The best vegan stuffing with all the comfort and familiarity of traditional stuffing, but packed with protein and flavour too. Bake in a tray, or shape into balls. This chestnut and tempeh stuffing is suitable for vegetarians and vegans alike.
Fry the onions with the salt in the oil over a low heat for five minutes or until translucent.
2 tbsp olive oil, 1 pinch sea salt, 1 large onion
Turn up the heat and add the tempeh and thyme. Fry for a further five minutes, tossing the tempeh and onions from time to time until the onions have caramelised and most of the tempeh has crisped up. Take off the heat and allow to cool a little.
8 sprigs fresh thyme, 200 g tempeh
Place all ingredients, bar the bottom two, into a food processor or blender and pulse until everything is broken up and well combined, but there's still plenty of texture.
180 g chestnuts, 2 cloves garlic, 80 g wholemeal breadcrumbs, 25 g fresh parsley, 1 tbsp tamari (affiliate link), 1 tbsp water
Test for seasoning and add a few grinds of pepper and more salt if needed.
salt and pepper
Either scrape the mixture into a suitably sized ovenproof dish. Oil it first and press the mixture into an even layer. Or squeeze the mixture into walnut-sized balls with your hands.
To roast the balls, place the sunflower oil into the hot oven five minutes before you add the stuffing. Toss them in the hot oil then pop them in the oven pronto. Otherwise, just place on a baking tray, lined with baking paper or a silicone mat. For the dish version, you can either cover it with foil if you want the stuffing completely soft, or for a crusty top just bake as it is. Cook for thirty minutes, but if you're making stuffing balls, turn them over half way through.
2 tbsp sunflower oil
Notes
Instead of baking or roasting the stuffing separately, you can use it to stuff vegetables or the main event itself.Please note: calories and other nutritional information are per serving. They’re approximate and will depend on exact ingredients used.