Mushroom and chestnut vegetarian stuffing
In my eyes, there are a few essential elements of a good Christmas dinner, and stuffing is one of them (even if you’ve not actually got anything to stuff it into…).
So don’t miss out – just whip up a quick batch of vegetarian stuffing to serve alongside your roasties, nut roast, vegetable side dishes, and whatever else you’re serving up for Christmas dinner this year.
A lot of stuffing recipes are made with meat, so it can be tricky to figure out where to start when making a vegetarian stuffing. But don’t be put off – this mushroom and chestnut stuffing is so easy. Seriously, so unbelievably easy.
You literally just need to throw a few ingredients in a food processor, and you’re most of the way there. Sautéed mushrooms and onions, parsley, cooked chestnuts (I used the vacuum-packed kind, but tinned ones would work well too), and some bread to hold everything together – I used wholewheat bread, because I’m virtuous like that.
The mixture will end up fairly thick and dry – it looks a lot like stuffing, to be honest. You just need to transfer it to a baking dish, and throw it in the oven until it crisps up. Don’t worry about smoothing it out on top – those nooks and crannies are the bits that are going to get extra crispy!
The great thing about this stuffing is that it’s not particularly time-sensitive. There’s so much going on when you’re trying to cook a Christmas dinner that it can be tricky to make sure everything’s ready to serve at the exact same moment. This vegetarian stuffing doesn’t cause any problems, as it can be ready whenever you are. It doesn’t really matter if it cooks for 30 minutes or for a full hour, it’ll just be varying degrees of crispy!
The end result is a really, really tasty stuffing. It’s soft and moist inside (the chestnuts are perfect for giving that lovely texture), but really nice and crispy around the edges, and it’s full of flavour. Oh, and it loves gravy too – so make sure you have some on the table! I’ll be sharing a gravy recipe next week, in case you’re not prepared.
And there you have it! Easy peasy vegetarian stuffing.
Mushroom and chestnut vegetarian stuffing
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Print Pin CommentIngredients
- 1 tbsp oil
- 1 small onion, diced
- 1 small red onion, diced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 300 g mushrooms (~ 10 medium mushrooms)
- 1/4 tsp dried thyme
- 1/4 tsp dried oregano
- 1/2 tsp dried sage
- 180 g cooked and peeled chestnuts, e.g. tinned or vacuum-packed (~ 1 cup)
- 100 g wholemeal bread (~ 2 inch thick slice of a large loaf)
- Small bunch fresh parsley
- Salt
- Black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 190°C (Gas Mark 5 / 375°F).
- Heat the oil in a frying pan, and add the diced onions, garlic and mushrooms. Cook over a medium heat for about 5 minutes, until the vegetables are soft and any excess liquid has evaporated.
- Transfer the vegetables to a food processor, along with the remaining ingredients. Season generously, and blitz until the mixture just comes together.
- Transfer the stuffing mixture to a baking dish, and bake for around 40 minutes, until crispy on top. Serve warm.
Nutritional information is approximate, and will depend on your exact ingredients. Please calculate your own nutritional values if you require accuracy for health reasons.
Note: Nutritional information is approximate, and will depend on exactly what ingredients you choose.
The mushrooms sound divine! We have a ham & a turkey at Christmas and I think I’ll give this new stuffing a try.
Oh yes Becca, this stuffing recipe sounds gorgeous. And it would have been great as a middle nut roast layer instead of the sage and onion I used. Oh I do love Christmas dinner :)
You’ve just got to have stuffing on your Christmas dinner. So nice to see a delicious vegetarian alternative.
No holiday is complete without stuffing! I could eat only stuffing and be completely happy! Your version sounds so good, and I particularly l-o-v-e the added chestnuts!
What a delicious stuffing! Love mushrooms and I bet the chestnuts are awesome in this!
Stuffing is one of my favourite things on the Christmas table! Your version looks and sounds so delicious! I could eat it on it’s own with gravy, yum! :D
Even though I’m not veggie I would quite happily tuck into this stuffing recipe! Gorgeous!
Sounds like a great vegetarian stuffing recipe! Delicious!
This is such a grand idea for stuffing; full of flavor and none of the grain and gluten to bog you down; love this one; thanks for sharing!
lovely – perfect winter flavours in this stuffing. Am sure this would be wonderful wit some roasted potatoes and gravy. What is your main course going to be on Xmas day?
Not sure, I won’t be cooking it! :D