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This Gluten-Free Stuffing Salad with Onion Dressing is an easy holiday side dish that combines traditional stuffing with a healthy winter salad! Tossed together in a warm sweet onion dressing, this salad is a light and flavorful way to enjoy a Thanksgiving comfort food classic!
A New Thanksgiving Classic
This gluten-free stuffing salad is more than stuffing, and also more than a salad. I took one of my grandma’s old stuffing recipes and deconstructed it. It’s super easy to make, and just as flavorful and comforting as true stuffing. The warmed sweet onion dressing being the secret weapon!
Ingredients You’ll Need
Below is an overview of the ingredients and recipe. Please be sure to scroll down to the recipe card below for the complete details and nutrition information.
For the Stuffing Salad
- Gluten-free bread – Any crusty gluten-free bread of your choice.
- Olive oil – A good quality extra virgin olive oil or substitute avocado oil.
- Herbs – I used fresh thyme, but any combination of thyme, parsley, sage, and rosemary would work well.
- Chopped veggies – The same veggies you would use in your stuffing recipe—white and red onion or shallots, celery, and carrots.
- Pumpkin seeds – Adds a nice crunch to the salad.
- Cranberries – Use dried or fresh cranberries, or a combination of both.
- Hard boiled eggs – Hard boil your own, or purchase them already prepared.
- Winter greens – Use your favorite winter greens like spinach, kale, or arugula.
- Cabbage – Red cabbage, or a mixture of red and green cabbage, will add a pop of color to the salad.
For the Warm Onion Dressing
- Chopped onion – Use white or sweet onion, or even shallots.
- Apple cider vinegar – You can also use red wine vinegar.
- Olive oil – Or substitute with avocado oil.
- Mustard – Any mustard you prefer.
- Sweetener – I used Organic Agave Nectar form Better Body Foods, or you can use honey.
- Salt and pepper – To taste.
- Chia seeds – To help thicken the dressing and give it a little texture.
- Lemon juice – For the best flavor, use fresh squeezed lemon juice.
How to Make Gluten-Free Stuffing Salad
Preheat oven to 425°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone mat.
- Wash vegetables (celery, onion, carrots) and dice them. Slice bread into small cubes.
- Toss diced vegetables and your bread crumbs in ¼ cup olive oil and minced garlic.
- Spread out the bread and veggie mixture on a baking sheet. Add your thyme sprigs on top and sprinkle with a dash of sea salt.
- Bake at 425°F for 12-15 minutes or until bread is crispy and veggies are cooked.
- Remove pan from oven, remove the thyme sprig sticks, and set aside. Any thyme leaves that have fallen off should remain.
- In a large bowl, toss your greens and cabbage.
- Place your roasted veggies and toasted bread on top of your salad. Toss again.
- Place sliced hard boiled eggs and sliced shallot (or red onion) on top of this bread and salad mix.
- Add your cranberry and pumpkin seeds scattered on top.
- For the dressing: simply blend together all the ingredients listed (olive oil, onion apple cider vinegar, mustard, chia, pepper, agave, etc.) in a food processor or blender. It might take a few minutes of blending to get the onions finely mixed with the oils/herbs. See notes for more dressing options.
- Place in a microwave safe glass cup after blended.
- Warm for 15-20 seconds and then pour over the salad before serving.
- Top with more sea salt and black pepper if desired.
- Optional: Add crumbled cooked cured bacon to top.
More of Our Favorite
Gluten-Free Fall Salad Recipes
Gluten Free Stuffing Salad with Sweet Onion Dressing
- Total Time: 35 min
- Yield: 6 servings 1x
Description
Gluten Free Stuffing Salad with Warm Onion Dressing is a lightened up Thanksgiving side dish that’s quick to make. Dairy free, gluten free, easy and delicious!
Ingredients
Units
Scale
- 4 Large pieces of crusty gluten free bread (to be toasted)
- ½ cup sliced carrots
- 1 cup chopped celery
- 1 cup chopped onion
- ¼ cup olive oil (1 Tablespoon more if you are using thick bread)
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic
- ½ teaspoon sea salt or kosher salt
- 3 thyme sprigs (extra for garnish)
- Pinch of black pepper
- 3 cups winter greens (shredded or leafy)
- 1 cup chopped cabbage or radicchio
- 2–3 hard boiled eggs, sliced
- ⅓ cup sliced shallot or ¼ cup sliced red onion.
