With sautéed apples, cheddar cheese and pumpkin puree, this vegetarian stuffing is sure to be a welcome addition to any Thanksgiving menu.
This recipe was contributed by Ashley Jennings back in 2014! It has since been updated. Photos were taken by Rikki Snyder.
Stuffing has always been one of my favorite side dishes at Thanksgiving. When I was a kid, I would pile an embarrassing amount onto my plate. (Although, to be fair, I did eat it all!)
With that soft bottom layer and a slightly crispy, browned top, it is hard to resist!
My grandma made a mean stuffing, but it was very simple and classic, with just some onions, carrots and celery.
While her version was delicious and holds such great memories, it's been fun to play around with different flavors and my own vegetarian friendly combinations to spice it up a bit.
This pumpkin-cheddar stuffing may in fact be my favorite vegetarian stuffing so far!
Instead of just saturating the bread with broth, you'll whisk the broth together with some pumpkin puree and then pour the mixture over the bread cubes.
I like to make my own pumpkin puree, but the canned kind works fine too.
Shredded cheddar cheese is tossed into the mix, which pairs so well with the pumpkin.
The stuffing is also studded with some sautéed onion and apple, which gives just a hint of sweetness.
Fresh sage and thyme add a little extra flavor, making for a stuffing that is anything but ordinary.
Stale bread works best when making stuffing of any kind, so try to use a loaf that is at least a day old. I also like to cut the bread into cubes a day in advance, which helps them get even a little more stale and cuts down on prep time on Thanksgiving Day.
More Recipes
If you're here planning your holiday menu, don't miss our new Vegan Thanksgiving and Vegan Christmas cookbooks!
And if you love this pumpkin stuffing, check out these other tasty ideas:
📖 Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 onion, diced
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 2 small apples, peeled, cored and diced
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon Black Pepper
- 1 tablespoon minced fresh sage leaves
- 1 ½ teaspoons minced fresh thyme leaves
- 1 approximately 10-ounce loaf stale crusty bread, cut into ¾-inch cubes
- ¾ cup shredded cheddar cheese, 3 ounces
- ¾ cup pumpkin puree, not pumpkin pie filling
- ½ cup vegetable broth
- 1 large egg
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375ºF. Spray a large (3-quart) casserole dish with an oil mister and set aside.
- Add the olive oil to a medium skillet set over medium heat. When hot, add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until it starts to soften, about 2 minutes. Add the garlic and cook, stirring, for 30 seconds, until fragrant. Add the apples and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in the salt, pepper, sage and thyme. Pour into a large bowl and add the bread cubes and cheese.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the pumpkin puree, broth and egg until combined. Pour it over the veggies, bread and cheese and toss until everything is combined and the pieces are evenly coated.
- Transfer the mixture to the prepared baking dish and cover with aluminum foil. Bake for 30 minutes. Remove the aluminum foil and bake until the top is golden brown, about 20 more minutes more.
Liz @ Tip Top Shape says
I love stuffing - my favorite part of Thanksgiving. This one is so unique!!!!
Ashley Jennings says
Me too - I always look forward to the stuffing! And thank you!
Jessica @ Jessica in the Kitchen says
Whoa - mind blown!!! I'm in love the cheesiness and pumpkin-ness of this!
Ashley Jennings says
haha thanks Jessica! I loved the cheese too!
Dietitian Jess says
Stuffing is definitely one of my favorite Thanksgiving dishes, and this sounds nothing short of amazing combined with two of my favorite foods- cheese and pumpkin... is it Thursday yet!?
Ashley Jennings says
I wish it was! I'm ready for more stuffing! 🙂
Sam @ PancakeWarriors says
What a fun twist! Pumpkin and cheddar cheese - yes please 🙂 Love the sage, apples and onions - talk about delish!
Ashley Jennings says
Thanks Sam! It was fun to play around with a different flavor of stuffing! I can never get enough of the pumpkin / cheddar combo!
Heather @ HeatherOMade says
need. want. right. now. yum!
Ashley Jennings says
haha thanks Heather!
