Gluten Free Thanksgiving Recipes

Thanksgiving is my absolute favorite holiday of the year! I feel so sorry for people who don’t live in countries where Thanksgiving is celebrated. It is a holiday that revolves around cooking, eating and spending time with loved ones. And seriously, how does it get any better than that?

For years I continued to make certain things the way I always had, with gluten-filled ingredients, because I thought that not everyone would appreciate a gluten-free Thanksgiving. Then I wised up and realized that if I liked something, chances are that others would too. And besides when I go to the trouble to prepare a gorgeous meal, who can complain? So, my house – no gluten! Not even on Thanksgiving. And you know what? It was not as hard as I imagined it would be to make all my favorites gluten-free with no sacrifice on taste.

Interestingly enough, my gluten-eating guests consistently comment that after my Thanksgiving meal they don’t feel bloated and uncomfortable after eating my gluten-free Thanksgiving dinner. Hmm, maybe there is something to this gluten-free diet after all :)

The photo above is from the set of Daytime where I shared some tips for a gluten-free Thanksgiving and made my Gluten Free Cornbread Sausage Stuffing. After the cameras stopped rolling my awesome hosts Dave and Cyndi could not get enough of it! To see this cooking episode, click here!

Here are few of my favorite Thanksgiving recipes and tips on how to convert your family favorites to gluten-free. All the recipes are adaptable for dairy-free as well.

First, let’s talk turkey: not all turkeys are gluten-free even though they should be! Sometimes, especially with the self basting type, wheat flour is injected into the turkey so make sure you READ THE LABEL and get your self a great, gluten-free turkey. My favorite is Plainville Farms as they are fresh, are given no antibiotics or growth hormones, humanely raised and fed a vegetarian diet which ensures great taste.

Gluten-free Gravy, Béchamel, and Cornbread Sausage Stuffing

Gravy: Making gluten-free gravy is ridiculously simple! Here’s how you do it:

5 from 1 vote

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Gluten-free Gravy

Prep Time15 mins

Cook Time20 mins

Total Time35 mins

Course: Condiment/Sauce

Cuisine: American

Servings: 3 cups

Author: Gluten Free & More

Ingredients

• ▢ 2¼ cups gluten-free chicken stock or you can use turkey drippings plus chicken stock to equal 2 cups
• ▢ 2 tablespoons cornstarch or arrowroot powder
• ▢ 2 medium white or yellow onions chopped
• ▢ ½ cup unsalted butter, non-dairy butter substitute like Earth Balance or turkey fat
• ▢ 1 teaspoon kosher or sea salt
• ▢ ½ teaspoon pepper
• ▢ 1 teaspoon poultry seasoning
• ▢ Giblets from the turkey which have been cooked and finely diced – optional
• ▢ 2 tablespoons heavy cream – optional

Instructions

• ▢
  Mix ¼ cup chicken stock with the cornstarch or arrowroot and set aside.
• ▢
  In a large skillet cook the onions with butter, Earth Balance or turkey fat over medium-low heat until they are very soft and lightly browned. Add the remaining chicken stock, salt, pepper and poultry seasoning. Increase heat and bring to a mild boil. Add the cornstarch mixture and bring back to a boil. Boil, stirring constantly for 1-2 minutes or until thick. Add the giblets and cream if desired, stir well and taste for seasoning. Add a little more salt, pepper, and/or poultry seasoning if needed. Serve warm.

White Sauce:Again, making a gluten-free white sauce (or more technically Béchamel Sauce) is crazy easy! White sauce is a base for things like creamed spinach and a host of other dishes. I use it as a base for my Gluten-free Spinach Gratin which is FABULOUS and can be found here. If you are dairy free, substitute the butter for Earth Balance and the milk and cream for coconut milk or dairy free milk of your choice, the coconut milk will give it a thicker consistency but may have slight coconut taste which you can counter act with seasoning.

5 from 1 vote

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Gluten-free Béchamel (White Sauce)

Prep Time15 mins

Cook Time25 mins

Total Time40 mins

Course: Condiment/Sauce

Cuisine: French

Servings: 3 cups

Author: Gluten Free & More

Ingredients

• ▢ 2 tablespoons cornstarch or arrowroot powder
• ▢ 2 cups milk divided
• ▢ 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
• ▢ 2 large white onions chopped
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
• ▢ 1 teaspoon kosher or sea salt
• ▢ ½ teaspoon black pepper
• ▢ 1 cup heavy cream

Instructions

• ▢
  Mix the cornstarch or arrowroot with ¼ cup milk and set aside.
• ▢
  Melt butter in a heavy bottomed sauté pan over medium-low heat. Add onions and sauté until translucent and very soft but not browned, about 15 minutes. Add the nutmeg, salt and pepper. Cook for about 2 more minutes. Add rest of milk and heavy cream to onion mixture and cook until just boiling, about 5 minutes. Add the cornstarch and milk mixture, bring back to a boil and cook, stirring for 1 - 2 minutes or until the sauce has thickened. Taste and adjust seasoning is needed.

And now for my personal favorite part of the meal – the stuffing!

5 from 1 vote

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Gluten Free Cornbread Sausage Stuffing

Prep Time40 mins

Cook Time1 hr

Rest time8 hrs

Total Time1 hr 40 mins

Course: Side Dish

Cuisine: American

Servings: 10 people

Author: Gluten Free & More

Ingredients

Cornbread

• ▢ 2 large eggs
• ▢ 1½ cups water
• ▢ 1/3 cup vegetable oil
• ▢ 2 cups Kinnikinnick gluten free cornbread mix
• ▢ 2 tablespoons sugar

Stuffing

• ▢ Dried cornbread crumbles from above recipe
• ▢ 1 pound country sausage
• ▢ ¾ cup unsalted butter or Earth Balance
• ▢ 1 medium bunch celery chopped
• ▢ 2 medium onions chopped
• ▢ 3 small leeks cleaned and sliced
• ▢ 2 large eggs beaten
• ▢ 1½ tablespoons poultry seasoning
• ▢ 1 teaspoon kosher or fine sea salt
• ▢ 1 teaspoon pepper
• ▢ 1-2 cups gluten-free chicken stock

Instructions

• ▢
  Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spray an 8 inch square baking dish with gluten-free non-stick cooking spray.
• ▢
  Whisk all ingredients in a large mixing bowl just until combined. A few lumps are ok. Pour into prepared baking dish and bake for 30-35 minutes or until golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
• ▢
  Let cornbread cool and then crumble onto a baking dish and let dry out overnight.
• ▢
  Place cornbread crumbles in a large mixing bowl. Cook the sausage over medium heat until fully cooked. Pour off the fat and add ½ cup of butter or Earth Balance. Add the chopped celery, onions and leeks. Cook until the vegetables are translucent but not too browned, about 10 minutes. Add the sausage/vegetable mixture into the bowl with the cornbread crumbles along with the melted butter and add the eggs, poultry seasoning, salt and pepper. Mix well. Add just enough chicken stock to make the mixture moist but not mushy.
• ▢
  Stuff the cavity of the turkey with some of the stuffing being careful not to overfill. Place the rest of the stuffing into a butter casserole dish. Pour about ¼ cup more stock over the top of the stuffing and dot the top with the remaining butter that has been cut into small pieces. Bake for 30 minutes in a 350 degree oven.

Notes

This gluten free recipe makes enough to stuff a 20-pound turkey with an extra casserole.

I wish you all a very happy, safe, and deliciously gluten-free Thanksgiving!

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