Easy Paleo Plantain Stuffing for a WIN!
This paleo plantain stuffing recipe is one for the books. I typically do not rave about my food but am screaming from the rooftop about this one because you need to try it! Grain-free, gluten-free, dairy-free, whole30, super easy to make paleo stuffing with plantains and sausage is finger-licking good! The sweetness of the sweet ripe plantains combined with the savory sausage, coconut milk, bell peppers, herbs, and spices is insanely delicious! This stuffing is moist, flavorful, tasty, kid-friendly, and a crowd-pleaser! You do not need gravy to eat this stuffing because it is moist and not dry unlike many “bread” stuffing! Be ready for a treat when you make this paleo stuffing! Listen, make this once, and you will make it again and again! The absolute best natural stuffing recipe you need is here, and it makes for the best side dish!
This healthy paleo stuffing is perfect for Thanksgiving, Christmas, Easter, Sunday roast, or any time you wish, etc. Pair this paleo stuffing with some juicy turkey, turkey breast, or this leg of lamb!
Why I love this Gluten-free Plantain Stuffing Recipe:
- SO freaking TASTY! Listen, this paleo stuffing is literally the BEST stuffing that I have a EVER eaten! My family and I enjoyed this recipe; this is the second year in a row we are making it during Thanksgiving.
- Paleo (well obviously)
- Gluten-free! Yippie, this recipe is gluten-free and still tastes soooooo good!
- East to make!
- Kid-friendly. Any recipe that my kids whole-heartedly enjoy is a winning recipe in my book!
- This recipe is versatile (you can serve it as a side dish during the holidays especially Thanksgiving or use it as an only dish)! Equally, you can easily bake this in muffin cups instead of a baking dish. Take a look below: ⬇️
My Plantain-loving Background!
Growing up in Nigeria, plantain was a huge part of my life; we had plantain trees in the compound and on our farm. My mother would use it in different ways, such as roasting, boiling, frying, etc. Check out my roasted ripe plantains with guacamole! Or my fried plantains and yam recipe (ultimate Naija breakfast)! Plantains are great as porridges too, (I added some to this sweet potato porridge.) Today I will be spinning around one of my mother’s (plantain) recipes to make this family requested paleo stuffing with plantains and sausage.
Living in America has afforded me the opportunity of adding yet another tradition to the ones I had growing up in Nigeria. Every single year my family and I look forward to Thanksgiving – an American tradition celebrated every last Thursday of November. One of the unique thanksgiving dishes is “stuffing.” Usually, stuffing is made from bread or cornbread, but I decided to make my family’s stuffing from plantains. Well, guess what? It worked. Yippie!
Cheers to this deliciously yummy plantain stuffing, if you are excited about this new tradition, keep reading for the exact recipe.
Ingredients for this Paleo Stuffing:
- Ripe plantains (or semi-ripe plantains)
- Sausage
- Coconut milk (I used this one)
- Broth (I typically use chicken broth but beef broth would work! Store-bought broth also works just fine.)
- Eggs
- Dried cranberries
- Fresh rosemary
- Fresh sage leaves
- Curry powder (optional)
- Black pepper
- Crushed red pepper or ground spicy pepper
- Maggi cube or one teaspoon of Knorr bouillon seasoning
- Salt to taste if needed (remember, you had used salt to sauté the ground turkey)
- EVOO or Avocado oil
For sautéing the Sausage:
- Chopped onions
- Bell pepper (different colors if possible (chopped)
- A dash of salt, pepper, dry thyme, and a dash of Maggi cube or bouillon seasoning
How to make Paleo Stuffing with Plantains and Sausage:
- Wash all the vegetables; onions, bell peppers, and green onions. Then use the food processor to chop the bell peppers and onions.
- Preheat oven to 350
- Add 1 – 2 teaspoons of olive oil to the pan, allow to heat up, and add chopped bell pepper-onion blend. Cook until the liquid visibly reduces, about 2 – 3 minutes. Season with a dash of salt, pepper, and dry thyme. Add a dash of Maggi cube or bouillon seasoning as well.
- Stir in the sausage and cook until no longer pink and fully cooked. Finish with green onions if using it. Taste for flavors and set aside.
- Wash plantain and dry with a paper towel to remove external dirt, peel off the skin, and gently slice through the middle to half (please check photos). Place halved plantains on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Sprinkle a little salt and olive oil (use oil spray if available).
- Bake plantains for 15 – 20 minutes on each side or until a little golden. (Please see the photos.)
- Allow plantains to cool for about 5 minutes after you remove them from the oven. Then add them to the food processor. Chop them into little chunks or however, you desire. I like to see a bit of a chunk (in those days, my mother would use pestle and mortar to break them.)
- Add the chopped plantains to a big bowl, add the sautéed (well-seasoned) sausage, coconut milk, broth, and dried cranberries. Also, add fresh rosemary, chopped sage leaves, curry powder, black pepper, crushed red pepper, or ground red pepper. As well as salt, Maggi or Bouillon seasoning, then use a spatula to combine very well. Taste and adjust flavors appropriately, and then finally mix in the eggs.
Bake Same Day or Freeze for Later:
- Spray/grease a baking dish. Gently scoop this paleo stuffing mixture in your baking dish, place a couple sage stuffing, and bake for 30 minutes or until fully cooked. I like to do a “toothpick check.” Make sure not to over bake this, or they make become dry. Alternatively, you can freeze this stuffing and bake another time!
- If you wish to bake these in muffins cups instead, use an ice cream measure to scoop them into the muffin cups and bake for only 22 – 25 minutes, or until fully cooked.
