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Stuffing Balls are a wonderful Thanksgiving side dish. Easy to make gluten free by subbing out the bread used in this family favorite recipe!
STUFFING BALLS TRADITIONAL STYLE OR GLUTEN FREE
This will be my 6th or 7th Gluten Free Thanksgiving. Even though I’ve lost track, I can say that it gets easier every single year. I’ve learned the foods that won’t make me sick, I know which ingredients to avoid, and I know what recipes I miss the most and want to recreate in a safe way. For me, one of the first recipes I ever modified was my mom’s recipe for Stuffing Balls. These are always a fan favorite, and most people have no idea that they are gluten free! I hope you enjoy my Gluten Free Stuffing Balls Recipe as much as our family enjoys it!
The recipe has been modified over the years. This version showcases my favorite fall ingredient - cranberries! (Shocker, I know!)
The balls are individually sized, with lots of flavor packed into each one.
They look adorable next to these amazing Instant Pot Carrots that I’ll be sharing soon.
The flavors just scream fall, comfort, tradition, and Thanksgiving to me. I’m so glad I was able to recreate this family recipe for those who can’t have gluten.
It’s hard to explain to people how those favorite family dishes are so missed.
The base of this recipe is gluten free bead. I use Udi’s white sandwich bread. It’s been my go-to bread for years. I always have a loaf in the fridge, with a spare in the freezer.
Cooking the onions, celery and spices on the stovetop makes the veggies begin to sweat and caramelize, and the spices get all sucked up into the buttery mixture.
I added in some dried cranberries and a bit of potato flour to give a little bit of bulk to the recipe. The egg yolks act as a binder.
I cube the toasted bread while the veggie butter mixture is doing it’s thing on the stove.
The shaping of the stuffing balls is the trickiest part. You sort of have to mush it all together, so that it all sticks. It seems counter intuitive to flatten the bread, but it will inflate itself again.
Your house will smell heavenly even before you pop them into the oven.
This was a batch for my family. When I have guests, I double the recipe.
📋Recipe
GLUTEN FREE STUFFING BALLS
Ingredients
For the Stuffing Balls:
- 1 small onion finely diced
- 1-2 celery sticks finely diced (I keep mine large for picky kids to pick out)
- 1 ½ sticks butter 12 TBSP
- ½ teaspoon poultry seasoning
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- 1 loaf Udi’s Gluten Free White Sandwich Bread Toasted and cubed
- ¼ cup dried cranberries
- 3 egg yolks
- 1 tablespoon potato flour
- ½ cup chicken broth
Instructions
For the Stuffing:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Toast all the pieces of bread and cube into small pieces. Set aside.
- In a skillet over medium heat, melt the butter. Add in the onion and celery. Begin to sweat down. When onions are translucent, add in the poultry seasoning. Continue to cook about 1-2 minutes more.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the bread cubes with the potato flour and dried cranberries. Add in the onion/butter mixture from the skillet. Mix in the egg yolks. Finally, add in the chicken stock.
- The mixture should be mushy, but not terribly mushy. There should still be bits of firm bread.
- Coat a sheet pan with non-stick spray. Using a large scoop, make balls with your hands (a little bigger than golf balls). The recipe should make 12 balls this size.
- Bake for 15 minutes. The balls should hold their shape and be cooked through.
- ENJOY!
Nutrition
I hope you enjoy this family recipe as much as we do!
Looking for more Gluten Free Thanksgiving recipes?
My cranberry sauce is naturally gluten free!
Make Ahead Cranberry Sauce (naturally Gluten Free!)
Find all my cranberry recipes here:
Cranberry Crush: A Recipe Collection by Major Hoff Takes A Wife
Want to find more recipes or holiday craft ideas? Be sure to follow me on Pinterest!
Erica | The Crumby Kitchen says
I LOVE the idea of stuffing balls! Making a Thanksgiving staple appetizer friendly? Definitely OK by me!
Dana DeVolk says
Ummm, YUM! How cute are these?!