This wild mushroom stuffing recipe combines a variety of umami-rich mushrooms with soft brioche bread, leeks, and nutty cheese to create a deeply flavorful, slightly non-traditional stuffing. Be sure to make plenty as everyone at your holiday table will be clamoring for seconds.
Earthy flavors combine with slightly sweet brioche bread to create this beautiful brioche and wild mushroom stuffing. One could certainly experiment with other breads—raisin or nut varieties could work well. Homemade challah would also be an excellent choice.–Karen Mordechai
☞ Contents
Why our testers loved this
Our testers are describing this stuffing as “savory and decadent” and “a nice change from traditional flavored stuffing.” They loved that even after baking, the stuffing stayed moist and tender.
Notes on ingredients
- Wild mushrooms–You can substitute any of your favorite wild mushrooms here.
- White wine–Stay away from any type of sweet wine as the bread already lends the stuffing a slightly sweet flavor. If you need to avoid using alcohol, use additional chicken stock.
- Brioche or challah bread-Using brioche or challah is going to give your stuffing a soft texture with a slightly sweet flavor. If you prefer a more traditional stuffing texture, use a sturdier artisan-style bread.
How to make this recipe
- Sauté the vegetables. Cook the shallots, leeks, mushrooms, and garlic in butter until tender.
- Mix the stuffing. Combine the eggs, cheese, bread, vegetables, and parsley with some chicken stock and mix until everything is thoroughly moistened.
- Bake the stuffing. Plop the stuffing into a baking dish, cover, and cook at 350°F until heated through. Remove the foil and continue to cook until golden and crispy on top.
Recipe FAQs
Can I make this ahead of time?
You can. Prepare the stuffing through step 3, up to 48 hours in advance. Transfer it to a buttered baking dish, cover it with buttered foil, and stash it in the fridge until you’re ready to bake. If baking directly from the fridge, you may need to add a few extra minutes to the cooking time.
What’s the difference between stuffing and dressing?
Stuffing is generally cooked inside a turkey, while dressing is baked separately in a baking dish. So, yes, this wild mushroom stuffing recipe should technically be called a dressing, although you can cook it inside your roast turkey, if you like.
Can I stuff my Thanksgiving turkey with this?
You can, although our recommendation would be to cook it separately. Cooking it in a baking dish gives you a crisp, golden crust, and avoids the potential for overcooking your turkey while waiting for the internal temperature of your stuffing to reach 165°F. If you do cook it inside your turkey, don’t add any extra stock as the turkey will add extra liquid as it cooks.
What should I serve this with?
Although our testers found that this paired nicely with any roast protein, it is ideal for Thanksgiving dinner. We recommend serving it with roasted and braised turkey, basic pan gravy, make-ahead mashed potatoes, whole berry cranberry sauce, and shaved Brussels sprouts salad.
Helpful tips
- To cut down on dishes, sauté your vegetables in a Dutch oven or cast-iron skillet. Mix up the stuffing and place it back into the Dutch oven or skillet and bake.
- Leftover stuffing will keep in a sealed container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days or can be frozen for up to 1 month.
More great stuffing recipes
☞ If you make this recipe, or any dish on LC, consider leaving a review, a star rating, and your best photo in the comments below. I love hearing from you.–David
Wild Mushroom Stuffing
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter at room temperature, plus more for the baking dish
- 2 shallots minced
- 4 cups sliced leeks (white and light green parts only, 1/2-inch-thick [12-mm] slices)
- 1 pound king trumpet or cremini mushrooms chopped or sliced
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- Sea salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 1/2 cup dry white wine
- 4 sprigs thyme
- 3 large eggs lightly beaten
- 1 cup Comté or Gruyère cheese shredded
- 6 cups cubed brioche or substitute challah (or, for a less squishy and less sweet stuffing, substitute a hearty artisan loaf of white or walnut bread)
- 1/3 cup flat-leaf parsley leaves chopped
- 1 cup homemade chicken stock or canned chicken broth plus more if needed
Directions
- Melt the butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the shallots, leeks, mushrooms, and garlic and season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables have softened, 5 to 10 minutes.
