This Homemade Herb and Mushroom Stuffing is herby and richly flavorful. It features a rustic bread and chicken stock base with mushrooms and herbs for earthy autumnal flavors. The cranberries and walnuts add a pop of flavor and texture to every bite.
Of all of the Thanksgiving fixings, stuffing is by far my favorite. I could honestly just have stuffing for Thanksgiving dinner and I would be perfectly happy!
Of all the stuffings I've had, my mom makes the absolute best. It is hands down the best turkey dressing recipe I've ever tried. This recipe is a rendition of my mom's Thanksgiving stuffing recipe.
In addition to being flavorful and the perfect addition to your Thanksgiving spread, this dressing also easily be vegetarian, by swapping the chicken stock for vegetable stock. Your Thanksgiving guests will definitely reach for seconds of this stuffing!
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About Herb and Mushroom Dressing
- Taste - The ingredients combine to create a delicious and complex flavor medley.
- Texture - This stuffing is fluffy yet hearty and filling.
- Effort - You just need to toast the bread then cook the ingredients.
- Time - It takes about 20 minutes to prep then 70 minutes to cook.
Ingredients
- Rustic bread loaf - Rustic bread provides the perfect texture for the stuffing when baked.
- Butter - Butter adds flavor and cooks the mushrooms perfectly when combined with olive oil.
- Onion - Onion is a pungent aromatic that enhances the other flavors.
- Celery ribs - Celery adds a subtle crunch.
- Crimini mushrooms - Mushrooms provide umami flavor.
- Garlic cloves - Garlic cloves provide the classic flavor that is not overpowering.
- Sage leaves - Sage leave add a sharp and earthy aroma.
- Fresh rosemary - Rosemary is a versatile herb with autumnal flavor. Its naturally lemon-pine flavor offers a pungent herby taste.
- Fresh thyme - Thyme is a fragrant evergreen herb with tiny leaves and a woody stem. It adds an herbaceous flavor to dishes.
- Chicken stock - Chicken stock adds flavor when used to hydrate dried rustic bread. You can also use chicken broth if you don'at have stock.
- Walnuts - Walnuts add a rich and hearty crunch.
- Dried cranberries - Dried cranberries are the perfect balance of tart and sweet.
Substitutions
- Vegetarian - Replace chicken stock with vegetable stock to make this recipe vegetarian.
- Challah - Use Challah bread instead of a Rustic Loaf if you want a richer and eggier flavor.
- Shitake mushrooms - Replace if criminology mushrooms with shiitake if you prefer their smoky flavor.
- Shallot - Replace the onion with a shallot if you prefer the milder shallot taste.
Variations
- Sausage - Add Italian Sausage or Chicken Italian Sausage for extra flavor and protein. Just cook it separately before adding it to the pan.
- Poultry seasoning - Add a little poultry seasoning to make the stuffing extra herbaceous.
- Kosher salt - Add a little extra salt to accentuate the other flavors
- Low sodium - Use low sodium chicken stock for a healthier chicken stock alternative.
- Spicy - Add freshly ground black pepper for a little spice
Instructions
- Pre-heat the oven - Heat the oven to 250°F
- Toast the bread - Toast the bread cubes on a baking sheet until golden and crisp, about 30 minutes. Remove the bread from the oven and increase the temperature to 350°F.
- Melt butter and cook ingredients - In a large dutch oven or large skillet, melt butter over medium heat. Add the celery and onion and cook for 4-5 minutes. Stir in the mushrooms and cook until the onions are lightly caramelized. Add in the garlic and chopped fresh herbs and stir until well mixed. Pour in the chicken stock and simmer for 3-5 minutes.
- Add remaining ingredients - Remove the mixture from the heat and fold in the walnuts, dried cranberries, and dried bread cubes until it is all moistened.
- Stuff the turkey and serve - Stuff turkey with herb stuffing and transfer the remaining stuffing to a medium or large baking dish. Bake the stuffing in the oven at 350°F for 25-30 minutes. Let cool for a few minutes, then serve.
