Sweet Potato, Fig, and Rosemary Stuffing

True confession: I’m a recipe writer in my 30s and I just made stuffing for the first time ever. Stuffing has never been on my radar because it usually isn't vegetarian or vegan.

Traditional stuffing often includes sausage or chicken broth or a combination of the two. How has it taken me so long to realize stuffing can not only be vegan, but absolutely delicious?

With a quality loaf of fresh bread and a handful of simple ingredients, this is the perfect side dish. Thus, my Sweet Potato, Fig, and Rosemary Stuffing was born.

I have never been a fan of Thanksgiving sweet potato side dishes that are loaded with brown sugar and maple syrup. Call me crazy, but I don’t have a sweet tooth!

In a savory application, though, I’m all about the nutrient-packed root veggie. Along with dried figs, sweet potato adds the perfect amount of sweetness to balance savory onions and fresh herbs in this vegan stuffing.

A few notes

If you’ve never cooked with cipollini onions before, this recipe is a great introduction. The only annoying thing about these bite-sized onions is that they’re difficult to peel. Luckily, boiling cipollini onions for a few minutes and then dunking them in an ice bath loosens up the skins so that they slide right off without much effort.

If you can’t find cipollini onions, you can substitute boiling onions or pearl onions. I saw all three varieties at my usual grocery store.

Once the onions are golden brown and caramelized, it’s time to combine all of the ingredients in a large dutch oven or casserole dish. You could also use the skillet you've caramelized the onions in if it's large enough and oven-safe.

Depending on how dry your bread is, you might need more vegetable broth. Start with a cup and increase gradually from there. The bread cubes should be moist, but not soggy.

Cover the dish and bake for 10 minutes more. Garnish with fresh rosemary and serve!

this recipe

Optional add-ins:

• vegan sausage, we recommend Fieldroast apple sage for this recipe
• Fresh sage, chopped (1 tbsp.)

Make ahead instructions:

I prefer to make stuffing the day of, to avoid the wet bread turning into bread pudding disaster. But I would encourage you to do some prep work the day before. 

• Bake the sweet potatoes, let them cool, and store in an airtight container.
• Toast the bread and let it completely cool before storing it in an airtight container. Sometimes I even just leave it on the baking sheet in the oven until the next day. It is stale bread, after all!
• Prep the onions (Step 4), but wait until the day of to caramelize the onions. 

This Sweet Potato, Fig, and Rosemary Stuffing would make a fantastic vegan addition to your Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner, right next to the cranberry sauce.

Sweet, savory, and hearty, it can even stand alone as a main course and is perfection topped with a little vegan gravy. I hope you love it as much as I do.

Sweet Potato, Fig, and Rosemary Stuffing

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• Author: Kate Kasbee
• Prep Time: 30 mins
• Cook Time: 50 mins
• Total Time: 1 hour 20 minutes
• Yield: 8 servings 1x
• Category: Holiday
• Method: Stovetop
• Cuisine: Vegan
• Diet: Vegan

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Description

This Sweet Potato, Fig, and Rosemary Stuffing is sweet, savory, and hearty. Make sure to start with a good crusty bread. It would make a fantastic vegan addition to your Thanksgiving table!

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Ingredients

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• 2 sweet potatoes, diced into ½-inch cubes
• 2 teaspoons + 1 tablespoon olive oil, divided (or vegan butter, melted)
• 1 teaspoon salt, divided
• Few twists of black pepper
• 1 loaf of sourdough bread, cut into cubes (about 10 cups)
• 1 pound cipollini onions
• 2 tablespoons fresh rosemary, chopped (plus more for topping)
• 1 cup dried figs, halved
• ½ cup roasted and salted pecans, roughly chopped
• ½ cup vegetable broth

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Instructions

1. Preheat your oven to 350F degrees.
2. Spill the sweet potatoes onto a baking sheet and toss with 2 teaspoons of olive oil, ½ teaspoon salt, and black pepper. Roast for 20 to 25 minutes, until fork tender, flipping halfway through.
3. Meanwhile cut the sourdough bread into 1-inch cubes; you should get about 10 cups. Transfer the bread cubes to a large baking sheet and add it to the oven. Bake for 15 minutes, until the bread is dry.
4. Bring a saucepan of water to a boil and prepare a bowl of ice water. Slice the root ends off the cipollini onions and add them to the boiling water. Boil for 2 minutes, then drain and transfer the onions to the ice bath to cool. Peel the cipollini onions and slice them in half from top to bottom.
5. Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Pour the remaining tablespoon of olive oil into the hot skillet and add the cipollini onions. Sauté for 10 to 15 minutes, until the onions are caramelized and tender. Stir in the rosemary and cook for another minute. Season with ¼ teaspoon of salt.
6. Transfer the roasted sweet potatoes, bread cubes, dried figs, pecans, and vegetable broth to the skillet (or baking dish) and stir gently to combine. If the bread still feels dry after soaking up the vegetable broth, add a bit more broth. Taste the stuffing and add more salt if desired (I added another ¼ teaspoon).
7. Cover the skillet with an oven-safe lid or aluminum foil and bake for 10 minutes until warm throughout.
8. Remove the stuffing from the oven and serve in the skillet or transfer to a serving platter.

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Equipment

baking dish set

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baking sheets

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Nutrition

• Serving Size:
• Calories: 292
• Sugar: 15.4 g
• Sodium: 445.3 mg
• Fat: 8.2 g
• Saturated Fat: 1.2 g
• Trans Fat: 0 g
• Carbohydrates: 50.5 g
• Fiber: 5.7 g
• Protein: 2.5 g
• Cholesterol: 0.5 mg

Three more favorite holiday recipes

Mini Vegan Pumpkin Pies with Frosted Cranberries

Easy Herbed Mushroom Gravy

Vegan Sausage & Apple Stuffed Acorn Squash