Give thanks for botanicus festivus (vegetarian stuffing balls)
Posted on
There’s no need to give up the best bits of the Christmas roast as a vegetarian!
Christmas is just around the corner and as it hurtles towards us, it will soon be time for our household to crack out these stuffing balls. Be warned though, if you’re serving these as a vegetarian option beside roast, you might find that the omnivores will be fighting over them too!
These crumbly, crunchy mouthfuls are full of hearty flavour, and conjure memories of warm roast dinner. This version is a combination of a few recipes, and these morsels are great served alongside steamed or roasted vegetables, salad, and a potato bake.
And most importantly, gravy is non-negotiable.
Some might consider it sacrilege, but for this recipe we make up 250mL of powdered gravy and add a ¼ teaspoon of Vegemite to give it a richer flavour. I was surprised to learn recently that most of the powdered gravies in your supermarket are most likely vegan friendly!
This recipe will make eight to 10 balls.
Ingredients
- 2 ½ cups of dried bread crumbs or stale bread processed into crumbs (a mixture of the two works best)
- ½ cup of cranberries
- 2 cloves of garlic, crushed
- ½ tablespoon of rosemary, finely chopped or dried
- ½ tablespoon of thyme, finely chopped or dried
- 1 tablespoon of sage, finely chopped
- ½ a medium onion, grated
- ½ an apple, grated
- ¼ cup of chopped pistachios
- ¼ cup of chopped cashews
- 1 egg (applesauce is also a good alternative)
- 4 tablespoons olive oil or melted butter
- 1 teaspoon of mustard (wholegrain or dijon work well)
- A generous pinch of salt and pepper
Instructions
Preheat your oven to 170 degrees Celsius.
Combine your dry ingredients in one bowl and your wet in another, pour the wet into the dry and mix with your hands.
Make small balls with the mixture, slightly smaller than a golf ball and applying just enough pressure so the balls keep their shape.
Place on baking paper, brush with olive oil and bake for 25 minutes (or until golden brown), turning five minutes before.
If you have an air fryer, try the roast setting for 15 min on 170.
Once ready, leave for five minutes to cool before serving with your gravy.
Note: if you want really moist stuffing balls, you can also add a few tablespoons of mayonnaise or sour cream to the mixture.
