Thanksgiving Paleo Gluten Free Stuffing
This Thanksgiving Paleo Gluten Free Stuffing is a delicious healthy alternative to most traditional dressings and stuffings – it's made with a ton of veggies and it's still packed with fall flavours thanks to the sage and rosemary!
OMFG this is truly one of those recipes I did not expect to love so much
This Thanksgiving Paleo Gluten Free Stuffing is basically fall in a skillet, and it's so perfect for your weekly meal prep that it might not even make it to the Thanksgiving dinner table. Seriously.
Fall just has the best food – gimme some sage, sausage, brussels sprouts and butternut squash along with a bunch of garlic and I'm a happy girl. The flavours of autumn are just so comforting and honestly you can take a lot of fall comfort food flavours and turn them healthy, as seen in this Gluten Free Stuffing.
This Thanksgiving stuffing (not to be confused with Thanksgiving Fried Rice) is Whole 30, paleo, gluten-free…pretty much checks off all the boxes on healthy eating, and because it comes together (mostly) in one skillet, it's also great for meal prepping for your work week if you just can't get enough holiday flavours.
Or maybe you don't have a Thanksgiving feast planned out, or just want to eat healthier at your family gathering instead of making up a whole bunch of different side dishes so this healthy gluten free stuffing is right up your alley!
Even if you don't include the turkey sausage, it's still a fantastic side dish bursting with veggies, and is bound to accomodate for most dietary restrictions. No one's going hungry with this scramble!
Essentially this paleo stuffing really is just a scramble, similar in nature to this other Sausage and Root Vegetable Scramble I made last year.
Both are equally worth making this fall, but I secretly love this version better because a) it's got butternut squash and I'm obsessed with it and b) this stuffing recipe allows you to get a better roast on your veggies because you're not just cooking everything at once.
How to Make This Gluten Free Stuffing a One Pan Meal:
Technically you could make this paleo stuffing in just the one pan, adding your ingredients bit by bit, but there's something delectable about a little brown char on the brussels sprouts and the butternut squash that you can't really get in the frying pan.
But if you do want to take the easier route because you're meal prepping and you don't have all weekend, you could do the following:
- Saute the turkey sausage in the skillet first then transfer to a separate bowl
- Without wiping the pan clean, add a bit of olive oil and saute the butternut squash and brussels sprouts on medium-high heat for about 10-15 minutes
- Add in the rest of the veggies and cook another 8-10 minutes, then add the turkey sausage back in and dump in the herbs, cooking another 2 minutes
Easy peasy right?!
When it comes to most stuffing recipes, I actually don't really like the idea of throwing apple in there. In fact, I have an aversion to most fruit being in any type of savoury recipe.
But I'm here to tell you NOT to exclude the apple! It really does bring a true fall flavour to this gluten free stuffing recipe – combined with the fresh sage (don't use dried sage, it's not the same!) and the rosemary…let's just say it's amazing and it's a winning combo.
Don't have any apples on hand? First of all, who even are you? But second of all, you could always swap in some canned water chestnuts for some crunch (or do both…YUM!)
And like all of my recipes if you don't have exactly the same veggies for this paleo stuffing recipe then don't fret! You could also use sweet potatoes, parsnips, carrots, any type of greens, beets, potatoes…any type of root vegetable really!
And you can also use store bought turkey sausage to save on time, but this is my fave ever homemade turkey sausage recipe and it's SO good (either for dinner or for breakfast, as seen in these breakfast sandwiches I made a couple years ago)
Will you be making this Thanksgiving Paleo Gluten Free Stuffing?
I think this is pretty much the BEST fall meal prep recipe EVER!
If you try any of my recipes be sure to let me know on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook or in the comments – I’d love to see what you come up with!
Grab some Glass meal prep bowls for your leftovers.
Thanksgiving Paleo Gluten Free Stuffing
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp olive oil, divided
- 1 small butternut squash, diced
- 2 cups brussels sprouts, sliced in half
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 medium-sized yellow onion, diced
- 3 celery stalks, finely chopped
- 1 red pepper, diced
- 1 apple, sliced and diced into small pieces
- 2 tbsp finely chopped fresh sage (I would not recommend dried here - you need the fresh stuff!)
- 2 tbsp finely chopped fresh rosemary (or 2 tsp dried)
- Salt & pepper to taste
Turkey sausage
- 1 lb Ground chicken or turkey
- 1/4 cup gluten free breadcrumbs (optional)
- 1 egg
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 2 tsp dijon mustard
- 1 tbsp onion powder
- 1 tbsp fennel seeds
- 1/2 tsp each salt and pepper
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 450 F. In a large bowl, mix together ingredients for turkey sausage.
- Add butternut squash and brussels sprouts to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper then drizzle on a bit of olive oil and season with some salt and pepper. Roast in the oven for 20 minutes, flipping halfway through.
- Meanwhile, heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a very large skillet over med-high heat. Add turkey sausage (you can also use store bought and remove casings), then break up with a slotted spoon, cooking until just browned, about 5-7 minutes.
- Remove turkey from skillet and add in onions, celery, red pepper and apple, then drizzle with a tiny bit of olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Saute for about 7-8 minutes until veggies soften.
- Add turkey sausage back to skillet with other veggies - right around this time squash should be coming out of the oven. Add that to the skillet along with rosemary and sage and saute another 2-3 minutes, stirring everything very well.
- Serve immediately or divide into meal prep bowls. Leftovers will last in fridge up to 5 days.
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