Quinoa Stuffing with Corn Cranberries Pecans and Dill

Try my Quinoa Stuffing loaded with Corn, Cranberries, Pecans, and Dill as a healthy, high-protein alternative to traditional Thanksgiving stuffing! It’s easy to make and can be prepared in advance to save time on Thanksgiving day!

Happy November! 🙂 It’s the time of year where all we can think about is Thanksgiving food! Let’s start off with an easy, foolproof Quinoa Stuffing recipe loaded with Corn, Cranberries, Pecans and Dill for a pack of flavor, comfort and crunch! I’m making it for the second year in a row at a Friendsgiving potluck, and I promise you’ll LOVE it! 

Have you guys started the Friendsgiving tradition yet? I had my first Friendsgiving three years ago and I’ve been HOOKED on it! It’s a totally different energy than our beloved Thanksgiving.

Think of it as a more laid-back setting with the same comfort food you love and certainly with a touch more ease and convenience 🙂 I’ve enjoyed Friendsgiving potlucks the most, and I love to be with a group of close friends..sans kids. Combine all that together and that’s a win-win for me!

So while it seems like everything is about turkey on Thanksgiving, I personally love the sides, salads, appetizers and breads accompanying the turkey much more!

At the end of the day, you’ll have a nice slice of turkey and call it a night. But you’ll be serving many spoonfuls of salad and stuffing like this healthy quinoa stuffing!

Why this Quinoa Stuffing recipe works: 

Let me tell you how amazing this quinoa stuffing is. First of all, the flavor reminds me of the good old stuffing I had as a kid. So while that stuffing didn’t include quinoa for sure, it had a deep flavor of stock, sweetness from cranberries and crunch from the bread.

There’s really nothing like an individual ramekin filled with comforting quinoa stuffing! It really puts the cozy into our Friendsgiving or Thanksgiving night! This cranberry-studded quinoa stuffing is wonderfully filling, hearty and tastes like pure comfort.

Loaded with sweet corn, cranberries, crunchy pecans and brightened up with a touch of dill, it’s also probably one of the best potluck dishes because you can easily prepare the quinoa stuffing three days in advance and bake them with the stock the day of.

Another sweet thing about this Quinoa Stuffing is the individual portion size. I have a thing for mini servings/individual portions like that and I admit it. However, for the record, I find almost everyone loves them too! They’re personalized and feel more special, so they’re ideal for a Friendsgiving! Another bonus is they cook much faster than a large dish!

How to make Quinoa Stuffing: 

Here’s quickly how this Quinoa Stuffing comes together:

Start off by pre-cooking the quinoa (here’s a post about how to cook quinoa). In the meantime, chop your dill, green onions and warm up your stock. 

Then, simply toss together the quinoa, sweet Whole Kernel Sweet Gold & White Corn, dill, scallions, cranberries, pecans, olive oil, and salt, then spoon that into eight individual ramekins.

Pour two tablespoons of warm stock over each ramekin, a sprinkle of shredded Parmesan cheese (optional—but really GOOD!) and bake for just fifteen minutes to warm up the quinoa stuffing.

Finally, I don’t appreciate vinegar in my quinoa stuffing, but by all means, add in a tablespoon of apple cider, balsamic, lemon juice etc.

I prefer making a double batch of this quinoa stuffing, use half of it for my Friendsgiving potluck and the other half I store in the fridge and use it as a salad the week after. I add beans, some greens, olives, feta..whatever I have on hand. Dress it up with a tangy salad dressing and enjoy it as a quinoa salad 🙂

Happy Friendsgiving and Thanksgiving! Try my healthy vegan quinoa stuffing for this year’s Thanksgiving feast and enjoy some quality time with your family and friends.

Tips for success: 

• If you ever have leftover quinoa stuffing, then simply toss it in a balsamic vinaigrette or lemon vinaigrette and turn it into a healthy lunch salad!
• Prepare the quinoa stuffing three days in advance and bake them with the stock the day of.
• More wonderful additions to this Quinoa Stuffing are roasted squash,  any other Del Monte® canned veggies like peas, or green beans.
• When it comes to corn, I chose the Del Monte® Whole Kernel Sweet Gold & White Corn, but the sky’s your limit—there’s fire roasted corn, cream corn, 50% salted reduced sodium corn..etc.. Seriously good stuff!

5 from 14 votes

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Quinoa Stuffing with Corn Cranberries Pecans and Dill

Try my Quinoa Stuffing loaded with Corn, Cranberries, Pecans, Parmesan Cheese and Dill as a healthy high-protein alternative to traditional Thanksgiving stuffing!

Course side

Cuisine American

Keyword Quinoa Stuffing, stuffing with pecans and cranberries, vegetarian stuffing with quinoa

Prep Time 5 minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes

Total Time 20 minutes

Servings 8

Calories 274 kcal

Author Mahy

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups tricoloured quinoa or your favorite
• 2 1/2 cups College Inn® Chicken Broth chicken stock use veggie stock for a vegan stuffing
• 1 can Del Monte® Whole Kernel Sweet Gold & White Corn drained
• 1/3 cup dried cranberries
• 1/3 cup pecan pieces
• 2 scallions finely chopped
• 1/4 cup chopped dill
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/2 cup College Inn® Chicken Broth chicken stock
• 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese grated
• Fresh dill for sprinkling

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

2. Bring the 2 1/2 cup of stock to a boil and add in the quinoa. Lower the heat and cover the pot. Let the quinoa cook for 10-12 minutes until the stock has been absorbed. In a large bowl, toss the cooked quinoa, Del Monte® Whole Kernel Sweet Gold & White Corn, cranberries, pecans, scallions, dill, salt and olive oil. 

3. Divide the mixture among eight ramekins, six ounces each and place them on a baking sheet. Drizzle two tablespoons of stock over each ramekin and sprinkle a tablespoon of Parmesan cheese. Bake the quinoa stuffing for 10-15 mins until it’s warm and flavors blend it. Serve the stuffing and enjoy!!

Recipe Notes

• If you ever have leftover quinoa stuffing, then simply toss it in a balsamic vinaigrette or lemon vinaigrette and turn it into a healthy lunch salad!
• Prepare the quinoa stuffing three days in advance and bake them with the stock the day of.
• More wonderful additions to this Quinoa Stuffing are roasted squash,  any other Del Monte® canned veggies like peas, or green beans.
• When it comes to corn, I chose the Del Monte® Whole Kernel Sweet Gold & White Corn, but the sky’s your limit—there’s fire roasted corn, cream corn, 50% salted reduced sodium corn..etc.. Seriously good stuff!

Nutrition Facts

Quinoa Stuffing with Corn Cranberries Pecans and Dill

Amount Per Serving (1 serving)

Calories 274 Calories from Fat 99

% Daily Value*

Fat 11g17%

Saturated Fat 2g13%

Cholesterol 4mg1%

Sodium 716mg31%

Potassium 394mg11%

Carbohydrates 36g12%

Fiber 4g17%

Sugar 5g6%

Protein 9g18%

Vitamin A 215IU4%

Vitamin C 9.6mg12%

Calcium 100mg10%

Iron 2.1mg12%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

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