OK, so I admit it.  My signature stuffing up until now has been fatty on a platter a sausage smorgasbord.  In fact, when I had Thanksgiving with JP’s family for the first time years ago, we had an entire debate about Stuffing vs. Dressing.  Down here in the South, it’s called dressing.  Where I come from, dressing is what you put on a salad!  So, his family nicknamed my dish, “Yankee Stuffing” and like a true chef from north of the Mason-Dixon line, I loaded it with sausage and sage and butter….

The recipe was a hit, bless their little hearts!

So, when the lovely folks at Whole Foods Market asked me to come up with a recipe for a plant based vegetarian stuffing for our segment, I tried to talk them out of it.  But Yankee stuffing is my favorite recipe, I sniffed.

Then, I (reluctantly) took the meat-free challenge.  When I actually started experimenting with veggie options, I realized that meat doesn’t have to be the star– (sorry, Jimmy Dean!)  Instead, butternut squash took the spotlight.  It’s light, but savory and scrumptious!

Standing ovation, please!

Ingredients

1 loaf of ciabatta bread cubed and toasted in oven at 375 for 10 minutes

3 cups butternut squash chopped (steam for 10 minutes)

2 Tb curry powder

1 Tb Tandoori Masala spice mic

1 ½ cups vegetable stock

3-4 Tb sage

3 Tb currants

3 Tb toasted almonds

1 box of fresh sliced mushrooms

1 medium onion diced

3 stalks diced celery

3 garlic cloves diced

Saute in 1 Tb olive oil:  Mushrooms, onion, celery and garlic

Add 2 Tb curry powder and 1 Tb Tandoori Masala spice mix to 1 ½ cups vegetable stock

Add vegetable stock with spices to bread, squash and mushroom/onion mixture.

Fold in:

3-4 Tb chopped fresh sage

3 Tb currants

3 Tb toasted almonds

1 tsp of kosher salt plus more to taste.

Mix together and bake at 400 for 10-15 minutes.