I get so excited by Christmas. I can go without presents, I just need ALL the food!! That’s what Christmas is about for me; sharing delicious creative food and flavours with loved ones. Since going vegan, it has only got better, and I have had even more excuses to create new dishes like this yummy Vegan Christmas Tempeh ‘Sausage’ Stuffing Balls!
While I love a good centre piece for Christmas dinner, (like our gorgeous Christmas Wreath Pie) what makes it for me are the side dishes and trimmings. This is where my creativity really comes in. I came up with these tempeh ‘sausage’ stuffing balls because I used to love the traditional pork stuffing balls for Christmas dinner & I wanted to make something with that meaty texture as well as typical festive flavours.
These ‘sausage’ stuffing balls are super easy to make, and use tempeh, which is a bit like tofu, except it’s created with the whole soya bean & fermented. It’s available from most health food shops and is packed full of protein and good bacteria for your gut. So it’s healthy too! Tempeh has a much chewier texture than normal tofu, so it’s perfect for this recipe.
To really create that Christmas flavour, I’ve added lots of fresh sage (also, because you HAVE to have sage in stuffing!) and chestnuts (because it’s Christmas of course, and it gives that lovely nutty flavour). You can also add cranberries if you want, which will just add to the festive feel of this dish.
The best thing about these vegan stuffing balls is that it’s so easy to make! All you need to do is pulse all the ingredients in a food processor then form into balls. You can choose to make smaller or larger balls– just remember to cook larger balls for longer, and a bit less for smaller ones.
These stuffing balls really make a wonderful accompaniment to Christmas dinner, and taste utterly delicious covered in gravy. They’re also amazing as a standing up at the fridge leftover snack after the big feast.
These easy to make Christmas 'sausage' stuffing balls will steal the show on Christmas day. They have a delicious meaty texture and are made from tempeh, chestnuts and sage.
- 400 g tempeh (2 1/2 cups) broken up into chunks
- handful fresh sage
- 8 cloves garlic crushed
- 65 g cooked chestnuts (1/2 cup) chopped
- 1 small onion chopped finely
- 100 g breadcrumbs (1 cup) use gluten free if desired
- 2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 6 tbsp non-dairy milk (or just under 1/2 cup)
- Olive oil (for greasing)
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Preheat oven to 200°C / 390°F / Gas Mark 5 and lightly oil a baking tray.
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Place all the ingredients (except the oil for greasing) in a processor and pulse. The ingredients should be chopped and mixed up, but not blended. This gives a nice ‘meaty’ texture.
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Roll the mixture into small balls, about 1 inch thick. It should make 20-25 balls.
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Place the balls on the baking tray. Bake for 20-30 minutes or until the balls go a lovely brown colour. Flip the balls half way so they are the same colour all over.
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Enjoy as a delicious side for Christmas dinner, covered in gravy!
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