For those embracing a ketogenic lifestyle, the holidays can present a challenge, especially when it comes to traditional, carb-heavy dishes. Fortunately, beloved Thanksgiving staples like stuffing can be reimagined with a keto-friendly twist. This article explores a delicious and satisfying keto stove top stuffing recipe, allowing you to enjoy all the flavors of the holiday without derailing your dietary goals.
Why Keto Stuffing?
Traditional bread stuffing is often off-limits for those following a keto diet due to its high carbohydrate content. A single serving can contain upwards of 20 grams of carbs. This keto stuffing recipe offers a solution, utilizing low-carb bread and other keto-friendly ingredients to deliver a similar taste and texture experience with a fraction of the carbs. Many people miss stuffing the most on a low-carb diet. This recipe is a great substitute for the traditional stuffing.
Key Ingredients and Their Keto-Friendly Alternatives
The key to a successful keto stuffing lies in substituting high-carb ingredients with suitable low-carb alternatives. Here's a breakdown of the essential components:
Keto Bread or Rolls: The foundation of this recipe is pre-made keto bread or rolls, either store-bought or homemade. The recipe uses pre-made keto bread or rolls (either store bought or homemade) so when it comes time to put together the stuffing it literally takes just minutes. Several options exist, including:
- Keto Cheese Bread: This option provides a cheesy and savory flavor.
- Coconut Flour Bread: Ideal for those with nut allergies, this bread offers a light and fluffy texture.
- Almond Flour Bread: Another popular choice for keto baking, almond flour bread provides a slightly nutty flavor.
- Low carb skillet bread: This bread is used to make the stuffing have a traditional holiday flavor.
Sausage: Adds savory flavor and protein. Italian sausage, whether hot, mild, or breakfast sausage, works well. Be mindful of added sugars in the sausage.
Read also: Easy Low-Carb Cheese Crackers
Vegetables: Celery, onion, and garlic contribute classic stuffing flavors and textures.
Herbs and Seasonings: Fresh herbs like sage and parsley, along with poultry seasoning, thyme, salt, and pepper, create the signature warm and comforting flavor profile.
Liquid Base: Chicken broth and heavy cream (or additional broth for a dairy-free version) provide moisture and help bind the ingredients.
Eggs: Act as a binder and add richness.
Butter or Olive Oil: Used for sauteing vegetables and adding flavor.
Read also: Keto Calorie Counting: A Detailed Guide
Recipe Variations and Customizations
This keto stove top stuffing recipe is versatile and can be adapted to suit individual preferences and dietary needs. Here are some ideas for customization:
- Vegetarian Option: Omit the sausage and add more vegetables, such as mushrooms, for a vegetarian-friendly version.
- Cheese Variations: Experiment with different types of cheese, such as Parmesan or mozzarella, for added flavor.
- Additional Keto-Friendly Ingredients: Sun-dried tomatoes, olives, or other low-carb vegetables can be incorporated for extra flavor and texture.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Here's a comprehensive guide to making keto stove top stuffing:
- Bread Preparation: A day or two in advance, prepare the keto bread and cube it into ½ inch pieces. To dry the bread cubes, preheat the oven to 200ºF. Spread the bread cubes on a large baking sheet and bake for 2 to 3 hours, until well dried and crisp. Let sit out overnight to continue to dry. The dryer they are the more shelf stable they become. Crumble the keto bread, drizzle with olive oil and bake for about 5 minutes until lightly browned.
- Sausage Sautéing: Heat a large skillet over medium heat and add the sausage; sauté until just cooked through, about 6 minutes, breaking up large chunks with a wooden spoon. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the sausage to a large bowl.
- Vegetable Sautéing: Add the celery, onion, garlic, sage, salt, and pepper to the skillet and sauté until tender, about 5 minutes. Add to the bowl. Saute chopped veggies in olive oil & the seasonings for a minute or two to bring out flavors.
- Combining Ingredients: Add the cubed bread to the sausage mixture. Toss to combine well.
- Adding the Liquid Base: In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, cream, and broth. Pour over the mixture in the bowl and mix well. Mix egg together with melted butter and chicken broth. Add veggies, mix. Add all ingredients together, mix well.
- Baking: Preheat the oven to 350ºF and butter a 9×13 inch glass or ceramic baking dish. Transfer mixture to a greased 11x7-in. baking dish, spreading it evenly. Bake on 350 covered with foil for 10 minutes and uncovered for 5 minutes. Bake uncovered so that the top gets a bit crispy while the middle stays soft and tender.
