Cauliflower Stuffing

The Delish team has a lot of thoughts on Thanksgiving, but we can all agree that stuffing is by far the best dish served on the holiday. Because of this, I wanted to make sure that even those not eating bread can enjoy this classic, holiday staple. Enter: Cauliflower. This low-carb cauliflower stuffing proves that you don’t necessarily need bread to make an amazing stuffing. If the group you're feeding on Thanksgiving Day is gluten-free or following a low-carb special diet, this is the only stuffing recipe you’ll need. Plus, it’s assembled entirely on the stovetop, which bodes extremely well for your oven space (more time for turkey and pie!). Here’s everything you need to know:

What People Are Saying:
"I have a gluten allergy and I make this every year for Thanksgiving. It is so good, people usually eat this instead of the traditional bread stuffing!" - nik2481

How To Make Cauliflower Stuffing

INGREDIENTS

• Butter: From a flavor perspective, if you’re going low-carb, you just can’t go low fat-too. A generous amount of butter—four tablespoons—is essential when it comes to keeping stuffing rich and tender. Fat is great! Don’t skip it. If you’re vegan or dairy-free, use coconut oil or your favorite brand of vegan butter instead.
• Onion, Carrots & Celery: Like any classic stuffing, this recipe starts with sautéing your mirepoix—onion, celery, and carrot—which, when mixed with our herbs, makes for a perfect flavorful base to our stuffing.
• Cauliflower: The star of the show, cauliflower adds the necessary texture, and provides a perfect blank canvas base that ties all of our other veggies and flavors together.
• Mushrooms: Mushrooms add a depth of flavor and texture that will keep everyone interested. I suggest using baby bella mushrooms.
• Herbs: Cauliflower is basically a sponge: it’ll soak up the flavor of whatever you cook it with, so we recommend going heavy on the herbs. Here, I did a mix of fresh parsley, rosemary, and sage. You can use dried herbs if you already have them on hand (use half the amount of dried as called for fresh in the recipe), but really, nothing beats the flavor of fresh, and a bunch of herbs typically doesn’t cost more than a few bucks.
• Broth: Pouring over some broth (low-sodium vegetable or chicken) helps the vegetables cook gently over low heat. You can use whichever you prefer—go for vegetable if you’re looking for a vegetarian Thanksgiving dish!

STEP-BY-STEP INSTRUCTIONS

First, we’ve got to melt our butter. Don’t be shy here—this is where we’re getting the base of our flavor. Then, we’ll sauté the mirepoix in the butter until soft. This should take around 7 to 8 minutes.

Once soft, add in your cauliflower and mushrooms and season to taste with salt and pepper. Give everything a good mix, then cook until the cauliflower is tender—around 8 to 10 minutes more.

Add your fresh herbs, then stir to combine. Once combined, pour the broth over the mixture and cook until the mixture is completely tender, and the broth has been fully absorbed. This should take around 10 minutes. Tip: If you like stuffing with a crispy top, broil the casserole for 2-5 minutes after it’s finished cooking on the stove. Once you reach your desired texture, take it off the heat and garnish with more herbs (if you so desire) before serving.

The full list of ingredients and instructions can be found in the recipe below.

What To Serve With Cauliflower Stuffing

• Roasted Turkey: If you’re looking for all the same Thanksgiving flavors, you can’t skip making a classic oven-roasted turkey.
• Whole-Roasted Cabbage: Hosting a vegetarian Thanksgiving? Pair this cauliflower stuffing with this centerpiece of whole-roasted cabbage.
• Prime Rib: More of a red meat person? Pair this low-carb stuffing with this juicy and tender prime rib.

Storage

This side dish is really best the day it’s served—keep it too long, and you run the risk of it growing soggy. That being said, if you have leftovers, you can store them in an airtight container in the fridge for around 3 days.