This Brown Rice Stuffing with Cranberries, Leeks, and Thyme is a healthy twist on the traditional Thanksgiving stuffing, featuring vegan sausage bites, cranberry, brown rice and chopped veggies.
I have always called stuffing… well, stuffing. I never understood what people meant when they were talking about “dressing” – that makes me think of salad, which is the total opposite of the delicious carb-a-licious stuff that goes with a turkey.
While this Brown Rice Stuffing with Cranberries, Leeks, and Thyme isn’t necessarily the most traditional stuffing you’ll find, it has all the flavors you want to complement the rest of your Thanksgiving day spread: savory and salty vegan sausage bites and sweet punches of cranberry interspersed between grains of brown rice and chopped veggies.
What are you waiting for? I have a feeling you’re assembling your Thanksgiving menu, and this dish doesn’t even need to take up oven space!
- 1.5 cups dry brown or wholegrain rice
- 3 and ½ cups vegetable stock, divided
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 leek
- 2 large carrots
- 2 vegan sausages (see notes)
- ½ teaspoon thyme
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup dried cranberries
- Add rice and 3 cups of vegetable stock into a pot. Bring it to a boil over medium-high heat, and then cover the pot and reduce the heat so the mixture simmers until the rice is tender (about 40 minutes depending on your rice).
- When the rice is halfway done, sautee thinly sliced leeks (just use the white part and the beginning of the green section) and diced carrots in another pan with oil for about 5-7 minutes.
- Add ½ cup vegetable stock to the leek and carrot mixture and let it simmer until the carrots are soft and the stock has evaporated (another 5-7 minutes).
- Add in chopped sausages, thyme, and salt to the vegetable mixture. Cook until warm.
- Fluff the rice with a fork and add the other pan's contents to the pot of rice along with the dried cranberries. Stir to combine and serve.
I used a whole grain rice that included short and long grain brown rice, as well as two whole grain red rice varieties.
While I won’t be making a whole Thanksgiving day spread this year, I will be making the desserts (!!) and the cranberry sauce.
I’m planning on a pie version of my Pumpkin Pie Oatmeal Bars and my Simple Layered Apple Crisp. Date Truffles might make an appearance too since I think everyone would appreciate a sweet chocolate bite at the end of the meal.
I will be making my Basic Cranberry Sauce and my Chunky Crockpot Cranberry Apple Sauce in advance so that I can have plenty of time to do something else with my Thanksgiving days off (I hate to be mysterious but I don’t want to jinx anything!). Cross your fingers for us and stay tuned!!
I am obviously doing my happy dance that Thanksgiving is basically a week away! Are you doing any prepping this weekend?
Marisa
Erin @ The Almond Eater says
Can I tell you a secret? I don’t like traditional stuffing. I’ve tried it a billion times and each time I want to spit it back out. Sooooo this looks way better than tradition stuffing. YUM.
Marisa says
No way! I can’t believe you aren’t a stuffing person. I’m glad I made a version that sounds tasty to you!!
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine says
Beautiful! Stuffing is the best part of T-Day!
Marisa says
Thanks Rebecca!
Sarah @ Making Thyme for Health says
Okay, I’m coming to your house for Thanksgiving! This looks delicious!! 🙂
And I never got why people call it “dressing” either. Weird.
Marisa says
Yes, you are welcome over anytime!! 🙂
Julia says
I have always called stuffing stuffing, too. It wasn’t until I started food blogging that I even realized some people call it dressing, lol! What a confusing day that was 😉
I’m pretty obsessed with this stuffing – all them flavors look marvelous and I’m all about a healthy GF stuffing for Thanksgiving!!
Marisa says
Glad we have our naming conventions clear! Haha. Thanks Julia!