Hands down my most favorite part of Thanksgiving is this Wild Mushroom Stuffing recipe. NO QUESTIONS ASKED.
We’re about to dive head first into a whole lotta turkey, gravy, dessert, salads, potatoes, side dishes and baked cheese (because baked cheese should be mandatory at all fall gatherings).
Before we get to the rest of those things, we’re talking about this Wild Mushroom Stuffing Recipe!
If you’re a long time reader of What’s Gaby Cooking, you know that stuffing and I are best friends. FOREVER. It’s my favorite part about Thanksgiving and I love this recipe. Hands down the best stuffing recipe EVER created and I’ll never deviate from it. I drizzle a bit of my homemade gravy on top and go to town.
It’s earthy, with all the mushrooms. Fresh, because of all the variety of herbs and perfectly salty with the addition of Parmesan cheese. You really can’t go wrong. AND… because I know not all of you are as obsessed with mushrooms as me, you can easily omit those when whipping this up and it will still be a mega star! AND if you have vegetarians in your family, they will love the addition of shrooms!
Let’s talk stuffing recipe 101 so we’re all prepped and ready for Thanksgiving day!
What is stuffing?
It’s only the best part of Thanksgiving + Christmas! No but really, stuffing is a combination of dried out cubed bread that can be mixed with any number of add-ins. I like keeping things bright and fresh and decadent with the recipe below.
What makes the best stuffing?
There are 3 parts to incredible stuffing.
- Great bread. Find a really delicious loaf of bread – it can be plain or seasoned. I’ve done this recipe with a rosemary roasted garlic bread and it was incredible. Also incredible with a good old baguette from an amazing french bakery!
- Herbs. The herbs in this dish are what really make it shine. They bring such a depth of flavor that a lot of stuffings don’t have.
- Parm + Eggs. The parmesan cheese and egg mixture gives this almost a custard like finish that makes it creamy while still maintaining the bread!! It’s perfect.
Do I need to dry my bread cubes?
You do!! I prep my bread cubes a few days ahead of time and let them dry out on the counter. This way they still maintain their shape/bulk when you add the eggs, parmesan and stock. If you don’t have time to let the bread cubes dry out a few days ahead of time, you can toast it in the oven the day of no problem!
What kind of bread should I use for Thanksgiving stuffing recipe?
I love a really great french loaf, a baguette, sourdough, or any other type of hearty bread. The only breads I would stay away from would be a brioche or anything generally soft.
Do I need to use eggs in stuffing?
I prefer stuffing with eggs for many reasons. First, it acts as a binder. Two, it doesn’t fall apart when you serve it. Three, it feels a little bit more filling and custardy!
Can I prepare stuffing ahead of time?
You sure can! I do all the time. I’ll prep the bread and the butter/herb mixture a day or so ahead of time so all I have to do on the day of the feast is mix everything together and bake. Easy.
Can you freeze Thanksgiving stuffing?
You sure can! Once you’re done baking it, let it cool, and then transfer it into smaller glass containers and freeze. When it’s time to eat it, just warm it up in a toaster oven, in the oven or in the microwave until it’s warmed throughout.
And there you have it! Any other Thanksgiving stuffing questions… should them out below!
PS – are you thinking of putting this on your Thanksgiving menu? Check out the full What’s Gaby Cooking menu here along with the master prep schedule to keep things organized and on track!
And if you need more Thanksgiving Ideas check out this roundup of 80+ Thanksgiving Recipes and Ideas
Wild Mushroom Stuffing
Ingredients
- 1 loaf country-style French bread with crust cut into 1-inch cubes (about 14-15 ounces)
- 10 tablespoons butter
- 1 pound wild mushrooms
- 2 shallots finely sliced
- 2 ribs celery
- 2 bunches green onions thinly sliced
- 3/4 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 3/4 cup broth in medium bowl. Add egg mixture to stuffing and toss to coat. Mix in Parmesan.
- Add more broth (about 1/2 to 3/4 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.
