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Butternut Squash, Brussels Sprout & Bread Stuffing With Apples

by:
November  6, 2020
5 Ratings
Photo by James Ransom
Author Notes

The first time I served this stuffing to my (omnivore) family, they were so enchanted that they didn't even know it was vegan. I've made a few tweaks over time, but the core of the recipe--a savory mix of winter squash, brussels sprouts, and good bread--has remained. —Gena Hamshaw

Test Kitchen Notes

Featured in: Our Best Thanksgiving Side Dishes. —The Editors

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  • Cook time 50 minutes
  • Serves 6
Ingredients
  • 1 pound butternut squash, cubed
  • 1 pound brussels sprouts, halved
  • 1 medium gala apple, cut into a 1/2 inch dice
  • 2 shallots, thinly sliced
  • 3 tablespoons olive oil, divided into 2 tbsp and 1 tbsp
  • 1 cup onion, diced
  • 1 cup celery, diced
  • 10 slices bread of choice: crusty sourdough, dry cornbread, whole grain, or, if you are gluten free, millet bread from Food For Life will work nicely. Prior to preparing the recipe, leave bread out for a day to become slightly dry, then cut into cubes.
  • 1 1/2 cups vegetable broth (plus extra as needed)
  • 2 teaspoons fresh rosemary, chopped
  • 1 teaspoon fresh thyme
  • 1 teaspoon chopped fresh sage
  • 1/3 cup dried cranberries
  • 1/3 cup pecans or walnuts
  • Sea salt and pepper to taste
In This Recipe
Directions
  1. Heat oven to 400 degrees. Toss the squash, brussels sprouts, apples, and shallots in 2 tbsp oil and season well with salt and pepper. Roast till vegetables are very tender (I actually like my sprouts a bit singed) and remove from oven. Reduce oven heat to 350.
  2. Heat other tbsp oil in a large pot. Sautee the onion and celery till translucent (about 5-8 min). Add the bread cubes and allow them to get golden brown with the veggies in the oil. Add a dash of salt and pepper.
  3. Add the roasted vegetables, vegetable broth, cranberries, pecans, and seasonings. Stir the mix till the broth has almost entirely absorbed in the toasted bread. Transfer to a baking sheet and bake at 350 for about 20 minutes. Serve hot. And delicious.
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Gena is a registered dietitian, recipe developer, and food blogger. She's the author of three cookbooks, including Power Plates (2017) and Food52 Vegan (2015). She enjoys cooking vegetables, making bread, and challenging herself with vegan baking projects.

