Low carb stuffings for Thanksgiving and Christmas

Stuffing tips{/healdine}Generally, the amounts in these recipes will stuff a medium to large-sized turkey for a family gathering, so as a general rule of thumb, use a third to half the recipe to stuff a chicken, or to roast separately in a pan to serve with pork.

To roast separately, butter a suitably sized baking pan, spoon the mixture in and smooth the top. Bake in an oven at 350 degree F for 45 to 60 minutes until the top is crispy. If you are feeling particularly adventurous, you can use one of these recipes to stuff a joint of boneless pork too!

Stuffing is not generally difficult for low carbers to convert. It's just a question of finding the right kind of ingredient to replace the more carby elements like breadcrumbs, potatoes, biscuits, cornbread, high carb fruit and sugary fruit juices. Almond flour will come to the rescue to stand in for breadcrumbs and other starchy combinations. It will soak up juices and bulk up a stuffing mix in a similar way to breadcrumbs.

Fruit juices can generally be replaced with a few tablespoons of fresh lemon juice mixed with water. Sausage meat can be substituted with fresh ground pork to avoid the carby fillers often used in sausage-making. An egg can be added to any of these recipes if you like your stuffing to be more solid so it can be served cut into slices. Adding an egg also adds extra protein, which low carbers will always welcome.

A good low carb stuffing is easy to create

It's basically just a question of throwing all the ingredients into a bowl and stirring together before stuffing it into either the turkey or the pan before cooking! Some recipes don't even require that you soften an onion in butter to begin, but I find the flavor is better if you do. It doesn't even matter if the proportions are not quite as the recipe states, or even if you feel like adding in an extra herb, spice or extra ingredient, it will still turn out a delicious result. So don't be afraid to improvise a little -- you might be pleasantly surprised with your own handiwork!

I probably don't have to tell you that it can be quite a messy business to stuff a turkey and I would not recommend using your hands because that makes it much more so! I suggest using a large serving spoon as the neatest way of getting the stuffing into the turkey, and if you are stuffing a chicken, simply use a smaller spoon.

Pack the stuffing well into the cavity using the back of the spoon to press it in. It's quite surprising how much stuffing you need for larger birds! Many people then tie up the bird with string to help stop the stuffing from coming out during roasting, but using an egg in your recipe will help keep it all together, and I don't usually find much stuffing comes out anyway. Even if it does, I find it just adds flavor to the gravy which I make using the juices from the pan when the turkey is finished cooking.

Of course, it is essential that turkeys and chickens are cooked thoroughly to avoid the possibility of food poisoning, so it's very important to weigh your turkey after you have stuffed it with your choice of stuffing in order to calculate the cooking time. This will ensure not only that your stuffing is cooked, but also the turkey!

Low carb stuffing recipes

Pork, Sage and Onion Stuffing

This is a traditional English recipe. A leading company makes a dried packet version that is very popular on the supermarket shelves, but nothing quite beats a stuffing made with fresh ingredients, particularly on a special occasion. The advantage of this stuffing for a low carber is that it contains no fruit, is particularly low in carbs, but still has a delicious flavor.

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons salted butter
1 large onion, finely chopped
2 pounds ground pork
1/2 cup almond flour
1 tablespoon ground sage
1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste
1/2 teaspoon ground pepper, or to taste

Directions:
1. Melt the butter in a large skillet or saucepan; fry the onion until soft. This will take about 10 minutes.

2. Add all the remaining ingredients and mix well. (You can transfer the mixture to a large bowl. Once it is well combined, it is ready to stuff the turkey.

3. Weigh the turkey after stuffing to calculate the complete roasting time. Roast as directed.

Makes 15 (3/4-cup) servings.

Per serving: 1.8g carbs, 0.6g fiber, 16g total fat, 48mg cholesterol, 11g protein, 123mg sodium, 196 calories

Cranberry and Walnut Stuffing

This recipe is inspired by Delia Smith, a well-known food writer in the UK. It's a version of a traditional American recipe. Like many recipes for stuffing, the original recipe contained apples, but as apples are a higher carb fruit, I have substituted cranberries which have the dual effect of making the stuffing lower carb than the regular recipe and also adding a little extra seasonal color and flavor.

As this stuffing contains fruit, however, it does mean that it has a slightly higher carb content than the other recipes in this article. Also, if you are currently avoiding fruit on your low carb plan, then this recipe may not be for you at this time. However, it is very special and worth the extra carbs if you can fit them in!

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons salted butter
1 1/2 cups onion, chopped
2 cups celery, chopped
2 cups cranberries (fresh or defrosted if fresh-frozen)
1 cup walnut pieces
1 1/2 cups almond flour
1 pound ground pork
3 tablespoons lemon juice
2 teaspoons ground thyme
1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste
1/2 teaspoon ground pepper, or to taste

Directions:
1. Melt the butter in a large skillet; cook the celery and onion together until soft (about 10 minutes).

2. Mix the remaining ingredients in a large bowl; add the celery and onion mixture.

3. Use the mixture to stuff the turkey, weighing the bird before roasting to calculate the correct cooking time. Roast as directed.

Makes 15 (1/2-cup) servings.

Per serving: 7.0g carbs, 2.8g fiber, 18g total fat, 26mg cholesterol, 7g protein, 120mg sodium, 216 calories

Deborah's Apricot and Ginger Stuffing

If you are in the mood for a lighter, meatless stuffing, then this recipe is definitely one to try. Apricots are lower-carb fruits, but, as with the Cranberry and Walnut recipe, if your low carb plan requires that you avoid fruit at the moment, then you should leave this recipe to a later date, but keep it somewhere safe because it really is delicious!

This is a family recipe from my friend, Deborah, which she often uses to stuff both turkey and chicken. She also says that it goes very well with pork dishes when baked in a pan in the oven and served with the meal separately. She kindly gave me the recipe so that I could convert it to low carb, and here it is.

Ingredients:
4 tablespoons salted butter
1 large onion, finely chopped
2 cups almond flour
1 1/2 cups apricots, chopped (fresh or canned in water, drained)
1 teaspoon ground ginger
2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
3 tablespoons lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste
1/2 teaspoon ground pepper, or to taste

Directions:
1. Melt the butter in a large skillet. Add the chopped onion; cook for about 5-10 minutes until softened.

2. Add all the remaining ingredients; mix well. The mixture should come together and look fairly wet, but if it doesn't, add a few tablespoons of water until it holds together in the pan.

3. Use the mixture to stuff the turkey. Weigh the stuffed turkey to calculate the complete cooking time. Roast as directed.

Makes 15 (1/4-cup) servings.

Per serving: 5.6g carbs, 2.0g fiber, 9g total fat, 8mg cholesterol, 3g protein, 101mg sodium, 113 calories