The Best AIP Thanksgiving Stuffing

A heavenly AIP Thanksgiving stuffing made with onions, celery, mushrooms and pork. Plus, a grain-free bready topping with no extra baking!

For years, I have been trying to create an AIP Thanksgiving stuffing that satisfies like a gluten-filled bread stuffing. Years! An all-veggie stuffing just doesn’t cut it. No one believes it’s the real thing. It doesn’t have the right taste or texture. And ain’t no one wanna spend extra time baking AIP-friendly bread just to use in another dish that takes an hour to cook. It’s just too much work. Especially when you’re already overwhelmed with all the other AIP versions of Thanksgiving food you’re trying to cook at the same time.

Well, my friends, I’ve finally created a brilliant shortcut. It’s perfect. You don’t have to do any extra baking, but you still get that savory, bready texture you’re looking for in Thanksgiving stuffing. Even my husband (who does not follow AIP or Paleo) declared it “the BEST stuffing I’ve ever eaten. Ever!” Now there’s some high praise!

All it takes is a quick blitz of a savory “crumble topping” in a food processor and you have “bread” for your AIP Thanksgiving stuffing. A lightbulb just turned on when I was developing my AIP Apple Crumble – Why don’t I just make a savory version of this topping for an AIP stuffing?! And the rest is history.

To give you fair warning, this dish does require a tiny bit extra work than my typical recipes, but I promise it’s worth it. I’ll show you how it’s done.

this recipe!

How to make The Best AIP Thanksgiving Stuffing

Equipment you’ll need

This AIP stuffing recipe requires a sautéing step and a baking step, so you’ll need kitchen equipment for that. I used my standard 12″ skillet and a large casserole dish. You’ll also need a food processor to blitz the savory bready topping in.

Ingredients for this Savory AIP Thanksgiving Stuffing

• 2 Tbsp avocado oil (or cooking fat of choice), divided
• 1 large yellow onion, peeled and diced
• 4 celery stalks, halved lengthwise and sliced
• 16 oz baby bella mushrooms, diced
• 1 lb ground pork (preferably free range & organic)
• 1/4 cup dried cranberries (make sure to check ingredients for AIP compliance)
• 3/4 tsp each sea salt, garlic powder, ground ginger, ground sage, thyme and rosemary
• 1 cup cassava flour
• 1/2 cup palm shortening
• 1/4 cup cold water

Directions

I promise this is easier than it looks. It’s basically three steps: sauté, add bready topping, bake. But I’ve broken it down a bit further to make it easier to understand.

First, you’ll preheat your oven to 350ºF and prep your vegetables. It’s always easier to chop all the veggies first and then add as you go, rather than trying to chop while things are cooking. Assembly line cooking!

Then, heat a large skillet over medium heat and add 1 Tbsp avocado oil to the skillet. When the skillet is warm, add the onion and celery and sauté for about 7 minutes, or until the vegetables start to soften. Transfer to a large casserole dish.

Add the mushrooms to the skillet and sauté for about 3 minutes, or until they start to soften. Transfer the mushrooms to the casserole dish.

Next, add one more tablespoon of oil to the skillet and add the ground pork. Break into small pieces and sauté until cooked through, about 7 minutes. Transfer the pork to the casserole dish.

Add cranberries and seasonings to the casserole dish and toss well to combine.

Finally, add the cassava flour and palm shortening to a food processor and pulse until crumbles form. Continue to pulse and drizzle the cold water over the cassava mixture. When the crumbles are fairly even in size, transfer the mixture to the casserole dish. Toss lightly to combine.

Last, transfer the prepared casserole dish to the oven and bake at 350ºF for 35-45 minutes, or until the stuffing is hot and the top begins to brown. Serve with the rest of your Thanksgiving meal and enjoy!

FAQ

Other recipes to try

Check out these other AIP-friendly holiday dishes:

5-Ingredient Crockpot Apple Crumble (AIP, Paleo)

Instant Pot AIP Mashed Potatoes

Easy AIP Gravy (Just 6 Ingredients!)

Maple-Balsamic Roasted Brussels Sprouts (Paleo & AIP)

Did you make this AIP Thanksgiving Stuffing? If so, I would love it if you would leave a star rating and review! And be sure to snap a photo of it and share it with me on Instagram by tagging @hurriedhealthnut and hashtagging it #hurriedhealthnut.

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