Learn how to make the Best Mushroom Stuffing for Thanksgiving ... this easy recipe is flavorful, simple to prepare, and perfect for any holiday meal!
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If there's one holiday dish I look forward to every year, it's stuffing.
I love it so much, that the day after Thanksgiving you'll probably find me sneaking bites of cold stuffing from the fridge. Please tell me I'm not the only one who does that!
Last year, I shared my Dad's recipe for stuffing with you. That traditional recipe will always have a place in my heart, but this year, I'm giving that family fave a small twist.
This homemade Mushroom Stuffing is packed with flavorful mushrooms and fresh herbs, and it just might be my new favorite. If you're looking for a mushroom-lovers dressing, then you need to give this one a try!
Mushroom Stuffing
This Mushroom Bread Stuffing is simple to make, yet so delicious!
Although not a difficult or complicated recipe, the combination of sauteed mushrooms and veggies, along with fresh parsley, sage, and thyme, make the flavors in this stuffing pop.
You can make this easy vegetarian stuffing with mushrooms as basic, or as fancy, as you like. If your grocery store is like mine and seriously lacking in the mushroom department, use white, brown, or even portobello mushrooms.
However, you can also turn this into a Wild Mushroom Stuffing by using the good stuff. It's up to you. And either way, this is a stuffing recipe that you'll keep coming back to!
Ingredients for Stuffing with Mushrooms
You'll find all the ingredients for this Herb Mushroom Stuffing recipe at your local grocery store. Here's what you'll need:
- Firm White Bread
- Unsalted Butter
- Onions
- Celery
- Mushrooms
- Fresh Italian Parsley, Sage, and Thyme
- Egg
- Vegetable Broth (I make mine from bouillon.)
- Salt (I prefer Kosher salt.)
- Pepper (Make sure to use fresh-cracked pepper.)
Pretty basic, right? Just make sure to use fresh, high-quality ingredients, and you're good to go. And as mentioned above, you can use regular mushrooms (white or brown), wild mushrooms, or a combination for this Mushroom Dressing recipe.
Want to make vegan stuffing? As long as you use vegetable broth, this is a vegetarian stuffing recipe. If you want to make it vegan, then simply use a vegan substitute for the butter and skip the egg.
Best Bread for Stuffing
With such a simple recipe, choosing the right bread is key.
Make sure to select e a firm white bread. When you’re shopping, give the bread a little squeeze … it should have a little give, but it shouldn’t be super smooshy.
The best bread for stuffing from scratch is more of a country or bakery-style white bread (nothing too crusty though), so skip the cheap $1 loafs. I use Nature’s Own Perfect Crafted White when I make stuffing, and it's ideal for this recipe!
How to Make Mushroom Stuffing
Let's get cooking! This recipe is straightforward and easy, and I'm going to walk you through it step-by-step.
Preparing the Bread
The first thing you need to do is cut the bread into cubes. I prefer a rustic stuffing, so I cut my bread into one-inch cubes. You can definitely go smaller though, if you prefer.
Next, you'll toast the bread in the oven. It doesn't need to be browned, just crunchy on the outside.
Toasting the bead ensures that your stuffing has some texture and doesn't end up mushy. Because nobody likes mushy stuffing!
Sauteing the Veggies
While the bread toasts, start working on the veggies.
You'll melt a generous amount of butter in a large pan over medium heat. Make sure to use the largest skillet you have (at least 12-inches), because the mushrooms take up a lot of room. A dutch oven also works.
Add the onions and celery, then saute them just until the onions start turning translucent on the edges (about five minutes). Crank up the heat to medium-high, and when the pan is hot, add the mushrooms.
Cook the mushrooms until any juices they release have evaporated, stirring them often. This should take about 15 minutes. For extra flavor, you can continue cooking the mushrooms until they've browned, if you wish.
Stir in the garlic and cook, stirring constantly, until it's fragrant (it only takes about 30 seconds). Then remove the pan from heat, stir in the fresh herbs, and season everything generously with salt and pepper.
Mixing the Stuffing
Grab the biggest bowl you can find and add the bread and veggies.