- ½ cup fresh cranberries or ¼ cup dried cranberries
- 2–3 Tablespoons pumpkin seeds (optional)
For the Warm Sweet Onion Dressing:
- ½ cup olive oil or avocado oil
- ¼ cup minced white onion or shallots
- 1 Tablespoon apple cider vinegar or Red wine Vinegar
- 1– 2 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon chia seed (optional). Helps thicken
- 1 Tablespoon agave syrup or honey
- 1 teaspoon honey mustard
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt (feel free to add more once tasted)
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder (optional)
- If you want it extra creamy add in 1 to 2 Tablespoons buttermilk or plain yogurt.
- Optional topping – cooked cured bacon (chopped)
Instructions
- First make sure your bread and vegetables are all diced up.
- preheat oven to 425F
- Toss chopped vegetables (celery, onion, carrots) and your bread crumbs in ¼ cup olive oil and minced garlic.
- Spread out that mixture on a baking sheet. Add your thyme sprigs on top with a dash of sea salt.
- Bake/roast at 400F for 12-15 minutes or until bread is crispy and veggies are cooked.
- Remove from oven and set aside. Remove thyme sprigs. Hopefully the leaves from the sprigs have fallen off now in the mix. Keep the leaves that have fallen off for the stuffing. Disregard the sprig (branch) portion of the thyme.
- In another later bowl, toss your greens and cabbage. Place this in a casserole dish or large deep baking dish.
- Place your roasted veggies and toasted bread on top of your salad. Toss again.
- Place sliced hard boiled eggs and sliced shallot (or red onion) on top of this bread and salad mix.
- Add your cranberry and pumpkin seeds scattered on top.
- For the dressing, simply blend together all the ingredients listed (olive oil, onion apple cider vinegar, mustard, chia, pepper, agave, etc.) in a food processor or blender. It might take a few minutes of blending to get the onions finely mixed with the oils/herbs. See notes for more dressing options.
- Place in a microwave safe glass cup after blended.
- Warm for 15-20 seconds and then pour over the gluten free stuffing salad mix before serving.
- Top with more sea salt and black pepper if desired.
- Optional Crumbled cooked cured bacon to top.
Notes
Add the optional yogurt to thicken the sweet onion dressing or help blender it better together.
Use gluten free bread with thick crust or larger pieces.
Estimated Nutrition per 1 cup, with dressing
- Prep Time: 20 min
- Cook Time: 15 min
- Category: side dish
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cup
- Calories: 270
- Sugar: 6 g
- Sodium: 300 mg
- Fat: 16 g
- Saturated Fat: 2 g
- Carbohydrates: 22 g
- Fiber: 8 g
- Protein: 4 g
- Cholesterol: 60 mg
Hello, Lindsay.
I read the words Gluten Free and my eyes immediately lit up. I love onions! I used to eat a lot. I am ready to make a big proportion of this recipe so I can reheat it when I need it.
I think it’s sooo cool that you and Taylor are amazing blogging friends. I love seeing how you both make such beautiful recipes and share such a mutual love for the Lord Jesus Christ! And this dish. Wow there are really no words to describe how yummy it looks and sounds.
Thanks Emily! It’s wonderful to have the special connection, isn’t it? Thankful for you too!
GORGEOUS!!!!!! Perfect side and so creative!
This salad is taking names and kicking butt!!
Love it all!
Gorgeous!Love that the stuffing has lemons in it 🙂
The lemons make it lovely ?
Completely Agree!
This is SUCH a smart idea, Lindsay. And absolutely beautiful, too!
Droooooling. Pinned – can’t wait to try!
Thanks so much Ann Marie!
Just Gorgeous Lindsay!
This salad is definitely epic and SO ARE BLOG FRIENDS! xoxo
You are epic!! ❤️
I hate stuffing, but this looks amazing . . .so I’m renaming (for myself) to Thanksgiving Panzanella
I love this idea so much more!! Invite me?
Wow! This could be one particular of the most beneficial blogs We’ve ever arrive across on this subject. Basically Wonderful.
I LOVE that the two of you hosted a virtual friendsgiving! This stuffing looks gorgeous, Lindsay!! I want dibs on this!
I love the addition of the hard boiled eggs to this. I have no idea why, but they’re singing to me. Gorgeous, as always.
I always make peanut butter cups. It was a super easy recipe that my mom started with me when I was little and I’ve played with them and adjusted to make them fancier year after year and it’s become a staple on any Thanksgiving table I go to!
Stuffing SALAD?! You never cease to amaze me 🙂
I haven’t, but it sounds like a really great idea. I have several friends that would enjoy a Friendsgiving.
I have no idea how you come up with amazing idea after amazing idea.
well I don’t run anymore so there’s more time! haha
Oooh yes I love all the veggie goodness! The warm onion dressing sounds incredible!
