Vegan Stuffing with Mushrooms and Apples
Of all the things to be thankful for, stale bread isn’t usually top of the list- but here’s a delicious vegan stuffing recipe that will have you feeling grateful for the long forgotten loaf you let get stale! Filled with the delicious flavors of shallots, apples, garlic, sage, tarragon, and mixed mushrooms, it’s the perfect side dish to add to your Thanksgiving table- or to make up any other time you spot of loaf of bread that needs using!
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Happy (Vegan) Thanksgiving!
It’s that time again- my third Thanksgiving writing here on Very Vegan Val. I love the fact that we take a day every year to be grateful for what we have (of course, then we have Black Friday, but let’s keep this post positive this year). My whole family has done vegan (or near vegan) Thanksgivings for several years now- something that I am always thankful for! I know many new vegans struggle with holidays, as there is a lot of tradition built into the food we eat. While there are tons of vegan roast options out there, my family has always taken a different approach. We do all the delicious vegetable dishes, and sort of just keep it at that. Once you have the stuffing, mashed potatoes, mushroom gravy, squash, green beans, Brussel sprouts, and so on, do you really need a roast or fake turkey? If you do, go out and get one, I encourage it! But you may be happier with really nice vegetable dishes- the choice is yours!
Looking for Thanksgiving ideas? Try one of these!
- Cranberry Lima Bean Thanksgiving Salad
- Eggplant, Chestnut, and Mushroom Vegan Holiday Loaf
- Indian-Spiced Vegan Warm Pumpkin Salad
- Avocado Mashed Potatoes with Porcini Gravy
- Wild Rice, Chili and Cacao Nib Stuffed Acorn Squash
- Cornbread with Roasted Tomato and Sunflower Seeds
A Year of Being Thankful
I wanted to take a moment in this post to write about some of the things I am thankful for this year. While I’ve been creating recipes for Very Vegan Val for two and a half years now, for the first year and a half I was working a day job and just creating recipes on the weekend. Last year, however, right before Thanksgiving, I worked my last day at a job that stressed me out and really made me unhappy. I decided that, income or not, I was going to really invest my time in bringing Very Vegan Val up to a higher standard, and creating delicious plant-based creations for all of you. And I am extremely grateful that I have been able to do that- the past year has been one of enormous personal growth, and I’m so excited to enter the next year devoting all my time to creating vegan food. I’m thankful for all of you who have supported me and joined my Very Vegan Val community- you’re comments, feedback, and even just stopping by helps me to feel inspired to create and grow my blog. There are days where I feel lost and disconnected, but I’m so thankful to have you all as a community to remind me that what I’m doing really does matter.
Making this Vegan Stuffing with Apples and Mushrooms
The secret to good vegan stuffing is starting out with good bread (that’s a little past it’s prime). We used a delicious loaf of sourdough from Iggy’s Bread in Cambridge, MA that had sat on the shelf a little too long, and was pretty stale. Note that while you want your bread stale, you don’t want it moldy- you achieve this mostly by storing it in paper, or something that allows airflow. Storing it in a plastic bag will increase the likelihood of mold, and make the desired stale texture harder to achieve.
The next step is making your broth- start off with a vegetable broth you like, and augment it with shallots, garlic, herbs, and mushrooms. We also added walnuts for extra texture, and apples for pops of sweetness or sourness, depending on what apples you use. Make sure you use an apple that bakes well- like granny smiths, Braeburns, or chestnut crabapples– to best add that bit of fruitiness to your stuffing. After that, just let your stuffing cook. Start off with foil covering the dish, and then remove the foil to let it crisp up. If it starts getting a little burnt, you can always cover it back up again.
Vegan Stuffing with Mushrooms and Apples
Ingredients
- 1 lb. sourdough loaf (a couple days old- store in an open paper bag to dry it out)
- ½ cup vegan margarine
- 5 cloves of garlic, minced
- ½ cup diced shallots
- 16 oz. mixed mushrooms, chopped into small pieces
- 1 tbsp. fresh tarragon
- 1 tbsp. fresh sage, chopped
- 1 tsp. dried parsley
- ½ tsp. salt, or more to taste
- 3 cups vegetable broth
- 2 apples, diced into small cubes
- 1 cup walnut pieces
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease a 9x13 inch baking pan, and set aside. Chop the sourdough bread into small cubes, about 1/2-1 inch large, and set aside.
- In a large skillet, melt the vegan margarine. Add the garlic and shallots, and sauté gently until fragrant. Add the spices and mushrooms, and cook until the mushrooms have given off most of their liquid. Add the vegetable broth and bring to a simmer. Add the apples and walnuts, and take off the stove.
- Place the chopped bread in the baking pan, and pour the broth and vegetables over the bread. Cover with aluminum foil and bake in the oven for around 30 minutes before removing the foil and cooking for another 30 minutes. Serve warm, and enjoy!
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