Vegan Sourdough Stuffing with Apple, Kale, Pecans and Cranberries
Dress up your holiday table with delicious vegan sourdough stuffing that everyone will enjoy! Made with fresh herbs, apple, kale, pecans, and cranberries, our sourdough stuffing has a perfect blend of classic savory flavors, toasted nuttiness, and pops of tart sweetness.
Ingredients
- 1 loaf sourdough bread (16 to 20 oz)
- 1 yellow or white onion (medium to large), diced
- 2 apples (medium) chopped - fuji, pink lady, honey crisp, or granny smith
- 4 or 5 celery stalks with leaves, diced
- 2 bunches lacinato, dino, or green curly kale (a couple dozen leaves or about 1 pound) - de-stemmed and roughly chopped
- 2 Tbsp fresh sage leaves, finely chopped (about 10-12 large leaves, or sub 2 tsp dried sage)
- 1 Tbsp fresh thyme leaves, about 10 sprigs stripped/de-stemmed (sub with 1 tsp dried thyme)
- 1 or 2 sprigs fresh rosemary, left whole (sub 1 tsp dried rosemary)
- 6 Tbsp olive oil, coconut oil, vegan butter or melted butter. (4 Tbsp used in the saute, 2 Tbsp to drizzle on the top of the stuffing before baking)
- 8 ounces pecans (about 2 cups) raw or toasted unsalted, left whole or roughly chopped - your choice!
- 1 cup dried cranberries
- 2 to 4 cups low-sodium vegetable broth (sliding scale depending on how large your bread loaf is, and how moist/sticky you like your stuffing)
- 1 tsp salt (more to taste if needed)
- black pepper to taste
- 1/2 tsp red wine vinegar or white wine vinegar (optional)
Instructions
Toast the Bread
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Cut the sourdough bread into ½-inch to 1-inch cubes and spread it out on two baking sheets. Leave the crust on. Bake the sourdough bread cubes for about 20 minutes, until they’re dry, crisp, lightly toasted and golden brown. Rotate the two pans halfway through toasting. Alternatively, you could simply cube the bread a day or two in advance and let it sit out to air dry, though toasting it gives a nice touch! (Stale bread will toast more quickly).
- Increase the oven to 375°F once the bread is done toasting.
Saute Veggies, Herbs and Apple
- In a large pot on the stovetop, add about 4 Tbsp of olive oil, coconut oil, butter or vegan butter of choice. Add diced onions and celery, and allow it to cook over medium-high heat for a few minutes while you prep the herbs and apple.
- Once the onions start to turn translucent, add the finely-diced sage and thyme, whole sprig of rosemary, and chopped apple to the pot. Allow to cook for a few minutes, stirring occasionally.
- De-stem the kale and either roughly chop or rip it into bite-size pieces. Add the kale to the pot of cooked onions, celery, apple and herbs, along with 1 tsp salt, a sprinkle of black pepper, and 1/2 tsp of red or white wine vinegar. Cook only until the kale wilts, then remove from heat.
Mix & Bake Stuffing
- Put the toasted sourdough croutons in a large mixing bowl, then add the sautéed veggie/apple mixture, pecans, and dried cranberries. Use tongs or spatula to toss and combine.
- Slowly pour the vegetable broth over the mixture, stirring the stuffing as you go. Start with 2 cups of broth and then add ½ cup more at a time until it reaches your desired moisture level. (We ended up using about 3.5 cups for this particular batch.) *See notes below.
- Transfer the stuffing mixture into a greased baking dish. Finally, drizzle 2 Tbsp of melted butter or oil of choice evenly across the top of the stuffing.
- Add a lid or foil and bake covered for 25 to 30 minutes, and then a final 5 to 10 minutes uncovered to lightly toast the top.
- Enjoy!
Notes
Veggie broth notes: The amount will vary slightly depending on the size of the bread loaf. Use enough so that the bread crumbs absorb the broth and become slightly soft, but not soggy or overly wet. I personally like having a few toasted crunchy bites left here and there. The more broth you add, the more the bread will break down and clump together - if you prefer your sourdough stuffing more sticky and homogenous.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!