Top this with the egg, then mix everything well, adding just enough broth to hold the stuffing together. You want to use enough broth to moisten the bread, but not so much as to make it soggy.
To get the texture right, add a little broth at a time. Stir the stuffing mixture, then keep adding more broth (stirring well after each addition) until you have the right texture.
How much broth will you need?
The recipe calls for one-and-a-half to two-and-a-half cups vegetable broth, but the amount you'll need depends on your bread, as well as your texture preference. Aim for stuffing that’s starting to stick together, but isn't one homogeneous clump.
I prefer my stuffing a little “looser”, as you can see from these pics, and I ended up using 2 cups.
Generally though, heavier bread = more broth, while lighter bread = less broth. If you do like stuffing that sticks together more, add more broth … and you could even add an extra egg, too.
Baking the Stuffing
Once you've mixed your stuffing, transfer it to a large baking pan. Then, bake it until it's hot and golden.
And that's all there is to it, your homemade Mushroom Stuffing is ready to eat ... don't you just want to dive into that pan? Yum!
This stuffing serves a crowd. Feel free to cut the recipe in half if you're serving a smaller group and don't love leftovers.
And a note on the oven temp ... in the recipe card below, I recommend baking the stuffing at 350 degrees. Depending on what else you're cooking for Thanksgiving or Christmas, you can bake this dish at a lower or higher temp. If you do, just remember to that the cooking time will need to be adjusted, as well.
What to Serve with Homemade Stuffing
I could eat this tasty stuffing any time of year, but it's especially welcome on the holiday table!
Here’s a special vegetarian meal plan that I created to inspire your holiday feast … with all new recipes that I’m sharing this week:
- Baked Ricotta – a crave-worthy start to the meal that’s so easy to prepare!
- Garlic Mashed Potatoes – these yummy potatoes are the BEST. Serve them drizzled with melted butter or with my fave Mushroom Gravy.
- Mushroom Stuffing – you are here!
- Cranberry Orange Sauce – a must have recipe for any holiday meal.
- Vegetable Pie – this showstopping entree will be the talk of your party.
- No Bake Pumpkin Cheesecake – you’re going to love this fun, easy twist on the classic pumpkin pie!
Mushroom Stuffing
Ingredients
- nonstick cooking spray
- 1 (22-ounce) loaf firm white bread, cubed
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2 cups chopped celery (about 4 large stalks)
- 1 large onion, diced
- 1 ½ pounds mushrooms, sliced
- 2 large cloves garlic, minced
- ½ cup chopped Italian parsley
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh sage
- 1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
- salt
- pepper
- 1 large egg, beaten
- 1 ½ to 2 ½ cups vegetable broth
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly spray a 9 x 13-inch baking pan with cooking spray.
- Divide cubed bread between two large baking sheets. Bake bread for 10 minutes. Flip, then cook for another 5 to 10 minutes or until edges are crunchy. Set aside.
- While bread is cooking, melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat.
- Add onions and celery. Cook until the onion edges are starting to turn translucent (about 5 minutes).
- Increase heat to medium-high. When skillet is hot, add mushrooms. Cook, stirring frequently, until all liquid released from mushrooms has evaporated and they are starting to brown (about 15 minutes).
- Stir in garlic and cook, stirring constantly, until garlic is fragrant (about 30 seconds). Remove skillet from heat, then stir in parsely, sage, and thyme. Season generously to taste with salt and pepper. Let cool slightly before proceeding.
- Place bread in a large bowl. Top with mushroom mixture and egg.
- Add broth, a little at a time, stirring well after each addition. Add just enough broth so stuffing is moistened, but not soggy.
- Transfer stuffing to baking pan, then bake until stuffing is hot and lightly browned on top (about 30 to 40 minutes).
- Serve stuffing hot. Enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
Hello! Can you tell me how many cups of cubed bread you use for this recipe? I already have them made. Thank you.
Hi, Renee! You will need about 12 to 14 cups of cubes. You may need to adjust the amount of broth, if your cubes are very dry / dense. Hope that helps!