This vegan southern cornbread dressing is a holiday staple without eggs or dairy, and then made even healthier by stuffing it into tender delicata squash. You can feel a little less guilty indulging in this healthy side dish! It's so filling, it could even be served as entrée.
2t. dried sage (or 1/3 cup fresh sagefinely chopped)
2t. ground black pepper
6delicata squashhalved and seeds removed
Instructions
For the cornbread
Preheat the oven to 425F.
Mix the dry ingredients together in a large bowl.
In a large liquid measuring cup or 1-quart bowl, mix the non-dairy milk and apple cider vinegar together.
Mix 2 T. of ground flax into 1/4 cup of warm water in a small bowl, and let sit for 5 minutes to thicken.
Melt 1/2 cup of refined coconut oil or vegan butter in a small pan or bowl.
Mix all of the liquid ingredients together, then add to the dry ingredients, whisking to combine.
Bake in a greased 12" cast iron skillet or 13x9 baking dish for 30 minutes until golden brown.
Remove from the oven into a large bowl to cool.
For the dressing
Mix the remaining ground flax and 3/4 cup water into a small bowl and set aside.
Melt remaining 1/4 cup of refined coconut oil or vegan butter into a sauté pan over medium heat.
Sauté the chopped celery and onion until softened, about 5 minutes.
Add in the sage and cook for 1 minute more. Remove the pan from the heat.
Crumble the cooled cornbread with your hands, then add the ground flax mixture, onion/celery mixture, vegetable broth, and breadcrumbs, and stir until combined and thoroughly moistened.
Stuff each squash half with the dressing mixture.
Bake the stuffed squash at 375F for 40 minutes, until the dressing is browned on the top and the squash is tender.*
Serves 6 (two squash halves per person) or 12 (if baking the dressing in a casserole).**
Notes
*If you would rather make this dressing as a side dish without the squash, place the entire mixture into a greased 13x9 casserole dish and bake for 40 minutes until golden brown on top. You can refrigerate the mixture for up to 3 days before baking, or even freeze it to enjoy later.If freezing, allow to thaw in the refrigerator overnight before baking at 375F for 1 hour or until thoroughly cooked and brown on top.**If you want to make a smaller number of squash, halve 3 squash and use half to he mixture to stuff them. Place the remaining dressing mixture in an 8x8 baking dish and bake along with the squash for 40 minutes at 375F, or freeze/or refrigerate to bake later.