Wild Mushroom Stuffing

5 from 76 votes

Elevate your Thanksgiving with this herb-rich wild mushroom stuffing — earthy, savory, and easy to prep ahead. Vegetarian-friendly, crowd-pleasing side dish

Prep Time10

Cook Time1 30

Total Time1 40

Course: Side Dish

Cuisine: American

Servings: people

Author: Gaby Dalkin

Ingredients

1 loaf country-style French bread with crust cut into 1-inch cubes (about 14-15 ounces or 8-9 cups of cubed bread)
10 tablespoons butter
1 pound wild mushrooms
2 shallots finely sliced
2 ribs celery
2 bunches green onions thinly sliced
¾ cup chopped fresh Italian parsley
2 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano
2 tablespoon chopped fresh sage
2 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme
3 large garlic clove minced
2 teaspoon coarse kosher salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3 large eggs
2 cups chicken broth, divided
4 ounces freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Instructions

Preheat oven to 375°F. Spread the cubed bread on large rimmed baking sheet and transfer into the oven. Bake until bread is dry, about 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool.
Meanwhile, melt the butter in heavy large skillet over medium heat. Add mushrooms and shallots and saute until golden, about 7 minutes. Add the celery, green onions, various herbs, garlic, salt and pepper and sauté for 3-4 minutes more.
Generously grease a large baking dish.
Place the bread cubes in large bowl. Add the warm vegetable mixture; toss to combine.
Whisk the eggs and ¾ cup broth in medium bowl. Add egg mixture to stuffing and toss to coat. Mix in Parmesan.
Add more broth (about ½ to ¾ cup) to stuffing if it still looks and feels dry. Transfer to skillet or baking dish. Cover with buttered foil. Bake 30 minutes. Remove foil; bake until golden, about 30 minutes.

Notes

Serve it up golden. Stuffing is the unsung hero of the table, it deserves that center-stage moment. Serve straight from the baking dish and watch it disappear.

Start with great bread. Grab a hearty loaf, think sourdough, country French, or baguette. Skip the soft sandwich stuff. You want bread that can soak up flavor but still hold its shape.

Dry it out! This is non-negotiable. Stale or toasted bread cubes are what keep stuffing from turning soggy. Either cube and leave them out overnight or toast them in the oven until just crisp.

Get that golden sear. When you sauté your mushrooms, let them hang out in the pan until they’re deep golden and smell incredible. No pale mushrooms allowed. That color equals flavor.

Layer the flavor early. Season as you go. Salt the mushrooms, taste the aromatics, and don’t hold back on the herbs. Sage, thyme, and parsley make this dish sing.

Balance is everything. The trick to perfect stuffing is hitting that sweet spot between too dry and too soggy. Add the broth a little at a time. You can always pour in more, but you can’t take it out.

Eggs + Parmesan = magic. They give the stuffing that custardy center and golden, crisp top. Basically, it’s like the best savory bread pudding ever.

Mix up your mushrooms. A blend of cremini, shiitake, and oyster gives the best depth. But if you’ve only got one kind, that’s totally fine and it’ll still taste amazing.

Prep ahead, stress less. You can sauté your mushroom and herb mixture the day before, then assemble and bake when you’re ready. Total game changer for holiday cooking.

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