Photo by Matt Armendariz / Food Styling by Adam Pearson / Prop Styling by Stephanie Hanes // Recipe by What’s Gaby Cooking
Hi Gaby – would you mind elaborating a bit on the type of French bread you use for this stuffing? Loaf sizes can vary between bakeries/stores and I wouldn’t want any ratios to be off. Thanks so much!
will update the recipe now
Thank you!
Mushrooms are my favorite!
Does this stuffing freeze well ? Uncooked or cooked/ I’m assuming bake and then freeze ?
it does – you could make it, bake it, and then freeze and re-heat
Stuffing is the one thing I haven’t quite mastered yet for Thanksgiving. Definitely going to try yours! Would you mind if I put a link to it on our blog, A Wholesome New World? Thanks!!
Oh my goodness this was so yummy last year when I made it for th fam that not only will I be making it for them again this year but I will be making it for my office Sidesgiving. Do you recommend that I make it the morning of (for work) and take it as we only have sternos to keep the food warm? Or do you think I will be fine making it the night before and relying on sternos to heat it up. If I do the latter, I would throw some stock on to prevent drying the stuffing out.
I think you could prep the night before and assemble and bake the morning of! That would yield the best results
stunning recipe, being a fan of mushrooms, this stuffing is a must try, love all those beautiful herbs that you used 🙂
How long would it have to bake at 350?? Would it work?
Sub veggie stock for your vegetarians!
totally!
I used soft pretzels instead of the French bread, and it was the most amazing thing!
OMG GENIUS
This may be a silly question….what is buttered foil? And what is it’s purpose
foil with butter rubbed on it – helps for not sticking
I made this for Thanksgiving this ;year and it was a hit with everyone. My sister and I will probably make this for every holiday now. It was easy to throw together….. toast the bread in the morning put in ziploc after they cool), chop up celery, onions and shallots put in container. Chop herbs, grate your cheese.. Once you start the mushrooms it all comes together quickly. Buttery, a bit crispy around the edges and so flavorful it makes my mouth water just writing about it.
Also used tips for the perfect cheese and vegetable platters.
Thanks Gaby
Could I skip the Parmesan to make it not dairy? Would it be ok?
totally
Thank you
I am rubbing my hands together with glee! Can’t wait to make this!!
Can it be made without eggs?
yes!! I forgot them once and it was still great
Hi Gaby! Making this this weekend. What type of wild mushrooms did you use? Thanks!
I love shiitake and Morels and Chantrelles – but you can seriously use any mushrooms you want!
Won a “Stuffing Off” last night using this recipe! Only change, I added I lb regular Jimmy Dean sausage to the fun. Was insanely good. Will be a permanent Thanksgiving staple!
Did you just add it in raw and bake it or cook the sausage first??
I’d cook off the sausage first and then add!!
Hi Gaby!
I’m making this tomorrow for the first time for an early Thanksgiving celebration with my family since we will be out of town on Thursday. I’ve got a question for you…my loaf of bread said 2 lbs. on it (although it is a medium sized round loaf of country bread – it’s not huge). But 14-15 oz of chopped bread would only be about 2 cups or about 1/2 of my loaf. 2 cups of bread doesn’t seem nearly enough. Or is it a 14-15 oz loaf? I think a 14-15 oz. loaf would still be half of my 2 lb. loaf. Since it says to use 1 whole loaf should I go ahead and use the whole loaf? I chopped it all up and it covers my large sheet pan very generously (like 3-4 layers of bread pieces). Help!!! What should I do?
Thanks,
Amber
15 ounces of bread would be about 6-8 cups of cubed bread!
Also, stupid question – when you say 2 bunches of green onions…do you mean two whole bunches that each have a rubber band around them and that have a bunch of stalks/springs in each or do you mean one stalk/sprig is a bunch – since one stalk/sprig usually has a few shoots on it? Sorry, I guess I’m one of those cooks that has to have everything spelled out. Sorry!
Thanks in advance,
Amber
2 bunches! 1 bunch has a rubber band around it! So buy 2
Thanks so much for getting back to me!
Thanks so much! I’m excited to try these recipes!
salted or unsalted butter?
thank you!!
unsalted
Tried this for the first time today and it was delicious!!! Thanks Gaby!
