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Stuffing is such a part of Thanksgiving for so many people (me included), but I’ve never loved the boxed, processed stuffing mixes that just seem bland and mushy. Sure, there are some decent store-bought options, but they tend to be more pricey and I love creating new takes on classic recipes using seasonal and local ingredients.
Grain-Free Stuffing
A few years ago, I had the idea to use seasonal root vegetables like turnips and sweet potatoes as a base for a “stuffing” and experimented with different mixtures and ratios until I found this one. It is hearty, nourishing, and a beautiful addition to a Thanksgiving table!
This grain free stuffing is better when cooked outside the bird, and can easily be prepared a day or two ahead of time and reheated in a 9×13 baking dish to save time on Thanksgiving Day. The leftovers can actually be breaded in coconut flour and pan-fried to make a “bread” for leftover turkey sandwiches.
If you are hosting Thanksgiving this year, why not serve a meal with as much nutrition as it has taste?
Savory Grain-Free Stuffing
Ingredients
- 4 lbs turnips
- 3 large sweet potatoes
- 1 TBSP garlic powder
- 1 TBSP dried sage
- 1 tsp dried rosemary
- 1 tsp dried thyme
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 1 tsp turmeric
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 2 tsp salt
- 1 lb sage pork sausage optional
- 3 large onions
- 5 large ribs of celery
- 8 oz fresh button mushrooms
- 1 apple
- ½ cup oil for cooking such as tallow lard, ghee, or coconut oil
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375°F.
- Peel turnips and sweet potatoes and cut into ½ inch cubes.
- Grease 2 large baking sheets with oil and evenly spread the turnips and sweet potatoes in them.
- Sprinkle with some of the garlic powder, sage, rosemary, thyme, oregano, turmeric, pepper and salt and toss with your hands.
- Put into oven and bake for about an hour until they are soft and starting to brown, tossing a few times to brown evenly.
- While the turnips and sweet potatoes are cooking brown the sausage if you are using it.
- When sausage is cooked, remove from pan, leaving drippings.
- While the sausage is cooking, finely dice the onions and celery.
- Add the onion and celery to the pan once the sausage has cooked. You might need to add more oil.
- Dice the mushrooms and peel and dice the apple
- Add the mushrooms and apple to the pan once the onions and celery have started to soften.
- Continue cooking until all are cooked.
- Return sausage to the pan and add more of the above spices to your taste.
- Remove from heat.
- Once turnips and sweet potatoes are done, mix with the sausage/onion/celery/apple/mushroom mixture and continue mixing until well incorporated and starting to clump together.
- Transfer to a greased 9x13 baking dish and warm in oven if serving immediately or put in refrigerator, covered, if using later.
Notes
Nutrition
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What dish makes it seem like Thanksgiving for you? How do you make it healthy?
Coconut Milk Irish Cream Recipe
Has anyone tried reheating the cooked “stuffing” in a crockpot instead of in a 9 X 13 pan in the oven? I have a potluck and have prepped the sausage and roasted the veggies, but I won’t have access to an oven to reheat the finished product….. I’d love to hear any suggestions if a crock-pot isn’t ideal?
This recipe sounds delicious and I can’t wait to make it. Can I use Italian chicken sausage? Also, do you cook the sausage whole and then cut it into pieces to mix it in with the vegetables?
You can use any kind of sausage and yes, cook first!
This was so good! Thank you for sharing this recipe. My turnips tasted s bit strong, so I think I will try it with parsnips next time.
I made this for Thanksgiving yesterday, because I read the comments saying how good it was. This was outstanding and a total hit! Everyone loved it, even the picky guys that dont eat veggies. I will be making every year from now on instead. And i didnt feel bogged down today because we werent on gluten overload. Thank you so much, Wellness Mama, for sharing this wonderful recipe.
One year I stuffed a guinea hen instead of a turkey (I was not in the US) and used boiled chestnuts, walnuts, brown rice and wild rice mixed with olive oil and seasoned with nutmeg and black pepper. It turned out fantastic! I might have added parsley, can’t remember, I never follow recipes closely nor do I often record them, unfortunately. Sausage could be added to this for good results and more flavor.
Another alternative to traditional stuffing.
How refreshing – I haven’t seen many grain-free stuffings that aren’t made up of mostly meat or nuts! This is great!
I’m wondering if the coconut flour can be incorporated into the recipe while initially baking to get a fluffier “breaded” type consistency? I’m thinking if I coat everything in the coconut flour before baking it in the oven it may bake a bit nicer. Am I misguided in my thinking or can this be done?
I’m going to make this, can I substitute the turnip/rutabaga with regular potatoes and can I cook this in the turkey?