Wild Rice, Cranberry, and Collard Greens Stuffing

For a warm vegan stuffing full of aromatic flavors your entire Thanksgiving table will enjoy, try this Wild Rice, Cranberry, and Collard Greens Stuffing, packed with whole grains, vegetables, and a burst of fruity flavor.

Gluten Free, Nut Free, Dairy Free, Soy Free, Egg Free

Disclaimer: This post is sponsored by WP Rawl/Nature’s Greens, but like always, all opinions are my own. Thank you for supporting the brands that make the Chelsey Amer Nutrition blog possible!

Happy Thanksgiving month!!! I can’t believe it will be here before we know it! EEEK! Thanksgiving is always one of my favorite holidays because it centers around family, fun, and FOOD! Not to mention I LOVE going home to my parents’ house for a long weekend with all my siblings. And this year is extra special because we have our little guy to celebrate the holiday with!

Growing up, I loved our family tradition of watching the parade in our pajamas and then helping my mom in the kitchen. She always makes her staples – cranberry relish, sweet potatoes with the marshmallows, turkey, and stuffing!

But our Thanksgiving spread has changed over the years (has yours?). For a while I was a vegetarian and my dad is a vegan. That means WAY more veggies and more of a focus on the sides than before. (Although Thanksgiving is always about the sides, right?)

So here we are with a new (plant based and vegan) stuffing recipe!

My family’s go-to, generations old stuffing recipe is made with chicken liver (it’s delicious!), so that’s a no-go for my dad. Instead, over the past several years my mom and I have experimented with various grains and alternatives.

This Wild Rice, Cranberry, and Collard Greens Stuffing is perfect!

Made with warm rice, sweet dried cranberries, and hearty greens, drizzled with a maple mustard dressing, this flavorful combination is absolutely delicious without the meat.

Here’s how to add tons of flavor…

First, cook the rice in vegetable stock. Trust me, it makes SUCH a big difference in the final flavor. When you start to layer flavors early on in the cooking process your end result will be THAT much better.

Second, use a sturdy green that doesn’t fall apart. I’m a big fan of collard greens in dishes like this because it actually adds flavor to the dish (unlike a milder green, like spinach). Collard greens are slightly bitter with a bite, but aren’t overpowering. The greens are beautifully complemented by the sweet cranberries and maple vinaigrette.

Third, the maple mustard dressing hits the spot. The maple flavor screams fall and the mustard adds just the right bit of tang.

See… you can have a flavorful holiday dish without meat!

Substitutions for this stuffing:

My favorite part about cooking is making swaps and subs to try new spins on traditional dishes. If you’re new in the kitchen or a strict recipe follower, this is a fun recipe you can customize to your liking.

Here are some delicious substitutions you can make:

Instead of wild rice, try any grain. Switch things up and use quinoa, farro, bulgur, cous cous… the opportunities are endless. If you do have a gluten free Thanksgiving visitor, be sure to choose a gluten free grain like sorghum, buckwheat, quinoa, or another rice.

Instead of dried cranberries, try any dried fruit. Raisins would be the easy swap, but try chopped dried apricots, dates, or apples. When choosing dried fruit, pick a variety without added sugar (the concentrated fruit is usually sweet enough).

Instead of collard greens, try any sturdy green. Nature’s Greens kale, mustard greens, or turnip greens would all work beautifully in this recipe.

For more recipes using collard greens, click here!

Instead of maple syrup, try honey. If you’re trying to cut added sugar, you can use slightly less maple syrup (or any liquid sweetener), but the dressing really ties the entire recipe together!

This Wild Rice, Cranberry, and Collard Greens Stuffing is…

• Made with 10 ingredients
• Delicious
• Easy to make
• Great for a crowd
• Full of fall flavor
• Plant-based
• Food allergy friendly
• Vegan
• Gluten free

Let’s make it…

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Happy Thanksgiving month!!
XO