Vegan Thanksgiving Dressing Recipe
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The Best Vegan Thanksgiving dressing / stuffing recipe Italian style, made with mushrooms, pine nuts, roasted butternut squash, farro, beans and a smooth basil pesto dressing. Otherwise known as Panzanella, technically an amazing bread salad dressed up for the holidays: Thanksgiving and Christmas can bring it!
You can make your stuffing gluten-free by simply swapping the farro with brown rice or lentils and using gluten-free bread.
I really love that all the ingredients for this dressing can be prepared ahead then warmed through and tossed together with the pesto before serving. Ultimately a very easy recipe to execute that delivers in flavor like a boss. If basil pesto isn’t your thing swap it with this sun dried tomato pesto.
Simply the Best Vegan Thanksgiving Dressing Ever!
It is now a staple in our home not only during the holiday season but all year round, changing with the seasons. Think artichokes and tomatoes in the summer time, roasted root veggies all through the fall and winter months.
Dressing Add Ins Ideas:
Choosing the Right Bread for Stuffing /Dressing:
It’s really important to use a bread that holds together nicely and has lots of crust. Any crusty loaf or baguette will work, just stay away from soft, prepackaged sweetened breads like potato bread or brioche.
To complete your ultimate Vegan Thanksgiving menu, make sure to add this pumpkin pie, mushroom gravy and cranberry wild rice into the mix. You won’t regret it!
P.S. If you make this stuffing recipe please come back here to rate it, snap a photo and tag us with #VeggieSociety on Instagram, it totally makes my day! Xo’s ~ Florentina
Vegan Thanksgiving Dressing
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup farro
- 1 medium butternut squash -peeled and diced into 1 inch cubes (about 3 cups)
- 1/2 lb shiitake mushrooms, chanterelles or porcini -sliced
- 3/4 cup cannellini beans -cooked
- 1/2 whole wheat baguette or crusty loaf (day old or grilled cut into 1 inch pieces)
- 1/3 cup dry white wine
- 1/4 cup toasted pinenuts (or roasted chestnuts)
- 1/2 cup yellow onion -diced
- 3/4 cup cherry tomatoes halved (optional)
- 1 tsp red peppers flakes
- 1/3 cup fresh herbs (basil, chives, thyme, sage, parsley)
- 1/3 cup red onion thinly sliced (optional)
- 1 tbsp fresh thyme leaves (for the mushrooms)
Vegan Pesto
- 1 bunch Genoese Basil leaves only
- 3 cloves garlic grated
- 3 tbsp vegan parmesan cheese
- 1/2 lemon juiced + more to taste
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil or veggie stock +more as needed
Instructions
Make the Pesto:
- Add the basil leaves, pine nuts, garlic, lemon juice, olive oil (or veggie stock for WFPB) and vegan parmesan to to bowl of a food processor and puree until smooth. Adjust seasoning to your taste with sea salt and lemon juice and use some more veggie stock or water to stretch out the pesto sauce if needed. Refrigerate until ready to use
Roast the Butternut Squash:
- Preheat your oven to 400”F.In a large mixing bowl toss together the butternut squash cubes with a drizzle of olive oil, a good pinch of sea salt and red pepper flakes. Spread them out on a large parchment lined baking dish without touching each other. Roast for about 45 minutes until softened and they start to caramelize at the edges.
Cook the Farro:
- Bring a medium pot of water to a rolling boil. Season with a good pinch of sea salt the add the farro. Simmer for about 20 minutes until al dente, a little bit chewy. Strain in a colander and rinse well with water. Set aside or refrigerate until needed.
Sautee the Mushrooms:
- Warm up a large skillet over medium flame. Add the diced yellow onion with a pinch of sea salt and a splash of water. Stir to coat well and sautée for a few minutes until translucent. Add the sliced mushrooms and hit it with the white wine. Add the fresh thyme and allow to simmer until the mushrooms have wilted and the liquid has reduced almost completely. Taste and adjust seasonings with some sea salt and a squeeze of fresh lemon juice.
Assemble the Stuffing:
- In a large mixing bowl add 3/4 of the pesto sauce, cooked farro, cannellini beans, the cooked mushrooms, red onion and about 3/4 of the roasted squash (reserve some for garnish If you like). Slice or tear the bread into bite size pieces and using a spatula gently fold everything together to combine well.
- Taste and adjust seasonings again then transfer to a serving platter. Top with the reserved squash and drizzle the remaining pesto on top.
- Sprinkle with the pine nuts and fresh herbs and serve warm.
Notes
Nutrition
I made this recipe to have lunches for the week as it is so filling and delicious. Nope I couldn’t wait for Thanksgiving to have stuffing, I need to eat mine in the middle of summer. Great news is that it’s super yummy cold and I’ll be a pro at making this by Thanksgiving and Christmas because let’s be honest: this is the best stuffing I have ever made and tasted in my entire life! Super excited about this recipe, thank you for sharing Florentina!
I was testing stuffing recipes this week as I’ll be in charge of the stuffing dish this year and this recipe is definitely making it on the Thanksgiving table. Absolutely amazing flavors and just a beautiful dish. Thank you for the inspiration.
The pesto instructions refer to pine nuts, but they aren’t included in the list of pesto ingredients above. You have them only as a garnish at the end. What quantity?
Hi Barb, I used the pine nuts for crunch on top at the very end only. You can add another 1/4 cup in the pesto if you like, I kind of wanted a thinner consistency here so it coats the bread better. Hope you enjoy ~ Florentina Xo’s