Vegetarian Stuffing

The best vegetarian stuffing is a simple one. Classic stuffing ingredients and seasoning, minus the actual bird. While this stuffing is technically put inside a roasted turkey, this recipe for vegetarian stuffing is cooked separately. But it still has all the familiar flavors of a meat-based stuffing, including sage and poultry seasoning.

What’s even better is it is finished in a slow cooker, so it stays extra-moist and frees up oven space. Served alongside a rustic squash tart, no one will miss the meat.

Ingredients for Vegetarian Stuffing

• Jarred mushrooms: Pantry-friendly mushrooms add earthy interest to stuffing. Make sure to blend them in well with the other ingredients.
• Celery: Crisp celery is cut fine and cooked until soft and aromatic.
• Onion: Chopped onion adds classic flavor.
• Parsley: Minced and fresh, green parsley brings a bit of brightness to this slow-cooked dish.
• Butter: Rich butter makes up for the missing meat, but feel free to use olive oil instead.
• Dry bread: You need dried bread to absorb the broth and egg. it also adds structure to the dressing.
• Rubbed sage: A traditional holiday herb that adds just the right note.
• Poultry seasoning: This blend adds a little more sage and other bold spice flavors like marjoram, celery seed and nutmeg.
• Dried thyme: Layers of seasoning, including woodsy thyme, are tossed with the bread cubes.
• Eggs: If you want a classic stuffing texture, egg acts as a binder to hold the vegetables and bread together.
• Vegetable broth: Homemade or store-bought veggie broth adds moisture.

Directions

Step 1: Assemble stuffing ingredients

Melt butter in a large skillet, and sauté the mushrooms, celery, onions and parsley until tender. In a large bowl, gently toss the bread cubes with salt, sage, poultry seasoning, thyme and pepper. Stir in the sautéed vegetables. Then whisk together the eggs and broth in a small bowl and add the mixture to the bread and vegetables.

Editor’s Tip: If you don’t have day-old bread on hand, simply spread cubed bread on a baking sheet and cook at your oven’s lowest temperature for 45 minutes or until dry.

Step 2: Slow-cook the stuffing

Move the stuffing ingredients to a 5-quart slow cooker. Cover and cook on low for four to five hours or until an instant-read thermometer reaches 160°F.

Vegetarian Stuffing Variations

• Switch up the bread: White bread (like soft French) is a traditional choice, but you can change the flavor profile with a seedy multigrain loaf or sweet cornbread.
• Use fresh mushrooms: If you prefer fresh mushrooms, sauté sliced fresh mushrooms before the onion to make sure they release their water and begin to brown. This will ensure maximum mushroom flavor.
• Add some crunch: If there are no guests with allergies, try stirring in 1 cup of chopped nuts, like pecans.

Can you make vegetarian stuffing ahead of time?

If you want to make this stuffing recipe ahead of time, keep your sautéed vegetables and seasoned bread stored separately for two to three days. On the day of cooking, stir in the egg and broth mixture and cook as directed.

Vegetarian Stuffing Tips

Is stuffing usually vegetarian?

Many traditional stuffing recipes are not vegetarian and use poultry broth and drippings for flavor.

Can I use a different broth?

Yes, different broths can switch up the flavor. Keep it vegetarian and delicious by trying mushroom, miso or turmeric-based broths.

How do I make this stuffing vegan?

You can make this stuffing vegan by cooking the vegetables in olive oil instead of butter and leaving out eggs. The finished stuffing will be looser without the egg binding, but still delicious. Make sure your bread doesn’t include any butter or eggs (like a brioche or challah).