The Best Dressing Recipes without Grains: If you’re looking for a great dressing recipe, you’re in for a treat! This stuffing is made with only fresh, whole ingredients, and is the perfect side dish to your holiday meal.
Free of gluten, dairy, refined-sugar, and even grains, this stuffing recipe is one everyone in the family can enjoy together! Ready to learn more? Keep reading!
The Best Dressing Recipe without Grains
Stuffing is a holiday staple, and a must-make for Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner! The issue is that most stuffing recipes include eggs, bread, and butter, making it challenging for those of us with dietary limitations or allergies.
Before you ask, we do not believe that whole, well-sourced grains are unhealthy. We do, however, understand that each person’s body is different, and no one diet fits all. I personally choose a grain-free diet to manage my Crohn’s Disease, and created this recipe to be grain-free because of this. With that being said, whether you’re grain-free or not, you will love this easy Stuffing Recipe!
Because of the carefully chosen ingredients in this recipe, my stuffing is AIP-friendly, SCD compliant, and fits within the requirements of the Whole30 plan!
Dressing without Bread
Not only is this stuffing grain-free, but it’s completely bread free too! While there are tons of grain-free bread recipes and brands out there, I decided to make this recipe without bread in order to focus on adding in more fruit and veggies.
However, there’s no need to worry about this stuffing being filling enough! Not only are you getting a hefty dose of protein from the ground turkey, but you’re also taking in a generous serving of carbs from the butternut squash, apples, and cranberries.
Because of this, you can expect a fresh and perfectly balanced sweet and savory flavor to this Stuffing Recipe!
How to Make this Dressing Recipe without Grains
It might seem weird to try to make a notoriously grain-based dish grain-free, but I promise, it’s incredibly quick and easy (and just as tasty)! All you need is fresh fruit and veggies, a little ground turkey, and spices for the perfect dish.
Here are all of the ingredients you’ll need to make The Best Stuffing Recipe without Grains. As always, feel free to make swaps and modifications to fit your personal preferences and dietary needs.
Ground Turkey: Since it can be difficult to source high quality pork, and it can be tough on my digestion, I opted for ground turkey in this recipe! Because I love the flavor of sausage so much, I added some spices to make the turkey taste more sausage like. This way, you won’t miss out on a thing!
Just be sure to source your turkey well. Preferably, you’ll find pastured ground turkey. If this is not an option, organic is second best!
Spices: This recipe uses a combination of sage, fennel, and Himalayan pink salt for a sausage flavor, without the inflammatory effects processed pork may have on the body at times.
Butternut Squash: A major part of my grain-free Stuffing Recipe is butternut squash! Soft, sweet, and loaded with flavor, butternut squash is a great filler to make this stuffing recipe bulky, without messing with your digestion.
Green Apples: I LOVE fresh fruit, especially when combined with savory ingredients like in this Recipe for Stuffing. The green apples help to create a sweet and savory flavor in this dish.
Fresh Cranberries: I skipped with dried cranberries, and went straight for the fresh cranberries in this recipe! No sugar added, plus a tangy and delicious fresh cranberry flavor, fresh cranberries really make this dish!
While we always prefer organic produce, cranberries are neither on the Dirty Dozen or Clean Fifteen lists, leaving it up to consumers discretions.
Celery: Who doesn’t love the fresh crunch of celery?! Celery adds a lot of flavor to this dressing, and great contrast between savory and sweet. Don’t skip this step!
Leeks: If you’ve never had a leek before, there’s no better time to experiment than now! Leeks are like a softer, more mild tasting onion, and go great in soups and other dishes.
Dirty Dozen Alert!: Celery and apples are on the 2021 Dirty Dozen List, which means these plants are known to be sprayed with numerous dangerous pesticides. Buy organic if at all possible for the healthiest option here.
More Grain-Free Holiday Dishes
Grain-free, or simply looking for more healthy holiday dish ideas? Here are a few of my favorite grain-free recipes that are great for the holidays!
Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Bacon: Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Bacon is the only way I like to eat my sprouts. Of course, this recipe has me pining for some new ones to share!
Cranberry Sauce Orange Juice: Tangy, sweet and bursting with antioxidants, this Cranberry Sauce Orange Juice Recipe is a healthy, festive holiday condiment!
Grain-Free Biscuit Recipe: All you need to make this grain-free biscuit recipe is 5 ingredients, a single bowl, and 25 minutes!
Recipe for Green Peas: Looking for a quick and incredibly simple veggie side dish? If so, this Recipe for Green Peas may just be the perfect recipe for you!
Ready to learn how to make The Best Stuffing Recipe without Grains on your own? Here are all of the details!
Kitchen Favorites
The Best Dressing Recipe without Grains
The Best Stuffing Recipe without Grains is made with only fresh, whole ingredients, and is the perfect side dish to your holiday meal.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 35 minutes
- Total Time: 50 minutes
- Yield: 8–10 servings 1x
Ingredients
- 1 pound pastured ground turkey
- 15 ounces butternut squash, steamed and chopped
- 1 large green apple, chopped
- 12 ounces fresh cranberries
- 2 stalks celery, chopped
- 1 medium leek, chopped
- 1 teaspoon sage, fresh or dried, diced if fresh
- 1 teaspoon fennel, fresh or dried, diced if fresh
- Himalayan pink salt, to taste
- Avocado oil, to sauté
Instructions
- Begin by preheating the oven to 425ºF, and lining a large casserole dish with parchment paper.
- Heat a large skillet to medium high heat on the stovetop, and coat in a thin layer of avocado oil.
- Add in ground turkey, and cook until done, breaking apart and stirring every couple of minutes.
- While turkey is cooking, steam butternut squash.
- Once ground turkey is nearly thoroughly cooked, add butternut squash, green apple, cranberries, celery, and leek to the skillet. Sauté for 8-10 minutes, or until ingredients are softening.
- Scrape contents of skillet into casserole dish.
- Place in the oven for 15-20 minutes, or until top has browned to your liking.
- Remove from oven, and serve warm. Enjoy!
Last Step! If you loved our recipe, leave us a review below. This helps future recipe makers and ensures continued high-quality recipes for years to come!
Teddi
Saturday 5th of March 2022
Can this be stuffed in a turkey and baked?
Madison Suttles
Sunday 6th of March 2022
Hi Teddi,
Great question! I have never tried this stuffing recipe stuffed inside of a turkey and baked, as it was created to be enjoyed as a side dish. However, this would be a fun experiment, and something I will have to try sometime! Please let me know how it goes if you do try it with this method.
Madison