Stuffing versus Dressing
Definitions: A mixture of edible substances, usually a starch. It is stuffing if it is cooked inside the turkey, dressing if it is not. Correct? I think that was the consensus on the internet but please feel free to correct me if I am wrong.
We always grew up in my house saying “stuffing.” Whether it was actually cooked inside the turkey or not, I honestly was too oblivious as a youngin to remember, but dressing was a term set aside solely for what we drizzled atop our salads. I remember the first time I heard the term dressing, or the first time it really stood out to me. We were doing a potluck for Thanksgiving at work, and it was time to go sign up for what we were going to bring to contribute. I saw a line for dressing and a line for stuffing. My first inclination was, ‘man, we are going to have a lot of dressing here and it doesn’t look like anyone is going to be bringing salads!’ Then when my coworker corrected me I was still confused because they are essentially the same thing so I don’t know why we needed a list for both of them. But maybe some people are particular??
And The Winner Is…
So I suppose this dish is technically dressing. Because I did not stuff it in a turkey to cook. But if it is okay with you I am probably going to name it stuffing for the recipe. Because it just sounds more normal to me. But you are welcome to call it what you like!
Cauliflower Power
The first and biggest reason this recipe is SO much healthier than tradition stuffings – both in the sense that it is lower in fat and calories, but also HIGHER in minerals and nutrients – is because the base is made from riced cauliflower instead of bread.
White bread contains a lot of refined carbohydrates that your body ends up processing into fats. You can definitely find a better route through whole grain options, but cauliflower takes it up a notch. Cauliflower is really low in calories and fat. A whole head is less than 150 calories and only about a gram of fat. Plus one serving contains about 77% of your daily value of vitamin C, as well as being a good source of vitamin K, protein, thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, magnesium, phosphorus, fiber, vitamin B6, folate, pantothenic acid, potassium, and manganese. That right there is about 14 reasons why cauliflower is better than bread.
You can buy a whole head of cauliflower, or purchase bags of florets to rice (this is the route I usually take), or nowadays you can even buy pre-riced bags in the store! If you want to rice it yourself, it is really easy. Just take your food processor or high grade blender and pulse it on chop mode a few times.
Veggie Galore!
What also makes this recipe so great is that we stuff so many great vegetables into the dish, that don’t overwhelm the taste. The celery and carrots give a great crisp to it, but once you add the seasonings and sausage, those flavors really take center stage.
So you are going to chop and cook your celery, carrots, and onion together in a separate pan first to allow these to get a little tender. They require longer cooking than cauliflower and mushrooms so you want to make sure they are fully cooked. You can chop the celery and carrots by hand, but I recommend chopping your onion using your food processor to save time.
The last veggie in the dish is mushrooms. Which are another crazy good health option. These we are going to chop with our food processor as small as the cauliflower, and stir it right into the pan and cook them together. They add a heartier texture to the base because mushrooms are denser and contain less water (that will be released during cooking) than the cauliflower.
Bringing it All Together
Now we have got all our vitamins, minerals, and great nutrition benefits packed into this stuffing, it is time we get our flavor on. The main flavors for this dish come from all the great spices you will add, as well as the turkey sausage. But to be sure you don’t lose the health integrity of the dish, make sure you choose a super lean meat option. I highly recommend Jennie-O. The flavor of this sausage was perfect to bring the side together and it is still a really lean option. If this is not available at your store that is okay, just be sure to read the label before making your choice!
Now we are ready to get cooking. This is a great dish for Thanksgiving because it is actually tastier if you make it a day or two before serving. We all know how precious time and cooking space is the morning of Thanksgiving, so make this ahead of time to cut yourself some slack! This not only allows your morning to be less stressful, it gives the flavors time to really combine and makes for a great tasting dish.
Cauliflower Rice Thanksgiving (Or Any) Day Stuffing
Ingredients:
2 (10oz) bags of cauliflower florets- 1/2 yellow onion
- 3 celery stalks
- 10 baby carrots
- 1 cup mushrooms
- 1 lb lean turkey sausage
- 1/2 cup vegetable broth
- 1/2 cup fresh parsley
- 1 tbsp crushed rosemary
- 1 tbsp ground sage
- 1 tbsp poultry seasoning
- 1/2 tbsp garlic salt
- 2 dashes cayenne pepper
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions:
- Chop your celery, carrots, and dice your onion (in a food processor), combine and cook together in a small frying pan over medium heat until tender. Add salt and pepper to taste. Place pan aside.
- Using a food processor, rice your cauliflower florets.
- Dice mushrooms into small pieces (also easiest in food processor).
- Put riced cauliflower and diced mushrooms in a frying pan together, cook over medium heat until they cook down and you can add the celery/carrot/onion mixture, then switch to lower heat.
- Add rosemary, sage, poultry seasoning, parsley, garlic salt, and cayenne to veggies and continue to cook on low.
- In a separate smal frying pan, cook turkey sausage.
- Once veggies are tender and sausage is cooked, add the sausage to the veggie pan.
- Pour in vegetable broth, cover pan, and let simmer on low heat until broth is fully absorbed (only needs about 15 minutes, but the longer you leave in the pan over low heat the more the flavors will all mix together – resulting (in my opinion) in a more flavorful stuffing).
I hope you all have an incredible Thanksgiving Day meal, or whatever occasion you may be making this for! Whether it is Thanksgiving, Christmas, or just another Tuesday night, share this dish with your loved ones and always remember to be thankful for each and every one of them.
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