You don’t need bread to make a tasty Paleo stuffing! This recipe uses roasted butternut squash, ground pork, fresh herbs, apples, and cranberries for a festive Thanksgiving side dish with all the traditional holiday flavors.
Start by roasting a butternut squash, sliced into cubes. You can also buy it pre-cut to help save on prep time.
Meanwhile, brown ground pork in a large skillet. We recommend using an oven-safe skillet or cast iron pan so you don’t need to transfer the stuffing to a baking dish later (unless you want to present it in the traditional casserole dish).
Be sure to use plain ground pork, as packaged sausage often contains extra salt and sugar. If you want, you can season the pork with black pepper, fennel seeds, garlic powder, paprika, and/or red pepper flakes to create your own homemade sausage.
Once the pork is browned, add chopped onions, garlic, carrots, and celery, along with fresh seasonal herbs like sage, rosemary, and thyme. Cook for a few minutes, then add chopped apples and optional dried cranberries. Since many prepackaged dried cranberries contain extra sugar, we suggest making your own. (It’s easy if you have a dehydrator!)
Finally, mix in a scrambled egg to hold everything together, and bake. Serve at your Thanksgiving table garnished with lots of fresh herbs!
Tips:
- Need to save on time? Roast the butternut squash a day or two before.
- Swap pork for ground turkey for a leaner stuffing.
- Have vegan guests? Replace the meat with mushrooms.
- Add chopped and cooked chestnuts right before baking for even more seasonal flavor.
