Low-Carb Pork, Sage & Bacon Stuffing

Ingredients makes 8 servings

• 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil or ghee (15 ml)
• 1 tbsp butter (14 g/ 0.5 oz)
• 1 Keto Bun or other keto bread (see suggestions below)
• 1 large brown onion (150 g/ 5.3 oz)
• 500 g good quality pork mince (1.1 lb)
• few leaves fresh sage leaves
• 6 thin-cut slices bacon (90 g/ 3.2 oz)
• zest from ¹/₂ organic lemon (1 tsp)
• ¹/₂ medium zucchini, grated (110 g/ 3.9 oz)
• 35 g dried cranberries, without added sugar (1.2 oz)
• 50 g macadamia nuts (1.8 oz)
• ¹/₂ cup chicken stock or chicken broth or bone broth (120 ml/ 4 fl oz)
• good pinch of salt and pepper
• Allergy-free keto bread alternatives:
• Keto Focaccia (just skip the toppings). It's nut free and contains no seeds.
• Fluffy Grain-Free Sunflower Bread - it's nut-free, dairy-free and coconut-free.
• Fluffy Grain-Free Sunflower Bread - it's flax-free, dairy-free and offers a nut-free option.
• Nut-Free Keto Buns - they're also dairy-free.
• Psyllium-Free Low-Carb Buns - they also offer a dairy-free option.

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 180 °C/ 355 °F (fan assisted). Peel and chop the onion into big chunks. Blitz in food processor until fine. Alternatively, chop fine by hand.

2. Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in pan and fry the onion of a low heat for 5 - 10 minutes until soft. Remove from the heat.

3. Finely chop the sage leaves and 1 slice of bacon. Blitz 30 g of the Keto bread into breadcrumbs in a food processor. Chop the rest into small croutons about 1 cm (¹/₂ inch) in diameter.

4. Grate the courgette and squeeze out the water using a muslin cloth or your hands

5. Place the pork mince, chopped sage leaves, cooked onion, chopped 1 slice of bacon, breadcrumbs, lemon zest, grated courgette, most of the cranberries and macadamias (keep some for later) and season with salt and pepper. Mix well with your hands.

6. Place the stuffing mix in a heat proof casserole dish. Press the Keto stuffing to the edges. Rub the butter into the croutons. Top the stuffing with the remaining croutons, cranberries and macadamia. Finally layer in strip the 5 slices of bacon.

7. Place in the oven for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes, carefully remove from the oven, lift off the bacon, fluff the stuffing up with a fork. (Depending on the fat content of the pork you may choose to drain some, I used a leaner 10% fat and stirred didn’t drain the juices as this is what makes it taste so good.)

8. Add the stock and fluff again. Place the bacon back on top and roast back in the oven for a further 20 minutes until golden on top. Enjoy or let it cool down and store in the fridge for up to 3 days.