Gluten Free Stuffing from Gluten Free Friend Jess McNeil
Stuffing is one of the most asked for recipes. Enjoy this great recipe from one of my wonderful gluten free friends. Jess McNeil was so kind to bless us with her favorite gluten free stuffing recipe. I have to say that Jess is one of my most “enthusiastic” gluten free friends. She always brings a smile to my face. I hope that her recipe will bring a smile to your face.
Jess mentions that this recipe is very versatile. She of course loves Gluten Free Mama bread the best when making it. Here is another way that Jess makes hers. “I made a 1/4 batch the other night. I went really heavy on the leeks and added mushrooms to the stuffing and it was awesome. I stuffed pork loin with candied bacon, cranberries, and chevre and we had a side of green beans and mushrooms with cream sauce and homemade fried onions on top. It was ridiculously delicious and fairly easy. That bread recipe in your cookbook is versatile and delicious. I’m really much more excited about cooking these days.”
*Homemade French Fried Onions can also be found in Mama’s new cookbook, “In the Kitchen with Gluten Free Mama”.
Basic Gluten Free Stuffing
1 loaf sliced GF bread, lightly toasted and cut into ½ – ¾“ cubes (Jess uses GFM’s White Bread recipe. Mama’s Honey Sandwich Bread, Old Fashioned White, Dairy Free White, Honey Flax, French Yogurt, and Sesame French are also great choices) All found in Mama’s cookbooks.
1 large white or yellow onion chopped (or 2 large leeks)
2 stalks chopped celery
1 large carrot, chopped
1 tsp, ground/rubbed sage
1 tsp. ground thyme
4-5 cloves garlic (GFM says the more the better, smile)
2-3 Tbsp. butter or dairy free margarine
salt and pepper to taste
2 1/2 cups chicken broth or vegetable broth
1 egg – OPTIONAL (this holds the stuffing mix together if you prefer it more casserole-like, but is not required)
Directions: Make bread ahead of time or purchase at store. Toast bread slowly until hard, or toast lightly, then leave exposed for a day.
Preheat oven to about 325. Grease a 9×13 inch baking dish.
Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Stir in the onion, celery, carrots and garlic; slowly cook until tender. Add in spices, salt, pepper and mix well.
If you’re using egg, whisk the egg into the chicken broth. Mix the chicken broth into the bread cubes until mixture is moist throughout. The mixture should be moist, but not mushy. Mix in the sautéed vegetable and spice mixture.
Press into the baking dish. Bake 1 hour, or until the top is brown and crisp.
Jess’ ALTERNATES:
(1) If you like it smooshy and chunky like I do, you can cut out the baking altogether and mix the bread, chicken broth, veggie and spice mixture directly into the big saucepan and then cook on the stove top until it reaches the desired level of moisture that you like.
(2) Some people like their stuffing very uniform and not chunky. If you want a more solid stuffing, you can crush the hardened bread cubes into crumbs with a rolling pin before you combine them with liquid. In this case, you will probably want to use the egg or egg substitute and bake the mixture.
Thank you Jess for sharing your recipe with us! We all appreciate it.