both throughout the season. In case your family is a little like our families, today I’m sharing a paleo recipe for holiday stuffing, perfect as a side dish for a traditional sit-down dinner. And if you are looking for an appetizer that’s perfect for snacky situations, then check out Marinated Greek Olives. They were a surprise hit in our families. Who knew seasoned olives could bring such joy during the holidays?!?!?
As for this stuffing, it’s ready for the masses in about 45-60 minutes, give or take a few, and it’s easy to adjust quantities to fit any gathering! Coconut oil offers a rich, buttery taste but without the dairy or the soy. Sage, thyme, and bay leaves combine for a wonderful fall flavor that feels more guilty pleasure than it is. Put another way, K-Hubs and I each snuck bites during the first photoshoot and declared in unison, “It just tastes like Thanksgiving.” Indeed it does. So much so we had to “re-fluff” the food! The second photoshoot was more of the same. This recipe really is the best paleo Thanksgiving stuffing, and it’s paleo, vegan, and downright delicious.
Who’s ready for a bite?
The Best Paleo Thanksgiving Stuffing ingredients
To make your own Paleo Thanksgiving Stuffing, you will need:
- Vegetables. Cauliflower, carrots, celery, garlic, and onion (red and green). Just about any size of each will do, and you can always add more seasonings if you end up with larger heads of lettuce or cloves of garlic, for example. This recipe is quite forgiving and easy to adjust as you’re making it.
- Coconut oil. I love coconut oil in this recipe because it lightly coats the vegetables, giving the recipe a rich, buttery flavor but without the soy and dairy often found in butter.
- Seasonings. Definitely thyme, sage, and bay leaves. You’ll also want to add sea salt and pepper, as desired.
How to make the Best Paleo Thanksgiving Stuffing
As for how to make the Best Paleo Thanksgiving Stuffing, let’s dive in because it couldn’t be simpler! This stuffing is delicious and easy to prepare!
- First, chop the carrots, celery, and red onion. Then throw them in to the sauté pan with 2 tablespoons coconut oil and the cloves of garlic and sauté for approximately 15 minutes. Make sure to stir periodically so the ingredients don’t burn. And feel free to add a little more coconut oil to the pan if you need to.
- Next, while the vegetables are sautéing, chop the cauliflower into tiny, rice-like granules. To do this, I add the cauliflower florets to my mini chopper and quickly pulse about 5-6 times per batch. It’s important to NOT over-chop the cauliflower. If you find a few stubborn pieces in your chopper, then remove them from the batch and add them to the next batch. I used to over-chop just to get 1 or 2 cauliflower florets down to size, but then I ended up with a mushy mess.
- After the vegetables have sautéed for 15 minutes, and your cauliflower is chopped to a rice-like size, then add the remaining coconut oil and green onions. Stir carefully to blend everything without mashing the green onions.
- Next, fold in the cauliflower “rice” and then add the sage, thyme, sea salt, and bay leaves. Simmer covered on a low to medium setting for another 15 minutes, stirring periodically so the vegetables don’t burn.
- Finally, remove from heat, discard the bay leaves, and add pepper and additional sea salt as desired. This will keep for about 24 hours in the refrigerator.
Tips to make your own Best Paleo Thanksgiving Stuffing
- Adjust seasonings UP for larger heads of cauliflower. I increase the quantity of carrots, onion, and celery by about half if I am working with a larger, denser head of cauliflower. I’ll also increase the herbs and seasonings by about half their original amounts, too.
- Fresh or dried herbs. You can work with fresh, finely minced herbs or dried, if you like. The quantities in this recipe are for DRIED herbs. However, if I’m working with fresh herbs, then I increase the amounts I use and go by what tastes good. I’m honestly usually in the 1/4-1/2 cup category for fresh herbs because I LOVE over-the-top flavor. Play around with it, taste-test as you go and find the balance that’s right for your palate!
- We do not put this stuffing in the turkey. Instead we serve it side dish-style!
Thanksgiving and happy tastebuds, here we come! Enjoy, friends!
The Best Paleo Thanksgiving Stuffing
Fresh vegetables, thyme, and sage make this the Best Paleo Thanksgiving Stuffing! Full of robust flavor, it’s ready to go in 45 minutes!
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Cook Time: 30 mins
- Total Time: 40 mins
- Category: Side Dishes
- Method: Stovetop
- Diet: Vegan
Ingredients
- 1 cup celery, sliced
- 1 cup carrots (I used baby carrots), sliced
- 1/4 cup red onion, diced
- 4 cloves garlic, pressed
- 1/2 cup coconut oil, divided (2 tbsp, 6 tbsp)
- 1 head cauliflower, chopped into rice-like pieces
- 1/4 cup green onion, sliced
- 1 tsp sage
- 1 tsp thyme
- 1/4 tsp sea salt
- 2 bay leaves
- Pepper for garnishing
Instructions
- Sauté celery, carrots, red onion, and garlic in 2 tbsp coconut oil for approximately 15 minutes on medium heat.
- While the vegetables are sautéing, chop the cauliflower into rice-like granules. For me, this usually means pressing down on my chopper about 5 or 6 quick times. I remove any stubborn pieces that refuse to chop and add them to the next round of cauliflower waiting to be chopped.
- Once the vegetables have been sautéed for 15 minutes, then stir in the remaining coconut oil and green onions.
- Fold in the chopped cauliflower and then add the sage, thyme, sea salt, and bay leaves.
- Simmer covered on a low heat for 15 minutes, stirring periodically.
- Remove bay leaves and garnish with pepper and additional sea salt as desired.
Notes
- Helpful equipment: food chopper for the cauliflower
- Time management tip: Chop the rice the day before you plan to make your stuffing. Store in a bowl or lass jars in the fridge for up to 24 hours before preparing the stuffing.
- Use fresh vegetables for this recipe, especially fresh cauliflower. You’ll end up with a far superior taste that way.
- You can save the bay leaves and store them in the leftovers for extra flavor. When enjoying the leftovers, please make sure to separate them from the stuffing before serving as they may be a choking hazard.
Leave a Reply