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79 Reviews

Write a Review
Trishlynne November 22, 2019
Absolutely love this!!
Marcus January 12, 2019
Very nice. First I was irritated about cooking this twice in the oven, but it works just fine. The apple is great. We didn't use the cranberries as no one in our family likes them. Lots of umami in this one. Thanks.
Nora H. January 6, 2019
We are Pescatarian/Vegetarian so we added two 8 oz cans of Chicken of the Sea whole oysters and it was amazing! We did not drain the oysters which added 1 cup of liquid, so we cut vegetable broth down to 1/2 cup. This made a hearty vegetarian "meal" for my daughter and I and we were delighted to get all of those veggies in our bods!
pistolwink November 23, 2018
This was great! My only substitution was prune bits instead of cranberries. And I baked everything in a 9x13 casserole dish at the end. There's a fair bit of chopping involved, but the result was well worth it!
Andrea Y. November 19, 2018
How big a slice of bread? How thick? How tall? Does it change depending on the density of the bread? A weight given for the bread would more easily transfer from bread type to bread type.
lweib November 22, 2018
It doesn't matter, this recipe is endlessly flexible. I've made it with at least 4 different types of bread. 1-inch cubes is a good medium. With gluten-free rice-millet bread I have made the pieces slightly bigger because of that bread's tendency to crumble. With thicker whole wheat bread, a bit smaller. It all works one way or another.
Viney November 23, 2017
Making this now for Thanksgiving. If I had to do it over, I'd moisten the bread + aromatics + s/p, then toss gently with the roasted vegetables and seasonings - so that the bread got a little moister without mussing up the roasted vegetables. (Also, add a few mushrooms to the roasted vegetable mix and baking it in a large rectangle casserole). Can't wait to try it!
Katie B. November 22, 2017
This turned out delicious! Making ahead for thanksgiving tomorrow and it tastes amazing (so far--I will do the last step tomorrow, but samples pre-oven are outstanding!). Do yourself a favor (if you have time), and make the genius no-knead peasant bread to use with this recipe: https://food52.com/recipes/69714-alexandra-stafford-s-no-knead-peasant-bread
Bread is chewy and a bit dense, absorbs stock really well after toasting:)
Carrie G. November 22, 2017
How are you making ahead what steps are you doing tonight and then tomorrow? I'm traveling 2 hours tomorrow. Any tips would be great! Thanks!
Katie B. November 22, 2017
I did everything described in the recipe up to the second part of step 3 (so I didn't bake it all together yet, just the stovetop part. I let it cool down a bit then transfered to a dutch oven i can store in the fridge overnight--tomorrow I'll put it in the oven for 20-30 minutes so it all heats up & comes together, &gets crispy on top).
Homa O. November 22, 2017
I would like to make this recipe but concerned about roasting the vegetables and apples all together. Won't they roast at different rates?
Lynn R. November 21, 2017
I want to try this in a slow cooker. Any suggestions?
Jennifer J. October 20, 2017
Was AMAZING!
Nila O. September 18, 2017
Don't try it! There are so many steps, it took me all afternoon and it was terrible!
Mel Y. October 10, 2017
Agreed, flavors didn't combine well for me. Not worth repeating.
allekas November 25, 2016
I want to share my make-ahead story in the hope that others will share theirs. The dish delivers on flavor in a big way with an almost divine balance between comfort and sophistication, but the cost of stove-top and oven real estate on a busy Thanksgiving is high. I tried to roast, sautee, and mix everything except the vegetable broth the night before. I wanted to preserve some of the crispness of the toasted bread and didn't think that would happen if it sat in broth all night or cooked all the way thought then reheated. On the day of, I brought it to room temperature (90 minutes), then finished it off with the broth - which it absorbed nicely - and popped it in the oven. It was good - the flavor balance really does carry it - and the toasted bits did keep some nice chew, but it just wasn't much to look at. Any other experiences with cooking it all the way through, then reheating the next day? It was a great dish and I'll definitely make it again day-of - just trying to improve on an already good thing. Thanks!
lweib November 22, 2018
I always do the sautee and the oven bake at home, mix all with broth, and put in the fridge overnight. Then day-of it just needs its 30 min in the oven. Usually it hitches a ride with the green bean casserole or sweet potatoes. It looks like this is almost the same as you did, except I mixed with broth the night before instead of day-of. There's not a huge amount of broth really, so it wasn't sitting in liquid. More like the bread is just-moist. Then in the final all-together bake, everything finishes cooking, bread on top gets crisp. I think the overnight broth time actually helps the flavor, because the bread tastes super-infused and savory. Every time!
Sa November 24, 2016
We make this every year and it is a big hit. As a Thanksgiving side, it can easily feed 10-12 people.
Änneken October 16, 2016
One word: WOW!!! I made it the first time around Thanksgiving last year and because it was so incredibly delicious I continued making it throughout the year. I find the flavors so well balanced and complex that I find it satisfying enough to be a meal of its own. If you have friends that need convincing that vegan cuisines shines with flavor, serve them this.
Alec December 26, 2015
This is the most delicious stuffing recipe I've ever tasted!! Served it at our large family Christmas dinner and everyone insisted on having the recipe. They fought over who got to take the small amount of leftovers home! I followed the recipe exactly. I used sourdough bread that was fresh, so I baked it in the oven a bit so it dried out before using it. Fantastic!
John December 21, 2015
I love all the ingredients and also the vegetables. It is so healthy.
barbara S. December 14, 2015
Disappointed that there is no nutritional value.
Alissa A. November 20, 2017
There are apps you can use to calculate it before going through with it. Try Lose it! app.
Chef D. November 27, 2015
tasty!
Taylor S. November 27, 2015
Ah amazing! I used a mixture of dried bread cubes, fresh light seeded rye bread, and fresh oatmeal sandwich rolls which turned out complementary and nice. Overall, the flavors are wonderful together and roasting the vegetables/apple in advance makes the flavors pop. This tastes just as traditional and delicious as turkey stuffing, if not better.
Lara T. November 25, 2015
Does anyone know if it's ok if I don dry out the gluten free bread? Will this affect the dish or should I just wait and make it first thing in the morning?
Sheri November 26, 2015
I didn't dry out my bread last year - I lightly toasted it and it worked fine. Making again today :)