SO happy to hear it
i wish you would do a video on this recipe! i have done this recipe 2 times and LOVE it!!!
I read that you could sub kale for mushrooms. I’m going to do one batch mushroom and one batch kale for those who don’t prefer mushrooms. How much kale should I use ?
2 bunches of kale!
Hi, I was able to get all the ingredients except for the fresh sage so will be using dry sage. Can you tell me how much should be used? Thanks and I can’t wait to make!
1 teaspoon dried
I already have a plan to eat the leftovers with a runny egg on top. Might make a second batch and hide for rhe day after!! Mouth watering now!!
I SUPPORT YOU
Thank you for your quick response! Have a great Thanksgivings—enjoy!
Hi Gaby – if I left the bread out overnight I let is harden, do I still need to toast it since it’s already dry?
I like to get some color on it! But you could skip it if you wanted to
Hi Gaby, I made this last night and it was a total hit… “best stuffing ever” was expressed by all who enjoyed it! Thank you for sharing this delicious recipe. I have explored several others in the past that have all been pretty good – but this one is a keeper!
Made this for Thanksgiving and I have to say it was delicious! And pretty to look at! However, it took a really long time to make and used a lot of dishes (I did sous chef most of the ingredients). I was hoping it would be terrible and then I could pitch the recipe (lol), but, as I said before it was delicious! Glad I made it early Wednesday morning and didn’t leave it for later in the day.
Was there a video of this last year somewhere?
yes – check my youtube!
Would dry herbs work too?
wouldn’t be quite the same!
Hi Gaby-
How many servings does this recipe yield?
Thanks!
8+
I have made the same family stuffing my whole cooking life … till I came upon this recipe about three years ago. I made my regular family stuffing AND this AMAZING stuffing (just because that’s what I do). The consensus was it would be absolutely fine if this was our new Thanksgiving family stuffing #newtraditions!! Just make it!!! It’s beyond amazing!!!
this stuffing can make any stuffing hater a stuffing lover… myself included!
This is a must have on any Thanksgiving table!!! So so so good!
PPls define “wild mushrooms”
literally any type of mushroom – shiitake, maitake, crimini, beech, portobello, you name it!
I am happy with a plateful of stuffing and nothing else!!
Do you think this recipe would work in a slow cooker.
Not sure! Never tried it!
This looks delicious! I want to make it for a work Thanksgiving potluck, but a coworker is vegan. I’m thinking I can sub olive oil for the butter, but do you have a reco on what I could replace the eggs with?
hmmmmm I haven’t tried it with any egg substitutes so I can’t say with any certainty!
Hi! That looks amazing! And I’m gonna try to make it for my book club this weekend. What is the size of the serving dish you? And do you think that serving it with a green salad would work? Thanks!
absolutely would be great alongside a green salad! Serving dish is roughly 9×13
Gaby, could you add apples to this recipe, or would it make it mushy?
Thanks!
never tried it!
Hi again
Can you please let me know how you measure 14/15 oz of bread pieces? Sorry, not much of a cook. Thank you
buy 15 ounces of a loaf of bread! Most loaves will have the weight on the packaging… so you need just under 1 pound of bread, torn into cubes
I made this last year and it was THE BEST!!! I’m making it in a 5qt baking dish this year— can I pretty much double the recipe and cook for an hour at 350? Thanks! I’m also making your turkey, peas with pancetta, and gravy! It’s going to be epic!
yes- you can double or triple the recipe as needed!! temp won’t change, it might need a few more minutes in the oven but just make sure the top is golden and you’ll be good to go!
Gaby, I’m from the south and cornbread dressing is always a must for Thanksgiving. I’ve been eyeing your recipe now for weeks and I’m scared to take a risk for guest on a stuffing. Its looks so good. Help!
I mean, I love a cornbread stuffing too but honestly this wild mushroom stuffing is top notch!
Hi! Your recipe looks amazing, but my kids are allergic to eggs and dairy! So you have any idea how I can substitute for those items in this recipe?
Oh man, I don’t really have any solves for this recipe! I’m so sorry!