Katie (The Muffin Myth) says
Ashley, this looks amazing! Stuffing is hands down my favourite part of any holiday meal. At thanksgiving we always got one kind of stuffing (pretty much straight up, like your grandmother's) but at Christmas we got TWO kinds, the other being my mom's family's traditional stuffing that includes mashed potatoes. It's so moist and delish and it's pretty much my favourite thing ever. This pumpkin cheddar version sounds like a contender, though, so I'm gonna have to give this a try! I've got two thanksgiving dinners coming up (the joys of being an expat) so I've got plenty of opportunity to try out some new recipes. Thanks!
Ashley Jennings says
Thanks Katie! Your mom's stuffing sounds delicious! I don't think I've ever had stuffing with mashed potatoes before!
Olivia - Primavera Kitchen says
Wow... great stuffing recipe, Ashley!! Gotta try this 😉
Ashley Jennings says
Thanks Olivia! Have a great weekend!
Christin@SpicySouthernKitchen says
What a gorgeous and festive stuffing! Love the flavor combination.
Ashley Jennings says
Thanks Christin!
Shashi @ RunninSrilankan says
Now I know why it's called stuffing - it would be so hard for me to stop STUFFING my face with this! Love that you didn't saturate the bread with broth - but used pumpkin instead- BRILLIANT!
Ashley Jennings says
hahaha oh my gosh, you are too funny! Thanks Shashi!
Kelly says
This stuffing sounds incredible! I love the pumpkin, apples and all that cheese! So so good!
Ashley Jennings says
Thank you Kelly! They all pair so well together!
Renee H. says
Hi Ashley!
This recipe just makes me want to say "nom, nom, nom." Such a festive and comforting combination! Meat-free stuffing is hard to come by (chicken stock is almost always used, even though there might not be meat) so I am excited to see this! I shared this recipe on my blog, I hope that is all right with you! Thank you for sharing!
Ashley Jennings says
Thanks Renee! Have a great weekend!
marcie says
I hated stuffing growing up -- apparently I needed your grandmother's! I really love it now, and this version sounds so different and delicious. And you can't beat that pretty orange color! 🙂
Ashley Jennings says
Too funny! Apparently so! I could never get enough! And thanks Marcie!
Juliana says
This is such a nice stuffing Ashley...like the idea of pumpkin and cheddar...thanks for the inspiration!
Have a wonderful weekend 🙂
Ashley Jennings says
Thanks Juliana! Have a great week!
Joanne Bruno says
I am CONSTANTLY on the lookout for a good stuffing and this.is.it. Amazing.
Ashley Jennings says
haha thanks Joanne! Have a wonderful thanksgiving!!
Jess says
Oh my goodness this recipe looks sooo good! Can't wait to try it when pumpkins are back in season here in Australia 🙂
Ashley Jennings says
Thanks Jess! Hope you enjoy!
Kelley says
I like the idea of having something a bit more substantial than bread and broth. I'm gonna try it!
Ashley Jennings says
Thanks Kelley! Hope you enjoy!
Kirstie says
Wondering if it's possible to make a vegan version...know how to make/substitute for the cheese but the egg in this context...not sure ?
Ashley Jennings says
Hey Kirstie! I've made stuffing without the egg before (my grandma's recipe doesn't call for an egg). The egg helps hold it together a bit, so if you don't use it, you won't get "clumps" of bread cubes when serving. But it still usually works okay for me without! I've never done it with this recipe in particular though.
Heather says
Would using cornbread instead of regular bread be a bad idea?
Ashley Jennings says
Hey Heather - We haven't tested this with cornbread so it's hard to say what would happen!
karen BAER says
This was outstanding! I mixed the pumpkin in with GF bread stuffing -- it gave that extra boost! I had zero leftovers of this stuffing. Thank you for sharing!
Ashley Jennings says
So happy to hear this Karen! Thanks for letting us know!
Heather says
So I tried it with the cornbread and it was a huge success!
Ashley Jennings says
Oh I'm so glad! And good to know that it works still with the cornbread!