Looking for a good for you, satisfying stuffing without the bread? Here it is!
This is my most favorite stuffing! It has everything you want in a stuffing, a little crispy, a bit chewy, roasty and toasty, and deeply flavorful.
When you need stuffing fast, but don’t want the gluten, bread, or glyphosate sprayed wheat (yuk!) my quinoa stuffing with roasty veggies is here to save the day!
Savory Roasted Stuffing (No bread!)
You Need
Method
Prepare quinoa & roast veggetables
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- Prepare quinoa according to package directions. Substitute water in package directions for bone broth.
- In a preheated oven of 400 degrees, roast cauliflower and squash tossed in 1 tablespoon of duck fat (or oil/fat of your choice) and a sprinkling of salt. If using delicata squash, do not peel it, the skin is tender, and provides wonderful color to this bread free stuffing! Cut the delicata squash in half the long way, and then cut it into 1/4 inch wide half circles.
- Roast for 30 minutes. I prefer my vegetables to have a bit of a bite to them and not be too soft. Cook longer if you want smooshier veggies!
- Remove from oven and set aside.
Duck fat is a wonderful fat to use in cooking. Not only does it give a wonderful depth of flavor to dishes, it is also good for you! Better than inflammatory seed oils (think canola and vegetable oil) it is lower in saturated fat than butter. If you prefer, use avocado oil to roast the vegetables. I would not recommend olive oil or coconut oil as a 400 degree oven is past these oil's smoke points and you will have a smoking oven!
Prepare sautéed vegetables
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- In a large skillet set to medium-low, cook the pancetta.
- You want the pancetta to get crispy, so a stovetop temperature that is not too hot is important, to allow for the fat to slowly render out into the pan.
- After about 10 minutes, or when the pancetta is crispy, remove from pan.
- In the same pan with the drippings from the meat, add the cranberries, mushrooms, and leek.
- Sautee over medium low heat, stirring frequently, until all are soft, and cranberries have popped and are sticky.
- During the last 3-4 minutes of cooking, add the celery, apples, thyme and sage. I prefer to cook the celery and apples less than the other veggies, I find that the crispy bite of these vegetables gives a nice texture to this bread free stuffing.
- Season to taste with pepper and salt.
- Serve immediately, or keep warm in a 200 degree oven, covered.
Note
There are many ways to create variations of this stuffing. If you cannot find delicata squash you could use finely diced sweet potato, or even butternut squash.
If you want something other than pancetta in this stuffing you could use diced bacon, or even crumbled ground turkey, pork, or sausage!
