Vegan Stuffed Cigar Bread

Thinking up of a main thanksgiving dish was a bit tricky since I wanted to remain faithful to typical dishes that would be served during the holiday.  Thankfully, my mom helped me modify her classic stuffed cigar bread recipe and together, we cooked up this wicked main. It was delicious, especially topped with a generous helping of vegan gravy!

On medium heat, sauté one cup of vegan italian sausage, one to two chopped celery stocks, one cup of finely diced mushroom and half of a diced white onion in a teaspoon olive oil. Sauté until vegetables are tender. 

While the minced mixture is cooking, prepare your loaf. Make sure to buy a large crusty loaf that is wide enough to fit you hand as you will need to remove the bread from the center of the loaf with your hands. Start by slicing off the top part of the loaf and keep it aside for later. Use your hands to gently remove the inside of the bread, leaving a rim of bread that is approximately an inch thick. Be careful as to not make any holes in the crust.  Reserve the bread crumbs for the filling. 

 Once the vegetable mixture is done cooking, transfer to a large bowl and combine with bread crumbs and one and a half cups of mashed potato. Add a few sprigs of fresh parsley and mix until well combined. 

 Carefully stuff the loaf of bread with the mixture. Make sure it is compact. 

Add the top piece of the bread back on the loaf and tightly wrap with foil paper, the shiny side facing outwards. 

Cook in the oven at 350oF for 40 to 45 minutes, until the bread is crispy on the outside. 

Remove from the oven, slice up and serve! If you are feeling more indulgent, top with vegan gravy. 

Vegan Stuffed Cigar Bread

Makes 8-10 slices

Ingredients

Large loaf of crusty bread

1 tsp olive oil

1 cup vegan italian sausage

1-2 celery stocks, finely chopped

1 cup diced mushrooms

1/2 white onion, fined diced

1 1/2 cup mashed potato

fresh parsley 

vegan gravy (optional)

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350oF. 
2. On medium heat, heat up oil and sauté sausage, celery, mushrooms and onion for approximately 8 minutes until vegetables are tender. Remove from heat and set aside.
3. Prepare the loaf: Cut top of of loaf, keep aside for later use. 
4. With hands, carefully remove inside of the bread leaving an rim of bread approximately an inch thick. Reserve breadcrumbs.
5. In a large bowl, mix vegetable mixture, breadcrumbs and mashed potato. Add a few sprigs of fresh parsley. Mix until well combined. 
6. Stuff bread with mixture, make sure it is compact. 
7. Place top piece of bread on the loaf to cover the hole and tightly wrap in foil paper, shiny side facing outwards. 
8. Cook in the oven for 40 to 45 minutes until the outside of the bread is crispy. 
9. Remove from oven, slice and serve with gravy.