BREAD STUFFING WITH FRESH HERBS & WILD MUSHROOMS
My favorite thing to eat at Thanksgiving is definitely the stuffing. Of all the recipes I have for it (and I have many!), I always come back to this one. I love using wild mushrooms from my local farmer’s market. And adding fresh herbs instead of dried, elevates the whole dish.
Bread Stuffing with Fresh Herbs & Wild Mushrooms
Serves 12
Ingredients
1 cup (2 sticks) of unsalted butter, divided
2 Tablespoons olive oil
1 1/2 pounds assorted wild mushrooms (like crimini, shiitake and oyster), sliced
salt and pepper to taste
4 cups celery, chopped
4 cups onion, chopped
5 Tablespoons fresh sage, chopped
5 Tablespoons fresh thyme, chopped
1/2 cup fresh Italian parsley, chopped
6 cups (10-ounce bag) fresh spinach leaves
12 heaping cups of day-old bread cut into 1-inch cubes (I like to mix a combination of crusty breads like French, Sourdough and Italian)
3 eggs
1 Tablespoon salt
2 teaspoons pepper
1-2 cups chicken broth
Directions
In a large skillet pan, over medium heat, melt one stick of butter (1/2 cup) and the olive oil.
Add mushrooms and season lightly with salt and pepper to taste. Sauté util mushrooms are tender- about 10 minutes- and transfer to a very large bowl.
In same skillet, still over medium heat, melt the remaining stick of butter and add celery, onions, sage, thyme and parsley. Sauté until veggies are tender-about 10 minutes. Toss in spinach and cook just until wilted. Add veggie mixture to the large bowl with mushrooms and combine well.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease a 13x9x2-inch baking dish.
Add bread cubes, eggs, salt and pepper and 1 cup of chicken broth to veggie/mushroom mixture. Mix well (I like to use my hands for this) and make sure ingredients are evenly combined. Add more chicken broth as needed so that bread mixture is moist but still somewhat firm (not soggy bread).
Transfer mixture to greased baking dish. Bake for 50-60 minutes until cooked through.
*If oven space is an issue (it ALWAYS is for me on Thanksgiving) you can make your stuffing in a slow cooker or Crock-Pot if you have one. Follow recipe as written up to right before adding to baking dish. Add to greased slow cooker and cook on HIGH for 45 minutes and then switch to LOW for 3-4 hours until cooked through.
