The next Thanksgiving recipe is this Vegetarian Bread Stuffing or Thanksgiving Stuffing. As the name suggests, it’s the filling that goes inside the turkey but I am going to present it as a Thanksgiving side (err main dish for vegetarians). This stuffing is usually prepared with dry bread or croutons or with leftover baguette along with veggies. The main herb that is used in this recipe is sage.
Before getting into the recipe, let me share few information about sage. As I mentioned in my previous post, herbs play a major role in the Thanksgiving dinner. Rosemary, thyme, oregano and sage are the most widely used herbs in Thanksgiving recipes.
About Sage
Sage is called “the sister herb of rosemary”. It’s a perennial shrub, too, and its soft velvet leaves are used in cooking. The soft texture is because of the fine hair that covers the leaf. Sage has a sweet and savory flavor. Here is the closer look of the sage leaves.
Vegetarian Bread Stuffing
So now back to the recipe, this recipe is more like bread upma. :-) I used buttermilk bread for this recipe along with vegetables like carrots, mushrooms and celery and I kept the bread pieces, when the oven was pre-heating to get the dried bread effect.
Basically you cook the veggies and add it to the bread and bake it until crisp. The vegetable broth helps to retain the moisture. Now that sounds more like upma right? Err may the baked version of upma. Vaandu enjoys this a lot and this is a perfect afterschool tiffin.
Thanksgiving Vegetarian Bread Stuffing Recipe
Here comes my vegetarian version of the Thanksgiving bread stuffing.
Ingredients:
- Bread (I used butter milk bread) – 10 slices
- Medium Sized Onion – 1
- Garlic cloves – 1
- Carrot – 1
- Celery Stalk – 2
- Chopped Mushrooms – ¼ cup (I used mini brown bella mushrooms)
- Vegetable Broth – 1.5 cups
- Salt – 1 tsp
- Pepper – 1 tsp
- Fresh sage (chopped) – 2 tsps
- Olive oil – 2 tbsps
- Dried cranberries – 2 tbsps (optional)
Prep – Work:
- Tear the bread into small pieces.
- Pre-heat the oven to 350 degree F. You can keep the teared bread pieces in the oven in a baking tray when it is getting pre-heated. This step is optional.
- Chop all the vegetables and set aside.
Steps:
- Heat a pan and add olive oil.
- Once the oil is hot, add the chopped onion and garlic.
- Saute for couple of minutes and then add the carrots, celery and mushroom.
- Mix them well and add the salt and pepper.
- Let it cook for two minutes.
- Now add the chopped sage and ¾ cup of vegetable broth and let it simmer for 5 minutes and turn off the heat.
- Grease a casserole dish and add this cooked vegetable mix.
- Now add the bread pieces and mix well.
- Add ¼ more cup of vegetable broth.
- Bake this for about 20 minutes.
- Remove it from the oven and add ¼ more cup of vegetable broth and bake again for 25 minutes.
- Garnish this with dried cranberries and serve hot.
Notes:
- You can add any vegetables of you choice, including apples, pears and dry fruits.
- If you don’t have sage, you can replace it with another herb.
- I used butter milk bread, any sour dough bread or baguette can be used.
- Adjust salt and pepper as per your preference.
- You can bake this by covering it for first 20 minutes and then bake again uncovered.
- Instead of store-bought, you can also use home-made vegetable broth.
📖 Recipe
Vegetarian Bread Stuffing | Thanksgiving Sides
Ingredients
- 10 slices Bread I used butter milk bread
- 1 Onion, Medium Sized
- 1 clove Garlic
- 1 Carrot
- 2 Celery Stalks
- ¼ cup Chopped Mushrooms I used mini brown bella mushrooms
- 1.5 cups Vegetable Broth
- 1 tsp Salt
- 1 tsp Pepper
- 2 tsps Fresh sage, chopped
- 2 tbsps Olive oil
- 2 tbsps Dried cranberries optional
Instructions
Prep - Work
- Tear the bread into small pieces.
- Pre-heat the oven to 350 degree F. You can keep the teared bread pieces in the oven in a baking tray when it is getting pre-heated. This step is optional.
- Chop all the vegetables and set aside.
Steps
- Heat a pan and add olive oil.
- Once the oil is hot, add the chopped onion and garlic.
- Saute for couple of minutes and then add the carrots, celery and mushroom.
- Mix them well and add the salt and pepper.
- Let it cook for two minutes.
- Now add the chopped sage and ¾ cup of vegetable broth and let it simmer for 5 minutes and turn off the heat.
- Grease a casserole dish and add this cooked vegetable mix.
- Now add the bread pieces and mix well.
- Add ¼ more cup of vegetable broth.
- Bake this for about 20 minutes.
- Remove it from the oven and add ¼ more cup of vegetable broth and bake again for 25 minutes.
- Garnish this with dried cranberries and serve hot.
Notes
Sage is usually used in the bread stuffing, but you can replace it with the herbs that you have in hand.
I used butter milk bread, any sour dough bread or baguette can be used.
Adjust salt and pepper as per your preference.
You can bake this by covering it for first 20 minutes and then bake again uncovered.
Instead of store-bought vegetable broth, home-made can be used.
Nutrition
I am not a nutritionist. The nutritional information is provided as a courtesy and is an estimate only. It varies depending upon the product types or brands.
P.S. Make sure to follow me on my Pinterest for more healthy and delicious ideas!
Bread stuffing looks yummy…Happy Thanksgiving dear!!
Thanks a lot Padma and hope you had great break.
This bread stuffing looks really delicious and filling breakfast..Happy Holidays dear !!
Thanks Jolly and same to you too.
Looks great. I definitely need to try this on thanksgiving, thanks a lot
Thanks :-)