Vegetarian and Dairy Free Stuffing Muffins

Why Stuffing Muffins?

Have you ever been the last to get passed the stuffing and there is hardly any left? I have! Therefore, my goal was to create individual portions so that all get their fair share. No stuffing hogs at my table!

Stuffing, or dressing if that’s what you prefer to call it, is a staple on most holiday menus, so I didn’t want to stray too far from the classic flavors. My main goal was to create a perfect side dish that requires no serving spoon. The muffins are grab and go so guaranteed to keep the line moving and not hold up passing plates around the table!

Star Ingredients:

Herb Seasoned Cubed Stuffing: I used cubed stuffing mix in this recipe as the main ingredient – pre-seasoned and pre-toasted so you can get the muffins in the oven a bit faster. If you prefer, you can use any desired bread that you’ve cubed and toasted. The cubed stuffing mixes often use white bread, so you can swap in gluten free bread if preferred to remove any gluten from the mix. Try to choose a bread that has some heartiness so the toasted cubes hold their shape and don’t go completely soggy.

Onions, Mushrooms, and Garlic: Add delicious flavor and texture. I chose to omit any meat in this recipe, so the mushrooms add some protein to the muffins.

Apple: A diced Granny Smith apple adds the perfect bite and tartness to the muffins to balance out the savory.

Dried Cranberries and Golden Raisins: The dried cranberries and golden raisins add the perfect sweetness to each bite and infuse even more Thanksgiving flavors into the mix.

Fresh Cranberries: Fresh cranberries are completely optional in this recipe but I include them because the tartness is really nice with the savory flavors and herbs. The tartness is not for everyone though so do not fret if you’d prefer to omit and just use the dried fruit.

Eggs: The eggs bind the stuffing ingredients along with the broth and milk so that the muffins hold their shape once baked and removed from the muffin tin.

Rosemary and Thyme: A classic duo of herbs that are perfect in stuffing. You can add sage too if desired!

Baking Stuffing Muffins

Materials Needed:

1. 12 cup muffin tin
2. Non-stick spray
3. Large saute pan
4. 1 large mixing bowl
5. 1 medium mixing bowl
6. Whisk
7. Rubber Spatula
8. Large spoon or 4 oz scoop
9. Knife
10. Wire cooling rack

Ingredients:

1. 16 oz Herb Seasoned Cubed Stuffing (or 16 oz toasted bread cubes of your choosing)
2. 2 tsp olive oil
3. 1 medium yellow onion – diced
4. 2 cloves garlic – minced
5. 8 oz mushrooms – thinly sliced
6. 1 medium Granny Smith apple – diced
7. 3/4 cup dried cranberries
8. 1/4 cup golden raisins
9. 1/2 cup fresh cranberries (completely optional – reduced dried to 1/4 cup if also using fresh)
10. 2 cups low sodium vegetable broth
11. 1/2 cup nondairy milk
12. 3 large eggs
13. 1 tsp sea salt and black pepper
14. 1 tbsp each of chopped fresh rosemary and fresh thyme

Process:

Preheat the oven to 350F and spray the muffin tin with non-stick spray. Add olive oil to large sauté pan over medium-high heat. Once oil heated and shiny, add the diced onion and sliced mushrooms and cook until softened (about 5-6 minutes). Add in garlic and diced apple and cook an additional 2 minutes. Turn off heat and remove pan from burner.

Add cubed stuffing to large mixing bowl. In separate, medium mixing bowl, whisk together wet ingredients – broth, milk, and eggs until eggs are beaten. Pour wet ingredients over dried cubed stuffing in large bowl. Use rubber spatula to begin mixing the cubes and coating in broth/milk/egg mixture. Add in vegetables from pan, chopped herbs, dried fruit (and fresh cranberries if using) and salt and pepper. Continue blending with spatula until all coated and moist.

Using a 4 oz scoop or large spoon, fill each muffin cup evenly with stuffing mixture. The cups will be completely full. The muffins will not rise or expand in oven. Pack as tightly as you can in each cup to fully bind ingredients.

Bake in preheated oven for 22-25 minutes until golden brown and set. Be careful not to over-bake and dry out the cups. Let cool in the pan for 10 minutes and the run a knife around each cup. Transfer muffins to a wire rack or to serving dish/basket and serve warm. Enjoy!

**Leftover muffins can be stored in refrigerator for up to 3 days. Allow to cool to room temperature and wrap muffins individually in plastic wrap. Can be frozen for up to 45 days. Thaw in refrigerator before reheating.

More Thanksgiving Content

If searching for some other Thanksgiving or Holiday Recipes, check out a few of my seasonal favorites:

1. Brussels Sprout Salad
2. Reduced Sugar Cranberry Relish
3. Buttermilk Roasted Chicken with Herb Butter Rub
4. Reduced Guilt Sweet Potato Casserole
5. Pumpkin Strudel
6. Bailey’s Pecan Pie Shortbread Bars