Healthy Stovetop Stuffing {Low Calorie, GF, Vegan}

Healthy Stovetop Stuffing is made low calorie with more vegetables and gluten free bread. A delicious and healthier stuffing recipe! Gluten Free + Low Calorie + Vegan

Folks it's time to ditch the pre-packaged stuffings and make your own and let me tell you why...

Popular pre-packaged stuffings contain high fructose corn syrup (yikes!), added sugars, chemical and preservatives, and not to mention little fiber because it's been stripped from the bread.

These are not things we want to eat on a weight loss diet as they increase hunger and cravings. Well, no wonder you want that second and third slice of pie!

We can make stuffing healthier and better for you and I'm going to show you how. It's easy!

What Makes This Stovetop Stuffing Healthy

This low calorie stuffing recipe has no added sugar. There's no reason to add sugar to stuffing. Save the sugar for holiday dessert!

It's also made with gluten free bread. While gluten free breads are still refined carbohydrates, I find the ingredients tend to be slightly healthier than traditional breads. Gluten causes inflammation for many people so, gluten combined with sugar, chemicals and preservatives in pre-packaged stuffings is a tornado of inflammation in a bag.

Lots of vegetables are added to this stuffing recipe! Adding vegetables to recipes is my favorite way to add volume and water. Vegetables are naturally low in calories, so adding many of them means you can eat more. Last I checked, there aren't any vegetables in pre-packaged stuffings.

Ingredients For Stovetop Stuffing

• Gluten Free Bread
• Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• Shredded Carrots
• Onion
• Garlic
• Celery
• Vegetable Broth, low sodium
• Sage
• Thyme
• Parsley

How To Make Healthy Stovetop Stuffing

Step one for making healthy stovetop stuffing is slicing the bread into cubes and spreading on a sheet pan in a thin layer. Preheat the oven to 400 F and bake 5-8 minutes until crispy like croutons then remove from the oven and set aside.

Step two you will add the olive oil to a large skillet at medium heat with the onions, garlic, carrots and celery. You will sauté the vegetables until they are translucent then stir in the parsley, sage and thyme.

Step three add the bread cubes and vegetable broth to the skillet. Cover and cook 10-12 minutes at a low to medium heat then serve!

Substitutions For Stovetop Stuffing

Here are some substitutions you can make for stovetop stuffing. Keep in mind that making substitutions to a recipe will change the nutritional values of the recipe and potentially, the taste.

• Gluten Free Bread - Any bread may be substituted in this recipe.
• Vegetable Broth - Chicken broth, chicken stock or vegetable stock can be used instead.
• Vegetables - If a vegetable in the recipe does not agree with you, choose one that does! This recipe is very forgiving and you could basically add anything to this that you enjoy. I recommend if you choose hardy vegetables like broccoli or cauliflower that you chop them small so they cook the same amount of time.
• Spices - You can omit spices as you need to. Please note if you do omit something, the flavor may not be the same. Rosemary would be a wonderful substitution!

Additions For Stovetop Stuffing

Here are some easy additions you can make to your stovetop stuffing. Keep in mind that if you add anything, it will change the nutritional values of the recipe.

• Protein - Ground turkey, ground chicken, pork, beef, sausage or vegetarian ground meats would really up the nutrition of this recipe and balance it better since it has very little protein.
• Cranberries - Low sugar cranberries can be added. Just stir them in after the recipe is fully cooked.
• Nuts - Pecans, walnuts or almonds would give the recipe a nice crunch!

More Stuffing Recipes

• Paleo Thanksgiving Stuffing

What I Used For The Recipe

About Megan

Megan is a certified nutrition practitioner, author, freelance food photographer and fitness instructor living in Phoenix, Arizona. On her blog, Skinny Fitalicious she shares EASY, gluten free recipes for weight loss. Follow Megan on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and Instagram for the latest updates.