What to Serve with Herb and Mushroom Stuffing
If you want to make this classic stuffing recipe for Thanksgiving or a family meal, check out these other Thanksgiving recipes: Rolled Turkey Roulade, Turkey Au Jus Gravy, Maple Brussel Sprouts with Pancetta, Cranberry Sauce with Orange, and Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes.
If you want a California Thanksgiving meal check out our Dutch Oven Whole Roasted Chicken, Miso Mashed Potatoes with Miso Butter, Harvest Quinoa Salad with Arugula, Maple Roasted Kabocha, Sautéed Green Beans with Furikake, and Sautéed Mushrooms with White Wine.
Recipe FAQs
The best bread is a neutrally flavored bread that will be slightly crispy when baked. We love a rustic bread or a slightly sweet bread like challah or brioche. Even sourdough bread can be good.
Before you bake the stuffing, it should be moist but not too wet. If there is excess stock that is not mixing in, it is too wet and you need to add more rustic bread to get the right moist consistency.
You can, but you don't need to. Eggs are used to make the stuffing fluffier and as a binder. But in our recipe, the stock acts as a binder.
Depending on where you live, the two terms are used interchangeably. According to Food & Wine Magazine, Stuffing is a mixture used to stuff other food before cooking while dressing just means it is cooked outside of the turkey or chicken cavity.
Yes, you can make stuffing up to 3 days ahead of time, then reheat it for Thanksgiving to save time.
Storage
Store leftover herbed stuffing in an air-tight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Reheat leftover stuffing in a pan on the stove over medium-low heat or microwave the stuffing in a microwave safe container until hot.
Cooking Tips
- Use a 9 inch X 13 inch baking dish or smaller to ensure that the cranberry stuffing does not dry out when baked.
- If you are making this for Thanksgiving, stuff the Thanksgiving turkey with stuffing. It will make a wonderfully moist and savory combination.
Related Recipes
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Homemade Herb and Mushroom Stuffing
Equipment
- 1 knife
Ingredients
- 1 18 oz rustic bread loaf cut into 1-inch cubes, stale bread is fine
- 4 tablespoon Butter
- 1 Onion chopped
- 6 Celery ribs roughly chopped
- 8 oz Crimini mushrooms quartered
- 4 Garlic cloves
- 2 tablespoon Sage chopped
- 2 tablespoon Rosemary chopped
- 2 tablespoon Thyme
- 4 cups Chicken stock
- ½ cup Walnuts chopped
- ½ cup Dried cranberries
Instructions
- Pre-heat the oven - Heat the oven to 250°F
- Toast the bread - Toast the cubed bread on a baking sheet until golden and crisp, about 30 minutes. Remove the bread from the oven and increase the temperature to 350°F.1 18 oz rustic bread loaf
- Melt butter and cook ingredients - In a large dutch oven or large skillet, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the celery and onion and cook for 4-5 minutes. Stir in the mushrooms and cook until the onions are lightly caramelized. Add in the garlic and herbs and stir until well mixed. Pour in the chicken stock and simmer for 3-5 minutes.4 tablespoon Butter, 1 Onion, 6 Celery ribs, 8 oz Crimini mushrooms, 4 Garlic cloves, 2 tablespoon Sage, 2 tablespoon Rosemary, 4 cups Chicken stock, 2 tablespoon Thyme
- Add remaining ingredients - Remove the mixture from the heat and fold in the walnuts, dried cranberries, and cubed bread until it is all moistened.½ cup Walnuts, ½ cup Dried cranberries
- Stuff the turkey and serve - Stuff the turkey with the stuffing and transfer the remaining stuffing to a baking dish. Bake the stuffing in the baking dish in the oven at 350°F for 25-30 minutes. Let cool for a few minutes, then serve.
Notes
- Refrigerate leftover stuffing in an air-tight container for up to 3 days. Reheat leftover stuffing in a pan on the stove or microwave the stuffing in a microwave safe container until hot.
- Use a baking dish that is 9" X 13" or smaller to ensure that the stuffing does not dry out when baked.
- If you are making this for Thanksgiving, stuff the turkey with stuffing. It will make a wonderfully moist and savory combination.
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