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Low-Carb Classic Sage and Onion Stuffing

Vegetarian
Makes 8 servings60 minutes hands on time120 minutes total time

This is a very classic style of stuffing. There are no oysters in it, no chorizo, no truffles, no kale. And in this way, it is pleasing to holiday traditionalists. 

The key to making this incredible is to season it quite aggressively. I’ve found that most low-carb bread seems to taste mainly of egg, which is not inherently bad, but you need lots of sage and onions to make your brain think “stuffing” instead of “quiche.”

While the general concept of stuffing may seem odd to you, that you dry the bread out first only to saturate it later, think of it this way: You’re baking all the plain bread moisture out of it so as to leave it better prepared to soak up all the delicious sagey, oniony, buttery broth in the oven. 

One last thing: you can either bake it at whatever temperature your turkey’s at (adjust the timing accordingly), or else put it in while the turkey is resting before you carve it, which should be about an hour or so for a big turkey.

Recipe Details: Low-Carb Classic Sage and Onion Stuffing

From Catherine Newman

Active time: 1 hour 

Total time: 2 hours

Makes: 8 servings 

Total carbohydrates: 14 grams per serving

Recipe Note

Look for low-carb bread (sometimes marked “keto-approved”) in either the bread aisle or the freezer aisle; 8 ounces is typically half of a 1-pound loaf. 

I love regular button mushrooms, but feel free to use another variety, like portobello, shiitake, or even something fancy like chanterelles, if you’re so inclined.

If you prefer a mild sage presence, try scaling the dried sage by half to just 1 teaspoon.

Ingredients

  • 8 ounces low-carb bread 
  • 4 tablespoons olive oil, divided
  • 4 tablespoons butter, divided
  • 2 teaspoons ground sage
  • 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
  • Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
  • 8 ounces mushrooms, sliced
  • Kosher salt, to taste
  • 1 medium onion, chopped
  • 2 stalks of celery, with their leaves, sliced thin
  • 1 cup chicken or vegetable broth
  • 1/2 cup half-and-half

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 400ºF and grease an 11x7-inch baking dish.
  2. Tear the bread into bite-size pieces, put them in a large bowl, and drizzle with 2 tablespoons of the olive oil. Stir vigorously – really bash it around with a rubber spatula – to make sure the bread is evenly coated, then tip it onto a large rimmed baking sheet and bake until it’s browning and dry, about 5 to 10 minutes. 
  3. Turn the oven down to 350ºF. Return the bread back in its bowl (you don’t need to wash the bowl first), sprinkle it with the sage, parsley, and pepper, and stir well to distribute the seasonings.
  4. Heat 2 tablespoons of the butter in a frying pan over medium-high heat and sauté the mushrooms with 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt until they give up their liquid and then start to dry out and sizzle a bit, about 5-10 minutes. Tip them into the bowl with the bread and put the pan back on the stove.
  5. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons each of butter and olive oil in the pan along with the onions, celery, and celery leaves. Over medium-low heat, sauté the vegetables with 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt until they’re absolutely tender, around 10 minutes. Transfer them into the bowl with the bread and mushrooms.
  6. Add the broth to the bowl and stir well. Pour the mixture into the baking dish, drizzle the half-and-half over it, and bake until it is deeply golden and just the texture you like: 45 minutes for a wetter stuffing, or 1 hour for more of a dry one.

Photo credit: Catherine Newman