- Add the wine and thyme sprigs to the pan and cook until the wine has almost evaporated, 3 to 5 minutes. Remove and discard the thyme sprigs and scrape the vegetables and any liquid into a bowl.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, a generous pinch of salt and pepper, and the cheese. Add the cooked vegetables, brioche, and parsley, and toss to combine. Mix in 1/2 cup stock. Continue to add as much of the remaining 1/2 cup stock, a couple tablespoons at a time, as needed until the stuffing is moist but not wet (there should not be any liquid in the bottom of the bowl). Transfer the stuffing to a buttered 9-by-13-inch baking dish and cover with buttered aluminum foil.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C) or, if you've been roasting a turkey, when you remove the turkey from the oven and set it aside to rest, adjust the oven temperature to 350°F (177°C).
- Place the covered baking dish in the oven and bake until the stuffing is warmed through, 25 to 30 minutes. Then uncover the stuffing and bake until golden, about 15 minutes. Serve immediately.
Notes
- Make in advance–Prepare the stuffing through step 3, then cover and stash in your fridge for up to 2 days before baking. If cooking directly from the fridge, you may need to add a few extra minutes to your baking time.
- Use other mushrooms–Swap in your favorite wild mushrooms.
- Cut down on dishes–Use a Dutch oven or cast-iron skillet to sauté your vegetables, then bake the stuffing in the same cooking vessel.
- Storage–Leftovers will keep in a sealed container in the fridge for up to 4 days or in the freezer for 1 month.
Show Nutrition
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Recipe Testers’ Reviews
This wild mushroom stuffing recipe is phenomenal and I am so pleased with the final result. The stuffing is savory and decadent and has all the flavors I love—and it’s a nice change from traditional flavored stuffing.
I had fun with this recipe and deviated a little from the cooking instructions with fantastic results. I used challah bread and 2 medium leeks and 2 shallots and got all of that wonderful oniony flavor. I used a large 12-inch cast iron skillet to sauté my veggies and after I was done mixing all the ingredients in a large bowl I plopped the stuffing back into the cast iron skillet, covered it with foil, and in the oven it went.
I will be making this again as my family gave this a 10.
You’ll have several pots and bowls to wash at the end of making this wild mushroom stuffing, but it’s worth the effort. This stuffing, or actually dressing, could be served with turkey, chicken, even beef. It’s also an excellent accompaniment to roasted pork loin, which is how I decided to serve it.
Be sure to season the vegetable mixture very well, tasting it after it cooks for awhile and adjusting the seasoning to your taste. I used challah instead of brioche, which worked well. I added the full cup of stock to the mixture before I baked it. The dressing was perfectly moist, even after baking.
This wild mushroom stuffing was a hit. We liked the flavor and we liked the way it looked. It made the house smell great.
I would add more cheese simply because we like cheese. I would use the minimal amount of stock if I were putting this wild mushroom dressing into the bird and go for a smaller cut of mushroom.
HUNGRY FOR MORE?
If you make this recipe, snap a photo and hashtag it #LeitesCulinaria. We'd love to see your creations on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.
Just wow! I think it’s gonna taste really good..Thanks for sharing…
You’re welcome, Seema! If you make it please let us know how it turns out.
I’d like to leave out the eggs. Should I add more broth?
Lina, the eggs give structure to the stuffing and bind it. More broth would just make it mushy and unappetizing.
Would it be absolutely awful if I use Pepperidge Farms cubed stuffing for this recipe? I worry that fresh bread might make it soggy. I like my stuffing just moist- not too dry, not too wet. Please don’t be offended. I’m just a little worried about trying something new and end up having it not turn out well for my guests.
Marissa, not at all. The only thing is we haven’t tested it that way, so we don’t know if your version would call for more liquid. (My guess is it would.) You’ll just have to experiment while cooking.
I plan to probably use as much liquid as instructed on the bag maybe a dash more, and add all the yummy extras (leeks, mushrooms, thyme, shallots, etc.) Thanks so much! I will let you know how it turns out! : )
Do, Marissa. And Happy Thanksgiving!
David, I’m happy to announce that I have made this recipe for Thanksgiving for the last two years, and it turned out delicious each time!! Unfortunately, we recently learned that my youngest son is allergic to eggs. I know it is what holds the stuffing together, so I’m wondering if you can think of anything at all that might be a suitable substitute? I know that some people use flax meal mixed with water as an egg substitute. Do you think that might work well for this recipe?
Marissa, you can use flax and water as a substitute. Some people also use instant potato flakes. Bob’s Red Mill is the one I’d recommend, as it’s non-GMO.