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Fennel herb stuffing on white plate with fork.
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5 from 3 votes

Fennel Herb Stuffing (Gluten Free)

This Fennel Herb Stuffing is a savory Thanksgiving side dish! It's vegetarian, gluten free, and made with fresh herbs like sage and parsley.
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time55 minutes
Total Time1 hour 5 minutes
Course: Side Dish
Cuisine: American
Diet: Gluten Free, Vegetarian
Keyword: fennel stuffing, herb stuffing, gluten free stuffing
Servings: 10
Calories: 282kcal

Ingredients

  • 1 loaf gluten free sandwich bread or any hearty white bread if not gluten free
  • 6 cloves garlic
  • 1 onion white or yellow
  • 1 bulb fennel
  • 4 Tbsp. unsalted butter split
  • 2 ½ cups vegetable broth or chicken broth
  • 5 eggs
  • 1 tsp. kosher salt split
  • ½ tsp. pepper split
  • ½ cup parsley or 3 Tbsp. dried parsley
  • 1 Tbsp. sage or 1 tsp. dried sage
  • 1 Tbsp. rosemary or 1 tsp. dried rosemary
  • 1 Tbsp. thyme or 1 tsp. dried thyme

Instructions

  • Heat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
  • Cut a loaf of hearty gluten free white bread into 1 inch pieces (or any hearty white bread if not gluten free) (yields 10 cups of bread cubes). Make sure the bread is roughly the same size so that they toast evenly.
  • Place the bread cubes onto 2 large baking sheets and place them into the oven for 12 minutes. The bread will dry out and become a little bit crusty. Remove baking sheets from oven and set aside.
  • Remove the stems and fronds from the fennel bulb with a knife. Reserve some of the fennel fronds for garnish. Remove the bottom, woody portion of the fennel bulb with a knife and discard. Remove any damaged outer layers from the bulb and discard.
  • Chop the fennel bulb in half and dice the entire thing, just as you would an onion.
  • Mince 6 cloves of garlic and 1 onion (white or yellow).
  • Heat a large skillet to medium. Add 1 Tbsp. unsalted butter to the skillet. Once the butter is heated, add the diced fennel and ¼ tsp. kosher salt. Sauté the fennel for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
  • After the fennel has softened slightly, add the minced garlic and onions. Sauté for another 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove the skillet from the heat and set aside to cool.
  • Mince ½ cup parsley (curly or Italian flat parsley) and 1 Tbsp. each fresh sage, rosemary, and thyme.
  • Add 5 eggs to a large bowl and whisk together with 2 ½ cups vegetable broth (or chicken broth), ¾ tsp. kosher salt, and ½ tsp. pepper. Add the minced herbs and the cooled sautéed garlic, onion, and fennel mixture. Stir until combined.
  • Generously grease a 9x13 inch casserole dish with butter. Pour the toasted bread cubes (10 cups) into the casserole dish. Pour the egg mixture over the bread cubes. Toss the toasted bread in the egg mixture with a large spoon, making sure that it is completely coated in the mixture.
  • Cut 3 Tbsp. unsalted butter into pieces and dot the top of the stuffing.
  • Cover the casserole dish with foil and bake for 20 minutes. After 20 minutes, remove the foil and cook for another 15-20 minutes. The stuffing is done when it is firm and the top is golden brown and slightly crispy. Remove the stuffing from the oven.
  • To Serve: Mince some of the fennel fronds and sprinkle a generous amount over the top of the stuffing.

Notes

Dried herbs may be used in place of fresh if needed, although the flavor won't be as robust. If using dried herbs, use 3 Tbsp. dried parsley instead of ½ cup fresh parsley and 1 tsp. each of dried sage, rosemary, and thyme in place of fresh.
The bread may also be dried out by cutting into 1 inch pieces and placing onto baking sheets for 1-2 days at room temperature.

Nutrition

Serving: 2cups | Calories: 282kcal | Carbohydrates: 39g | Protein: 10g | Fat: 10g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 0.2g | Cholesterol: 95mg | Sodium: 562mg | Potassium: 273mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 666IU | Vitamin C: 11mg | Calcium: 194mg | Iron: 4mg