Butternut Squash Quinoa Stuffing
Published 11/17/2023
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Put a new delicious and nutritious spin on traditional Thanksgiving stuffing with this quinoa stuffing recipe. Made all in one Dutch oven and ready in only 40 minutes, you’re Thanksgiving meal couldn’t get any easier. It’s simple, healthy, and full of all the fall flavors you love.
When the holiday season comes along, we can’t help but crave every great dish served on Thanksgiving day. One of those dishes is stuffing. While traditional stuffing could never be replaced, it’s nice to switch things up every now and again. This savory quinoa stuffing is the perfect alternative for a gluten-free option or just to add some variety to your holiday meal.
Hearty ingredients like ground pork sausage (or plant-based ground!), veggies, butternut squash, quinoa, fresh herbs, tart cranberries, and crunchy pecans all get cooked in your broth of choice in an easy Dutch oven for ultimate convenience. Plus, it’s easy to make it vegan or vegetarian if needed. It’s a Thanksgiving side dish, made easy!
What You Need for Quinoa Stuffing
We used a large 7 or 8-quart Dutch oven for this recipe because it holds heat well and has a cover. A pot will work, but the cook time may vary slightly.
Highlight ingredients in this recipe include:
- quinoa
- butternut squash
- dried fruit
- ground pork
- mushrooms
- fresh herbs
Great Jones
Dutch Oven
The Great Jones “The Dutchess” is our favorite Dutch oven for every day cooking. It’s great for one-pot meals, soups, and more!
Variations and Substitutions for Quinoa Stuffing
- Ground pork sausage: For meat eaters, you can sub this out with ground beef, turkey, or chicken if you prefer. If you’re vegetarian, plant-based ground meat also works.
- Butternut squash: Sub out the butternut squash with sweet potatoes for a different flavor experience! It’ll still taste amazing.
- Multicolored quinoa: Red quinoa, white quinoa, or black quinoa are all great alternatives.
- White wine options: We recommend using a dry chardonnay or a Sauvignon blanc for this gluten-free stuffing recipe.
More of our Favorite…
Healthy Thanksgiving Recipes
Looking for more healthy Thanksgiving recipes to fill your holiday table with? Check out all of our best turkey day recipes in one spot!
Tips for Quinoa Stuffing
- Make this stuffing ahead of time for easy holiday planning. Simply store the cooked stuffing in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. When it’s time to serve, reheat it in the oven at 350°F for 15-20 minutes, or until heated through.
- If there is excess liquid in the Dutch oven after the bake time, keep the cover on to allow the quinoa to absorb the remaining liquid.
Serving Suggestions with Quinoa Stuffing
Aiming to host a Thanksgiving dinner that keeps all dietary restrictions in mind? Well, you’ve come to the right place. We’ve got a ton of vegetarian, vegan, and gluten-free Thanksgiving options available. Here are just some of our personal favs:
Vegetarian-friendly:
- Butternut Squash Mac and Cheese
- Healthy Sweet Potato Casserole
- Healthy Green Bean Casserole
- Best Healthy Mashed Potatoes
Vegan-friendly:
- Vegan Green Bean Casserole
- Super Simple Vegan Mac and Cheese
- Meatless Instant Pot Chili
- Lemon Ginger Cranberry Sauce
Protein:
Quinoa Stuffing with Butternut Squash
Ingredients
- ½ pound plant-based ground OR ground pork sausage
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- ½ yellow onion, minced
- 1.5 teaspoons sea salt, separated
- 8 oz. Bella mushrooms, cleaned and chopped
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- ½ cup dry white wine, dry chardonnay or a Sauvignon blanc
- 2 large celery stalks, chopped
- 5 cups butternut squash, peeled, raw, and cubed into ¾-inch or 1-inch cubes, or sweet potatoes
- 1 teaspoon dried rosemary
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 teaspoon dried sage
- 1.5 cups multicolored quinoa
- 3 cups broth, turkey, chicken, or vegetable
- ¾ cup chopped dried apricots
- ¼ cup dried cranberries
- 1/3 cup chopped pecans
- 1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375ºF.
- Heat a 7 or 8-quart Dutch oven over medium/high heat. Add the pork sausage and partially cook for 3-4 minutes. Add the onion and ½ teaspoon of salt to the sausage. Toss and saute for 2-3 minutes.
- Add the olive oil and the mushrooms and cook for another 2-3 minutes. Add garlic until fragrant, about 1 minute.
- Deglaze the pan with the white wine, scraping any brown bits from the bottom of the pan. Add the celery and butternut squash and bring to a gentle simmer.
- Remove from heat and add the rosemary, thyme, sage, quinoa, broth, apricots, cranberries, pecans, and the remaining salt. Toss until combined.
- Cover and bake for 40 minutes, tossing halfway through the bake time.
- Remove from the oven when most of the liquid has been absorbed. Let rest for 5 minutes before uncovering.
- Fluff with a fork and top with fresh thyme and serve.
Tips & Notes
- To make this recipe vegetarian substituting the pork with a plant-based ground or skipping it all together.
- Ground pork can be replaced with ground chicken or ground turkey.
- Butternut Squash can be replaced with acorn squash or sweet potatoes.
- Make this stuffing ahead of time for easy holiday planning. Simply store the cooked stuffing in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. When it’s time to serve, reheat it in the oven at 350°F for 15-20 minutes, or until heated through.
- If there is excess liquid in the Dutch oven after the bake time, keep the cover on to allow the quinoa to absorb the remaining liquid.
Watch It
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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Sounds Good. Thanks
Great traditional stuffing alternative!