My first couple holidays after becoming vegan and my first couple of attempts at recreating this traditional recipe fell..well..a little flat. The recipe that I grew up with seemed rather simple and straight forward but once modified to contain no animal products, there was always ‘something’ missing (and seriously, with a gazillion recipes literally at our fingertips, there is absolutely no point in ever making a recipe again unless it’s absolutely delicious, right?) Despite that missing ‘something’, I wasn’t ready to give up. I wanted my familiar family recipe but a cruelty free version with all the flavour.
That ‘thing’ that was missing in my first recipe attempts was the elusive, complex and necessary flavour of umami. Umami is one of the five basic tastes and can be described as being deep, savoury or brothy (or even meaty) and the amino acids responsible for this flavour originate in both plants and animals. If you want to learn more about how to use vegan ingredients to create rich, deeply flavourful recipes, check out my earlier post on this subject here.
Anyway this recipe is exactly what you want your stuffing to be. Don’t omit or substitute ingredients if you want the same results. It has umami in spades and will impress all of your friends and family, vegan or not. I’m willing to bet (without even knowing what else you’re having) that it will even be the best part of your holiday dinner:)
Happy Holidays!!
Preheat your oven 375 F. Cut your bread into cubes and place on a cookie sheet. Bake for 20-25 minutes turning halfway through. They are done when they are fully dry, no longer spongy but not yet too dark. Remove from oven and set aside to cool.
Warm a large skillet over medium heat. Add the canola oil and once hot add your onions. Saute for about 3 minutes and then add your celery. Cook for another 3 minutes. Add your butter (you want to use a great butter flavoured spread, not just another oil) and stir just until melted. Add your salt, thyme, sage and celery seed. Stir to combine. 
Add your broth (I love Pacific Organic Vegetable Broth) and No Chicken Bouillon. Mix well.
Add your dried bread cubes and stir until evenly mixed.
Preheat oven to 350F. Spoon the stuffing into a baking dish and bake covered for 15 minutes. Remove cover and bake for another 15 minutes (ensure the dressing has not dried out). Turn on broil for 3-4 minutes at the end to brown the top. Remove from the oven and garnish with chopped fresh parsley. Serve and enjoy with all your holiday fixings:)
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- 12 slices of whole grain bread
- 2 tbsp canola oil
- 1 large onion, diced
- 2 cups diced celery
- 1 tbsp Better Than Bouillon Vegetarian No Chicken Base
- 1 tsp poultry seasoning
- ¼ tsp salt (optional)
- ¼ tsp thyme
- ½ tsp sage
- ½ tsp celery seed
- ¼ cup vegan butter (I like Vegan Becel)
- 2 cups of high quality vegetable broth (I like Pacific Foods Organic)
- Parsley, fresh, chopped for garnish
- Preheat your oven 375 F.
- Cut your bread into cubes and place on a cookie sheet.
- Bake for 20-25 minutes turning halfway through. They are done when they are fully dry, no longer spongy but not yet too dark. Remove from oven and set aside to cool.
- Warm a large skillet over medium heat.
- Add the canola oil and once hot add your onions. Saute for about 3 minutes and then add your celery. Cook for another 3 minutes.
- Add your butter and stir just until melted.
- Add your salt, thyme, sage and celery seed. Stir to combine.
- Add your broth and No Chicken Bouillon. Mix well.
- Add your dried bread cubes and stir until evenly mixed.
- Preheat oven to 350F.
- Spoon the stuffing into a baking dish and bake covered for 15 minutes.
- Remove cover and bake for another 15 minutes (ensure the dressing has not dried out).
- Turn on broil for 3-4 minutes at the end to brown the top.
- Remove from the oven and garnish with chopped fresh parsley
- Serve!
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