I need to figure a way to try this – I think I need to buck up and buy that Coconut Flour Paleo Bread that Julian’s Bakery sells. Have you ever tried it?
Actually yes! I tried it with Julian’s Paleo bread before and mikeys muffins
Oh wow! The colors. The eggs!! This looks so incredibly good and the warm onion dressing is a great touch. mmm!
Friendsgiving happens a week early for me and my friends! I bring the pecan pie!
yum to this! nice touch with the eggs girlie!
It’s eggcellent right? Haha
I went to a friends giving last year and had a blast! I made some gluten free brownies, a lemon and parsley quinoa dish and homemade hummus and chopped veggies!
that sounds amazing!
oh wow that looks fabulous! I love stuffing thanks for linking up!
thank you for always hosting!
Love love love how colorful this is! I actually just had a friendsgiving dinner last night 🙂
oh man, i missed it! haha next year?
Taylor is a doll and so are you – no surprise y’all became corny food, faith and fitness cotters or besties 🙂
BTW – there’s a lot to love about this stuffing salad – those hard boiled eggs and decadent sweet onion dressing being my favs!
Awww well I Just love all the love! And you! ?❤️❤️ stuffing you with hugs
Umm a stuffing SALAD? EPIC for sure! Actually it’s beyond epic! I’m totally smitten with this stuffing meets salad = total awesomeness! LOVE that warm onion dressing too! Pinned! can’t wait to see what you and Tay bring to the friendsgiving table! Cheers!
Haha yay for epicness and you!
I’d stuff my face with this stuffing. Eggs, amazing dressing… can we do turkey-free turkey day together?
So yummy looking & great for the gluten free people!!! I do love me some stuffing! It has bread in it! 🙂
I am not the cook so no recipe here. I just bring stuff I can buy… 😀
I love how you’ve combined two delicious sides into one healthier option. So clever, and I bet it’s delicious!! Taylor’s recipe looks pretty darn good, too. 🙂
Stuffing salad? I am loving this recipe! I attended a Friendsgiving this past weekend so you’re late with this recipe…I’ll have to save it for next year. 😉
Bummed! Can I come next year?
What time is Thanksgiving dinner? I’ll bring a dessert! 😉
I’m not a stuffing person but this looks amazing and like one I would definitely try!
Yes! And will you bring your famous smoothies to try the next day? Haha I’m greedy
Yum! I’ve never seen stuff with dressing or egg! My kind of dish 🙂
Blogging friends are definitely such a blessing, and I can’t even handle how good this looks. Mind if a little Canadian girl joins the American Thanksgiving celebrations? 😀
I agree! You are a blessing to me and I miss you! Come
I love stuffing. I love you. I love us and I LOVELOVELOVE this salad! That dressing though. SO GOOD.
Seriously Lindsay this looks amazing!
You guys rock. This looks like my kind of stuffing–warm onion dressing?! YES.
i could easily just spoon this dressing. haha. so good
oh my gawd, this salad looks amazing!!!! going to try this!
Yes to friendsgiving, yes, yes, yes! Can I crash it? I’ll bring the booze! This stuffing does look epic indeed – I could see myself eating it for all the meals until I done ran out….that shallot dressing? brilliant!
Um, yes and yes! You are so invited. Please please come. CHEERS to that!
you’re killing me there with that sweet onion dressing, actually with all of your amazing food!!!
haha thanks! I just need some of your sweet potato salad to pair this with, ok?
Holy best looking salad ever! I totally forgot about sweet onion dressing when I stopped eating bottled dressing and I can’t wait to try this. Loving both of these dishes actually. We are still trying to decide on our thanksgiving menu since this is daves first year gluten free. Thanks for always inspiring me to go bold not bland!!
keep me posted! Wish we could share a real thanksgiving together friend
This seriously sounds amazing- can’t wait to give it a try! Pinned for later!
Going on my menu. Right now. This is amazing and epic and fantastical and PERFECT
yes!!! then invite me because I’m out of it already. haha
What a fun way to do friendsgiving! Blogging friends really are the best! 😉
yes! will you come? BRING THAT SWEET POTATO CASSEROLE!
I have hosted a Friendsgiving before. While I served the traditional Thanksgiving fare, I also added my speciality Pumpkin-White Chocolate Chip Blondies to the dessert menu.
oh my, those sound divine!
This definitely is epic! Stuffing is my favorite and I’m excited for thanksgiving even more now 🙂
mine too! and You can even use paleo bread for this! Totally tried it.
A Cotter Crunch specialty added to the Thanksgiving menu 🙂