“Traditional” Quinoa Stuffing

For me, it’s not Thanksgiving without stuffing. If you have digestion issues, eating traditional stuffing may be out of the question. I wanted to experiment with some alternative options that have the same flavors but are safe for IBS and GERD sufferers to eat. This quinoa stuffing is the first experiment and it went quite well.

If you’ve had quinoa before, you know it is no way equal to bread and if you haven’t had quinoa before, I’m telling you right now it doesn’t compare to bread. This is true in terms of both flavor and texture, so it’s important to know that going in. Making any quinoa “stuffing”, while it may be delicious, is probably never going to feel like eating the real deal.

To start the experiments, I wanted to try a flavor profile that is closest to traditional stuffing, so this quinoa stuffing uses celery, poultry seasoning (my homemade kind that is safe for Low FODMAP and GERD/Acid Reflux eating – recipe here) and chives in place of onion. The end result was really quite delicious! Flavor-wise, this truly does taste like most traditional stuffings I’ve had. As stated above, though, it’s quinoa so the texture is that of quinoa, not bread.

I’m sure there are ways of using gluten free bread to make a digestion-friendly stuffing too and I may try that at some point down the line. I’ve been on a huge quinoa kick lately, though, and have an enormous bag of the stuff. So for now, I’ll be continuing to experiment with other flavor/ingredient blends of quinoa stuffing to provide you all with some more digestion-friendly options for your Thanksgiving feasts. Lt me know if there are any specific flavors/ingredients you’d like to see in a stuffing recipe and I’ll try to work them in to the experiments!

Print Recipe

4.67 from 3 votes

Traditional Quinoa Stuffing

A healthier & digestion-friendly alternative to traditional stuffing, this quinoa stuffing has all of the same flavors without the problem ingredients.

Prep Time5 mins

Cook Time40 mins

Total Time1 hr 30 mins

Servings: 6 servings

Calories: 122kcal

Ingredients

• 1 cups quinoa (uncooked - I use the white kind)
• 2 cups vegetable broth (divided) - use a Low FODMAP kind - I use my homemade kind, recipe found here)
• ~2 stalks celery (stalks only - fresh, washed and chopped. Total weight can't be more than 72g total for Low FODMAP)
• 3 Tbsp. chives (fresh, chopped)
• 1 Tbsp. sage (leaves only - fresh, finely chopped)
• 1+1/2 tsp. garlic-infused olive oil (divided)
• 1 tsp. poultry seasoning (for Acid Reflux, use a variety without nutmeg or black pepper. See my recipe for a 5-minute Acid Reflux safe poultry seasoning here)
• salt (to taste)

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Bring 1 cup of vegetable broth to a boil in a medium-sized saucepan, then add in the quinoa and stir together until thoroughly combined.
• Bring quinoa to a boil, then reduce heat to low, cover the pan and simmer covered for 10 minutes. After the 10 minutes are up, turn the burner off and leave the pan sitting there covered for another 10 minutes (DO NOT lift the lid during this time). When the quinoa's 10-minute sitting time is done, uncover and fluff with a fork.
  Note: The quinoa may not look fully done to you. This is fine, as it continues to cook later in the oven and ends up the perfect consistency.
• Heat the olive oil in a medium-sized saute pan over medium heat. Add the celery and cook until it is still slightly crunchy but has softened a bit (about 2-3 minutes). Turn the burner off, then add in the sage and 1/2 cup of the remaining vegetable broth and stir to mix everything together.
• Add the celery mixture, poultry seasoning and the remaining 1/2 cup of vegetable broth to the quinoa and stir together well until thoroughly combined. Taste test quickly for salt levels and add salt to taste, if needed (usually, the amount of salt needed depends on what kind of broth you use as well as your salt-level preference).
  Note: It may seem super liquidy to you. This is fine, as the quinoa continues to cook in the oven and the moisture is absorbed into the quinoa.
• Place the stuffing mixture into a greased baking dish (I used a 2.5 quart oval baking dish). Bake on rack in the center of the preheated oven for 10 minutes. Then, remove from oven and fluff up a bit with a fork. Increase oven temperature to 500 degrees F, move the rack up to the top of the oven, place quinoa back in the oven and cook for ~8-10 minutes until the top of the stuffing becomes golden brown.
• Remove from oven and serve immediately. Store leftovers in an air-tight container for up to 5 days in the refrigerator (if they last that long!).

Notes

**For Low FODMAP/IBS eating, you must strictly adhere to the quantity of celery used and the serving size, as celery is a restricted food for Low FODMAP eating.**

*Information above is based on no added salt.*
*Information above is based on the specific brands/types of ingredients I used. Values vary if using any other brands/types of ingredients.*
*The Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet, so your values may change depending on your calorie needs. The values here may not be 100% accurate because the recipes have not been professionally evaluated nor have they been evaluated by the U.S. FDA.*

Nutrition

Nutrition Facts

Traditional Quinoa Stuffing

Amount Per Serving

Calories 122 Calories from Fat 27

% Daily Value*

Total Fat 3g 5%

Saturated Fat 0g 0%

Trans Fat 0g

Polyunsaturated Fat 1g

Monounsaturated Fat 1g

Cholesterol 0mg 0%

Sodium 271mg 11%

Potassium 9mg 0%

Total Carbohydrates 20g 7%

Dietary Fiber 3g 12%

Sugars 1g

Protein 7g 14%

Vitamin A 7%

Vitamin C 2%

Calcium 5%

Iron 9%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.