Every year I promise myself that I am going to get a gluten free stuffing recipe up for you. Then, Christmas comes, I forget to take photos and then the moment is gone. This year, I was determined. However, as I stuffed the chicken and baked the leftovers I realised I forgot to photograph it all. Thankfully, we had a small Christmas this year and leftovers were aplenty. So I did what anyone would and made Bacon wrapped stuffing balls. You can find both the original stuffing recipe perfect for making roulades or stuffing chicken below. In addition to that, you’ll also get the full recipe for the stuffing balls. I have included my dehydrating bread step, however, you can use prepackaged bread crumbs or fresh bread instead. That all depends on your application.
These stuffing balls use leftovers. Therefore the darker tops are the result of pre-cooked stuffing. However, they still remain juicy on the inside. Furthermore, I’ve used the Turban Chopsticks Apple and Chilli Jam for a nice kick. There is a substitute for this if you are just using apple sauce. This year I did my 2.4kg chicken filled with this stuffing as well as baking it as a side dish and then the bacon-wrapped stuffing balls. Therefore, it is a versatile recipe. Now I can’t take all the credit for these balls. I was inspired by the Stuffing Balls I picked up I Aldi last year. I will say though, mine are nicer.
Pork, Apple, Chilli & Sage Stuffing
Ingredients
- 500 Grams Gluten Free Bread I used Helgas Wholemeal
- 1 Large Brown Onion Diced
- 1 Tbsp Olive Oil
- 500 Grams Pork Mince*
- 4 Tbsp Apple & Chilli Jam or Unsweetened Apple Sauce I used Turban Chopsticks
- 3 Sprigs Sage Leaves only
Optional
- 8 Rashers of Bacon
Instructions
- Tear your bread into small pieces and place in one flat layer on a baking tray. I used three baking trays for the full 500g loaf. For a crunchy crumb I baked these at 60 degrees for 1 hour or until the moisture had been removed. You can use fresh bread crumbs as well.
- Place the dehydated bread into a food processer and pulse until your bdesire read crumb size is reached. I used a fine crumb as I knew my leftovers would be going into stuffing balls. For just plain stuffing cubes is a good size.
- In a medium-sized pan, saute your diced onions in a little bit of olive oil. You want to cook them until they are translucent and a little bit caramelize. Once done, put them aside to cool
- In a large bowl, mix your pork mince, bread crumbs, cooled onions, the 4 tbsps of apple sauce or chutney. If you want Apple and Chilli but don't have the apple and chilli jam add 1 tsp of chilli flakes. Finally add in your sage and mix well with your hands until it is all combined.
- At this stage you can stuff your chicken ready for cooking.
- Alternatively you can bake it in a dish at 180 degrees fan forced for 15 to 20 minutes. To prevent the top burning add a piece of baking paper or foil.
Stuffing Balls
- For the stuffing balls you can use the raw stuffing mix OR cooked leftovers.
- Take a handful of the stuffing mix and shape it into a ball.
- Wrap the ball in bacon, use a toothpick if the end won't stay down. Then place on a baking tray or for better shape control into a muffin pan.
- For raw balls bake at 180 degrees for 20 minutes or for leftovers bake at 180 until warm around 10 minutes should do it depending on your oven. You can also heat these in an air fryer.
Notes
That’s it for the stuffing, which can be used in many different ways. For more recipes don’t forget to head to the recipes page. Alternatively, if you are after some Christmas reviews you can check them out here. Although between you and me, it doesn’t have to be Christmas to make these. Making them flatter, means you can use them as a lovely burger pattie too. I do have recipes for different stuffings including a vegan one so let me know if you would like to see those. I hope you enjoy this recipe!
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Until Next Time;
Ashlee; The Aussie Coeliac.
