One of the first things people panic about on their first Paleo Thanksgiving is the stuffing. Trust me, this stuffing tastes way better than the kind you get in a box, and it’s way better for you!
This dish serves 8-10. Be sure to use extra-lean ground beef (grass-fed, preferably) and soaked walnuts.
Ingredients:
- 1 pound ground pork, pork sausage, or combination of ground pork and ground turkey (ground beef is also a viable option – just make sure it’s not too lean or it won’t have the flavor needed)
- 2 cups walnut pieces, very finely chopped/ground and soaked overnight (rinse several times before using)
- 1 medium sweet onion, diced
- 4 stalks of celery, diced
- 1 apple, cored and finely diced
- Several springs of fresh rosemary, sage, thyme, and marjoram (poultry mix), finely chopped
- 1/2 tsp. garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp. sea salt
Directions:
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Chop all the veggies, the apple, and herbs.
- Saute the meat and celery for 3-4 minutes on medium heat, making sure that the meat/sausage gets broken up into really small pieces as it cooks (big chunks are not very stuffing-like!). We used a big saucepan for this, as we didn’t want the contents to overflow once everything was mixed.
- Add the onion and apple, and cook for another 2-3 minutes.
- Add the herbs, garlic powder, walnuts, and salt, and mix thoroughly. The meat should NOT be totally cooked at this point – there should still be some pink.
- Pull everything out of the pan, and move into a 9 × 13 baking pan (or two 6 × 9 pans), and bake uncovered at 375 for 30 minutes. Serve hot from the oven.