How to Store the Leftover:
We rarely have leftover of this paleo stuffing; however, this stuffing keeps so well in the fridge. However, you can always store the leftover in the fridge for 4 – 5 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Paleo Stuffing FAQs
Yes, you can absolutely use unripe or semi-ripe plantains for this paleo stuffing recipe with plantains. However, the outcome wouldn’t be as tasty and sweet as this one. I have tried this recipe with semi-ripe plantains, and I prefer it this way, with ripe sweet plantains!
Yes, this paleo stuffing recipe is gluten-free, grain-free, dairy-free and whole30 complaint.
Yes, you can absolutely make this recipe ahead. Stop at step 9 and freeze if you wish to make this ahead. And on the day you plan to serve, bring to room temperature and bake at 350 for 30 minutes or until fully cooked. Serve and enjoy!
Well, enough said, let’s make this dish.
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Paleo Stuffing with Plantains and Sausage (GF + DF)
- Total Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
- Yield: 8–10 1x
- Diet: Gluten Free
Description
Easy and healthy paleo stuffing with plantains and sausage is sweet, savory, flavorful and insanely delicious! This stuffing is gluten-free, dairy-free, grain-free and whole30 complaint! The sweetness of the sweet ripe plantains combined with the savory sausage, coconut milk, herbs, and spices is insanely delicious!
This healthy paleo stuffing is perfect for Thanksgiving, Christmas, Easter, Sunday roast, or any time you wish, etc.
Ingredients
- 4 Ripe plantains (or semi-ripe plantains)
- 1 lb. sausage
- ½ cup of coconut milk (I used this one)
- ½ cup of broth (I typically use chicken broth but beef broth would work! You can also use store-bought chicken broth)
- 2 eggs
- ¾ cup of dried cranberries or craisins
- 1 Strig of fresh rosemary
- A couple of sage leaves
- ½ teaspoon curry powder
- ¼ teaspoon of black pepper
- ½ crushed red pepper or ground spicy pepper
- 1 small Maggi cube or one teaspoon of Knorr bouillon seasoning
- Salt to taste if needed
- 1 tablespoon of EVOO or Avocado oil (plus more if needed)
For sautéing the Sausage:
- 1 small bulb of onion or ½ of a big one (chopped)
- 1 big bell pepper (or one cup of different colors of bell peppers (chopped)
- A dash of salt, pepper, dry thyme, and a dash of Maggi cube or bouillon seasoning
Instructions
- Wash all the vegetables; onions, bell peppers, and green onions. Then use the food processor to chop the bell peppers and onions.
- Preheat oven to 350
- Add 1 – 2 teaspoons of olive oil to the pan, allow to heat up, and add chopped bell pepper-onion blend. Cook until the liquid visibly reduces, about 2 – 3 minutes. Season with a dash of salt, pepper, and dry thyme. Add a dash of Maggi cube or bouillon seasoning as well.
- Stir in the sausage and cook until no longer pink and fully cooked. Finish with green onions if using it. Taste for flavors and set aside.
- Wash plantain and dry with a paper towel to remove external dirt, peel off the skin, and gently slice through the middle to half (please check photos). Place halved plantains on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Sprinkle a little salt and olive oil (use oil spray if available).
- Bake plantains for 15 – 20 minutes on each side or until a little golden. (Please see the photos.)
- Allow plantains to cool for about 5 minutes after you remove them from the oven. Then add them to the food processor. Chop them into little chunks or however, you desire. I like to see a bit of a chunk (in those days, my mother would use pestle and mortar to break them.)
- Add the chopped plantains to a big bowl, add the sautéed (well-seasoned) sausage, coconut milk, broth, and dried cranberries. Also, add fresh rosemary, chopped sage leaves, curry powder, black pepper, crushed red pepper, or ground red pepper. As well as salt, Maggi or Bouillon seasoning, then use a spatula to combine very well. Taste and adjust flavors appropriately, and then finally add the eggs. (Crack open the eggs into a bowl, remove any shell or dirt, beat to mix, and add to the mixture.)
- Spray/grease a baking dish. Gently scoop this paleo stuffing mixture in your baking dish.
- Bake for 30 minutes or until fully cooked. I like to do a “toothpick check.” Make sure not to overbake this, or they make become dry. Enjoy this gluten-free paleo side dish without gravy during the holidays!
- If you wish to bake these in muffins cups instead, use an ice cream measure to scoop them into the muffin cups and bake for only 22 – 25 minutes, or until fully cooked.
Notes
Always add salt according to your taste or health need.
You can use semi-ripe plantains if that’s what you have. However, it may not necessarily be as tasty as this one.
I used sausage; however, you can use ground beef or ground turkey. Just ensure to season well. Usually, sausage requires less seasoning!
You may need more coconut and broth if you are using semi-ripe plantains or unripe plantains.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 70 minutes
- Category: Side dish
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: African
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 muffin
Keywords: Paleo, Paleo stuffing, Thanksgiving Stuffing, Gluten-free stuffing, Grain-free, Dairy-free stuffing, Stuffing Recipe, Healthy Stuffing
MORE HOLIDAY SIDE DISHES TO TRY:
- Braised Red Cabbage with Apples.
- Healthy baked Brussels Sprouts.
- Cauliflower Mac and Cheese.
- Nigerian Party Jollof Rice.
- Healthier Honey Cornbread.
- Nigerian Fried Rice.
- Shredded Beet Salad.
Some Main Dish to Pair with Paleo Stuffing:
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