Mmm, stuffing is a must-have at any holiday feast! But making that stuff out of the box is so last year. It’s ridiculously simple to whip up homemade stuffing full of delicious, hearty ingredients that the whole family will enjoy. This one has protein-packed quinoa, tart cranberries, and sweet apple pieces. Make sure you whip up some homemade vegan gravy to smother on top of your quinoa apple stuffing and the rest of your holiday feast, too!
This is one of 3 vegan stuffing recipes I made in the video below. Variety is the spice of life, ya know?!
You can also find a variation of this quinoa apple stuffing which includes vegan sausage here.
quinoa & apple stuffing
Whether it’s your first Thanksgiving or holiday feast as a vegan or your tenth, I want to make sure you’re stuffed! This is a delicious blend of quinoa, apple, and spices to help get your Thanksgiving fix without the guilt.
Ingredients
- 1 C quinoa
- 1/4 tsp sea salt
- 1 1/2 C + 1/2 C low-sodium vegetable stock
- 1 diced apple
- 1 tsp fresh thyme
- 2 tbsp + 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 C finely chopped leek
- 3/4 C finely chopped celery
- 1 finely chopped shallot
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 tbsp finely chopped sage
- 1 tsp finely chopped rosemary
- 1/2 tsp nutmeg
- 1/4 tsp sea salt
- 1/4 tsp ground black pepper
- 1/2 C dried cranberries
- 1/3 C finely chopped parsley
Instructions
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Rinse quinoa in a sieve under water for approximately 30 seconds and drain thoroughly. Add it to a pot with the low-sodium vegetable stock and sea salt, and bring to a boil. Once boiling, stir in diced apple and cover with a lid. Reduce heat to low and cook for 10 minutes. Once all the water is absorbed, remove the pot from the heat and stir in fresh thyme and 2 tablespoons of olive oil.
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While the quinoa is cooking, you can create the other component to the stuffing. Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a pan over medium heat and sauté leek, celery, and shallot for 4 minutes until soft.
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Add in garlic, sage, rosemary, nutmeg, sea salt, and ground black pepper, and cook for 2 minutes. You may need to reduce the heat to med-low so you don’t burn the garlic. Then add in a 1/2 cup low-sodium vegetable stock and simmer, stirring occasionally for 5 minutes. Add in dried cranberries and parsley and cook for another 2 minutes. Mix this into the quinoa and apple component and serve warm.
- You could also make this dish ahead of time and then reheat in the oven before serving.
Recipe Notes
Be sure to whip up the best vegan gravy to go along with your stuffing! Get the recipe here.
2 thoughts on “quinoa & apple stuffing”
Why go with low-sodium stock if you’re going to add salt? Might as well just use regular.
personal preference. Usually I recommend adding salt to taste, so if it’s not in the stock you can control it