Easy Vegan Thanksgiving Stuffing

Forget the turkey. Who needs it when you have DELICIOUS vegan stuffing? This recipe is very simple, yet tasty and soooo good to have when all that Thanksgiving comfort food starts appearing.

What you need:

3 T vegetable or olive oil

2 C chopped celery (chopped very small)

2 C chopped white onion (chopped very small)

3 cloves Garlic (minced)

1 C chopped fresh herbs (I like to use about 1/3 cup fresh sage, then the rest will be thyme, rosemary, and oregano)

1/2 C chopped parsley

8 C vegetable stock (should be kept warm on the stove, but not too hot – you will be using your hands to mix this all up)

2 C vegetable or olive oil

salt and pepper

1 1/2 Gallons foccacia bread (untoasted), cut into small cubes – small crouton size (smaller than 1 inch by 1 inch cubes)

First, you will want to saute the onions, garlic, and celery in the 3 T of oil that you have. Be sure to get a nice, even cook on everything, but don’t keep the heat too high or things will burn! If you want, you can even finish the sautee with a heaping spoonful of vegan butter, just to add some buttery flavor! Once you have everything cooked, remove the pan from the heat, add the herbs, and toss. Set aside.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and lightly grease 2 shallow baking dishes (casserole dishes work great) with oil or pan spray.

In a large mixing bowl, pour in the bread cubes. Using some of the remaining 2 C of oil, add about 1/2 a cup and toss. Then, add the sauteed vegetable mixture and mix that in with your hands. Using a soup ladle or measuring cup, add 2 cups of the vegetable stock and mix that in with your hands as well. You are basically wanting everything to be moist, but not soggy. After you’ve added some stock, add a little more oil and toss again. Then add more stock until the bread is fully soaking up the moisture, but remember to not let it become too soggy! We aren’t going for the consistency of mush…more like bread pudding. Add salt and pepper, taste.

In the casserole dishes you have prepared, spread the stuffing into the dishes, but be careful not to pile it on too high. Bake 20 – 25 minutes and check. When the top of the stuffing is golden brown and a little crispy, you’re ready to pile on some gravy and stuff yourself with vegan stuffing!

*note*

This is one of those recipes that I find difficult to stick to exact measurements. The type of bread you use, the concentration of your vegetable stock, etc, all can make a big difference in the taste and texture. Play around with it, just be sure not to add too much liquid at first, because you can always add, but you can’t subtract once you’ve gone too far.