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Is it stuffing season yet?!
Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays because you know, there’s food. This year, I’ll be able to celebrate with my abuela finally - and I am bringing all of my favorite vegan dishes.
That includes vegan “mushroom lentil loaf,” Puerto Rican Mushroom Pernil, mac & cheese, and my all-time favorite...Mashed Carrots with Cinamon and Brown Sugar.
Growing up, the dishes served for Thanksgiving were made with animal products - yes INCLUDING the stuffing (my Puerto Rican family loves to stuff a turkey with ground beef).
To switch things up, I’m bringing my zucchini stuffing casserole instead.
Why You’ll Love This
- We’re only using a handful of ingredients - TEN to be exact!
- This recipe is vegan. We’re using vegan butter and the other ingredients are plant-based.
- We’re using everyday equipment and kitchen tools, including an oven, skillet/wok, and a large mixing bowl.
- This is a super easy, simple stuffing casserole recipe that’s done in under an hour.
What Is Stuffing
It’s a savory, tender, flavor-packed side dish that often makes its way on the kitchen table during holidays. It can also go by "filling" or "dressing."
It’s typically made from stale bread, herbs, broth, and vegetables. Stuffing is often used to stuff other foods, like vegetables or poultry.
I prefer to serve stuffing as a side dish, then drench it with homemade mushroom gravy or onion gravy.
Ingredient Breakdown
- Vegan Butter - I like to use soft, creamy vegan butter, which includes Melt Organic or I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter (yes, it’s vegan). Oil can work too, but I highly recommend butter.
- Red Onion - Red onion was used in this recipe, but yellow or white onion can be used too. Go with what you like or have.
- Carrots - I grated the carrots myself, but carrots that are already grated or shredded work fine.
- Zucchini - Chop the zucchini into bite-sized pieces and you’re ready to go.
- Bread - I went with ciabatta bread for the main base of this stuffing casserole recipe. Go for any kind of bread you prefer, just be sure the bread is stale.
- Frozen Corn - Canned corn works too, just be sure to drain the excess water. Fresh corn can be used too.
- Broth - Go for any vegetable broth/stock you enjoy.
- Parsley - Dried parsley was used, but fresh is great too!
- Salt & Pepper - season with salt and pepper throughout the cooking process.
How To Make Zucchini Stuffing Casserole
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F and prepare a 9x13-inch casserole dish with cooking spray.
- Prepare all of your ingredients. Be sure the bread is stale/dry and cut into bite-sized pieces and transfer to a large mixing bowl.
- Cook the onion, carrots, and zucchini in a pan until soft. Then, cook the crushed garlic for 30 seconds.
- Transfer the cooked vegetable to a mixing bowl with the stale bread. Add corn, parsley, salt, pepper, and broth to the mixing bowl. Combine well.
- Pour content from the bowl into a casserole dish. Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Bake for an additional 20 minutes uncovered.
Recipe FAQs
How To Make Fresh Bread Go Stale
- Oven - Transfer the cubed bread into a baking dish and bake in the oven at 325 degrees until it has dried out - about 10-15 minutes.
- Leave Out Overnight - Cube the bread and set it out overnight to dry.
How To Store
Once the zucchini stuffing casserole has cooled down, cover/wrap tightly and store in an airtight container or for up to 3-4 days in the refrigerator.
Alternatively, store in the freezer for up to 2 months.
Recipe Tips
- It’s very important to use stale/dry bread or this recipe won’t work as it should. Stale/dry bread is needed in order to absorb the liquid. See instructions above on how to make fresh bread stale.
Tried out this Zucchini Stuffing Casserole recipe?
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Zucchini Stuffing Casserole
Ingredients
- 1 loaf ciabatta bread Stale/dried, cubed // 14 ounces, 397g, ~9 cups packed
- ¼ cup vegan butter
- 1 red onion chopped
- 2 carrots peeled, shredded
- 3 zucchini chopped into cubes
- 4 garlic cloves crushed
- 2 cups frozen corn thawed
- 1 teaspoon dried parsley
- 1.5 cup vegetable broth
- Salt & pepper to taste
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Spray a 9x13-inch baking dish with cooking spray.
- Pour the cubed bread into a large mixing bowl. Set aside.
- Heat a large skillet or wok over medium heat. Add butter. Once the butter has melted, add the onion, carrots, and zucchini. Add a bit of salt and pepper. Cook until soft, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for an additional 30 seconds. Remove from heat.
- Transfer the mixture from the pan to a large mixing bowl. Add the corn, parsley, and vegetable broth. Toss to combine.
- Transfer the mixture to the prepared baking dish and cover with aluminum foil.
- Bake for 30 minutes. Remove aluminum foil and bake for an additional 20 minutes. Serve.
Notes
- Stale bread is best for this recipe. However, if all you have is fresh bread, cut the bread into cubes, then toast until dry.
- Either frozen, fresh or canned corn works. If using canned corn, be sure to drain the excess water.
- To store, cover the baking dish with foil or transfer it into an air-tight container. Store for up to 3 days in the refrigerator.
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