- Serving: Serve hot and enjoy! This keto stuffing recipe is perfect for any holiday or stuffing mushrooms, chicken, pork.
Tips for Success
- Drying the Bread: Allowing the bread to dry out properly is crucial for absorbing the liquid base and preventing the stuffing from becoming soggy.
- Moisture Control: The stuffing should be moist but not soggy. If it seems dry before baking, add a bit more broth.
- Baking Time: Avoid overbaking to keep the stuffing moist.
- Flavor Enhancement: Sautéing the vegetables before adding them to the stuffing brings out their flavors.
- Fresh Herbs: Using fresh herbs adds a vibrant flavor to the stuffing.
Make Ahead and Storage Instructions
- Make Ahead: You can prepare the stuffing up to a day in advance. Follow the recipe until it’s ready to bake, then cover and refrigerate it. Looking to get a jump on your holiday cooking? You can make this keto stuffing days or even weeks in advance. Simply prep and bake the stuffing in whatever dish you plan to serve it in. Then let it cool and wrap it up tightly with foil or plastic wrap. Thaw completely on Thanksgiving Day and bake in the oven for 20 minutes to warm up. You can also save precious space in your oven and use your slow cooker.
- Freezing: This stuffing is good in the freezer for several weeks. Wrap it tightly with foil or plastic wrap to avoid freezer burn. Then thaw it at room temperature and then place it in a low temp oven until warmed through. Yes, you can freeze this keto stuffing. Wrap it tightly in plastic wrap and aluminum foil, then transfer it to a freezer-safe container. The stuffing will keep well in the freezer for up to three months.
- Storage: Store the cooked stuffing in the fridge, tightly wrapped up, for up to 5 days.
Serving Suggestions
This keto stuffing is a versatile side dish that complements a variety of main courses. Here are some serving suggestions:
- Thanksgiving Dinner: Serve alongside roast turkey, sugar-free cranberry sauce, and keto gravy for a complete and satisfying holiday meal.
- Everyday Meals: Pair with roasted chicken, pork, or stuffed mushrooms for a delicious and low-carb dinner.
- Potlucks and Family Dinners: Bring this keto stuffing to your next potluck or family dinner as a crowd-pleasing side dish. My Keto No-Pasta Salad is another ideal side dish for any potluck or family dinner.
A Note on Nutrition
The nutrition facts for this recipe will vary depending on the specific keto bread or rolls used. However, this sausage keto stuffing recipe has 6g of carbs and 3.2g of fiber per serving, resulting in 2.8g net carbs per half cup serving. Nutrition facts are auto- populated by the app for this recipe card, numbers may vary.
Stove Top Style Stuffing Mix {Gluten Free, THM S, Low Carb}
This is a great alternative to the traditional Stove Top stuffing mix.
Read also: Magnesium Supplements for Keto
- 6 cups Low Carb Yeast Bread (cubed and toasted)**
- 1 tablespoon parsley, freeze-dried
- 3 tablespoons homemade vegetable bouillon***
- ¼ cup dried onion flakes
- ½ cup dried celery flakes
- 1 teaspoon thyme
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
- ½ teaspoon ground sage
- ½ teaspoon THM Mineral Salt
Dry your bread cubes in a 200 degree oven, this will take a couple of hours. the dryer they are the more shelf stable they become.
Mix up a batch of homemade vegetable bouillon or the Trim healthy bouillon (I normally keep this on hand)
As you are drying your bread cubes mix together the rest of the ingredients when the bread cubes are dry and have cooled slightly sprinkle the seasoning mix on top and toss to coat.
You can store this mix in a gallon zip top freezer bag in your freezer or package it into 2 cup portions in a mason jar or quart size zip top bag.
Warm ½ cup of water with 2 TBS of butter in a medium sauce pan. Remove pan from the heat and add 2 cups of the stuffing mix and stir to combine. Cover and allow to sit for 5 min. Fluff with a fork.
*You need to make 2 batches of the bread to get 6 cups of bread cubes
**You can use the Wonderful White Blender Bread from Trim Healthy Table on page 242 in place of the low carb yeast bread if you like.
***You can replace the homemade vegetable bouillon with the Trim Bouillon Mix on page 491 of the Trim Healthy Mama Cookbook.