Paleo Stuffing

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.