A twist on a traditional favorite, this gluten-free quinoa stuffing with apples, pistachios, and dried cranberries is a healthy, whole grain side dish to add to your Thanksgiving table. Vegan and gluten-free.

Thanksgiving sure has a way of sneaking up on us, doesn’t it? I can’t believe it’s next week! Although I must say, I’m pretty pumped because we’ll be spending Thanksgiving Day with Isaac’s family (per the usual), BUT we’re also attending a Friendsgiving this weekend. Double Thanksgiving = double the fun!

It just recently dawned on me that things will be a little different at the Thanksgiving table this year — I’ll probably be enjoying a bit of turkey (for the first time in 5 years), but I’ll also be avoiding gluten. Lucky for me, my all-time favorite Thanksgiving side, sweet potato casserole, will be easy to make gluten-free. I’m going to use my mom’s recipe and make a healthier version. 🙂

As for the stuffing, that’s a different story. I’m sure gluten-free bread (like this 3 seed sprouted bread from Food for Life) would make a tasty stuffing, but I also like the idea of quinoa stuffing. Sooo, I did a little experimenting last weekend and came up with this recipe.

Let’s just say that quinoa does stuffing well! This dish has all the traditional flavors of the stuffing side dish you’re used to, just no bread and no gluten.

I’ve officially decided there’s nothing that quinoa can’t do.

I will say that this dish is definitely for the modern Thanksgiving table. For one, I’m not sure how well this dish would work for actually stuffing a turkey. And secondly, traditional stuffing lovers (like my husband) might be a little sad if you don’t make the real deal stuffing for them as well. BUT if you’re looking for a gluten-free stuffing idea or just a unique (and healthy!) dish to serve at your Thanksgiving table this year, this is the recipe for you! Enjoy.

If you make this gluten-free quinoa stuffing, please be sure to leave a comment and star rating below. Your feedback is super helpful for the EBF team and other readers who are thinking about making the recipe. 

Quinoa Stuffing

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• Author: Brittany Mullins
• Prep Time: 10 minutes
• Cook Time: 15 minutes
• Total Time: 25 minutes
• Yield: 4 servings

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Description

A twist on a traditional favorite, this gluten-free quinoa stuffing with apples, pistachios, and dried cranberries is a healthy, whole grain side dish to add to your Thanksgiving table. Vegan and gluten-free.

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Ingredients

• 1 Tablespoon coconut oil
• 1/2 cup yellow onion, chopped
• 1/2 cup celery, chopped
• 2 cups vegetable broth, low-sodium
• 1 cup quinoa, rinsed and drained
• 1 bay leaf
• 2 sprigs of fresh thyme
• 1 gala apple, chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• 1/4 cup pistachios, chopped
• 1/4 cup dried cranberries
• juice from 1/2 lemon
• 1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
• sea salt and pepper, to taste

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Instructions

1. Heat oil in a medium saucepan. Add in onion and celery and sauté until onion is fragrant and translucent, about 5-7 minutes. Add vegetable broth, quinoa bay leaf, thyme, apple and salt to the pan. Heat to a boil. Once boiling, reduce heat, cover and simmer about 15 minutes, until quinoa absorbs water. Remove from heat; remove bay leaf and thyme sprig, let cool for 5 minutes.
2. Add pistachios and cranberries to the quinoa. Drizzle on lemon juice and sprinkle on fresh parsley leaves. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Serve warm. If the quinoa seems dry, add a drizzle of vegetable broth or olive oil to moisten it up.

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• Category: Sides
• Method: Stove Top
• Cuisine: American

Nutrition

• Serving Size: 2 cups
• Calories: 272
• Sugar: 11g
• Fat: 8g
• Carbohydrates: 46g
• Fiber: 6g
• Protein: 7g