Wild Mushroom Stuffing with Hazelnuts and Sage is a hearty side dish made with crusty artisan bread and loads of earthy mushrooms and crunchy hazelnuts. This is one stuffing recipe that can stand on its own, turkey optional!
This wild mushroom stuffing is a project, I’m not gonna lie.
It’s got quite a few steps; there’s some chopping and soaking, toasting and roasting…a little slicing and dicing, grating, and whisking, and…oh my, time to take a breather. There’s a fair share of clean up, too ๐
Is it worth it? Heck yes, it’s the holidays! (And it’s delicious.)
What you’ll need for a stellar wild mushroom stuffing
- a packet of dried wild mushrooms, your choice
- fresh mushrooms ~ I used shitake and mini bellas
- chicken stock or broth
- a loaf of crusty bread
- celery
- shallots
- garlic
- hazelnuts
- sage
- smoked cheddar cheese ~ or any smoked cheese you like
- eggs
- butter
- salt and pepper
- poultry seasoning
- sherry ~ deglazes and gives a lovely, lingering flavor
The good news? You can do most of the steps a day or two before, so really all you have to do is literally toss it together, turn it into your buttered casserole, and slide it in the oven. All you have to do is sit back and wait for your kitchen to start smelling amazing.
Dry sautรฉ your mushrooms for best flavor
I combine fresh and dried mushrooms for this recipe. The dried get reconstituted in hot broth, and the fresh are sliced and dry-sauteรฉd in a skillet. This simply means I don’t add any oil or butter to the pan, and this results in a much more intense mushroom flavor and better texture. Try it!
Everything gets tossed together in a your most ginormous bowl, and then baked to crispy perfection.
To do ahead of time:
- Mix everything except the toasted bread together and refrigerate for up to a day ahead.
- Bring to room temperature before tossing with the toasted bread and baking.
Some ideas for variations
- add sausage or bacon
- use mushroom stock for a vegetarian version
- if you don’t have or use sherry, you can use a little stock or even water to deglaze the pan.
Wild Mushroom Stuffing with Hazelnuts and Sage
Ingredients
- 1 lb artisan bread, white or sourdough
- 1 ounce dried wild mushrooms
- 2 cups chicken broth, or stock, divided
- 1 lb mixed fresh mushrooms, such as shitake, oyster, and Baby Bella
- 10 Tbsp butter, divided
- 2 shallots, peeled and minced
- 3 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
- 1 Tbsp dry sherry, (drinking sherry, not cooking wine)
- 1/2 cup roughly chopped hazelnuts
- 4 stalks celery, inner stalks with leaves, thinly sliced
- salt and cracked black pepper, to taste
- 1/2 tsp poultry seasoning
- 1/2 cup shredded smoked cheddar cheese, or Gruyere or Parmesan
- 3 large eggs
- 2 Tbsp chopped or shredded sage leaves
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350ยฐF. Butter a 9x13 casserole pan.
- Cut the bread into 1 inch cubes, more or less. You can keep the crust on.
- Spread the cubed bread out in a single layer on a baking sheet and bake in the preheated oven for about 15 minutes, or until dried.
- Meanwhile heat a cup of the chicken stock and add the dried mushrooms, stir well. Let sit 30 minutes. After they've soaked, drain them, reserving the stock. Strain the stock to remove any impurities and set aside. Give the mushrooms a chop if necessary.
- Trim and slice the fresh mushrooms. Working in 2 batches, dry saute them in a skillet over medium high heat. As the mushrooms start to lose their moisture, give them the occasional stir.
- Continue to cook until the mushrooms are nice and golden brown. Remove to a plate and set aside.
- Melt 4 tablespoons of butter in the same pan, and saute the shallots and garlic for a couple of minutes until they soften. Scrape up all the browned bits from the bottom of the pan.
- Add the chopped hazelnuts and saute a minute or two more. Deglaze the pan with the sherry, and stir while it bubbles for a minute. Scrape up any remaining browning from the pan at this point.
- Off the heat add in the celery, 1 tsp of salt and pepper, and the poultry seasoning.
- Toss the toasted bread with the mushroom mixture, the soaked dried mushrooms, cheese, and sage in your largest bowl. Toss well to get everything combined.
- Whisk the eggs with the stock (including the mushroom soaking stock) and add to the bowl, tossing everything until really well combined.
- Turn the stuffing into your prepared pan and dot with 3 tablespoons of butter. Cover with foil and bake for 35-40 minutes. Uncover and drizzle with the remaining butter, melted.
- Cook, uncovered, for a further 15-20 minutes, or until hot throughout and golden on top.
Notes
- You can make all the elements ahead of time, but I don't recommend tossing it all together until you're ready to bake.
- If you do decide to prepare the entire casserole ahead, leave it out on the counter for an hour before baking. If you are baking a cold pan it will take longer, so plan accordingly.
I made this for Christmas dinner and it was a big hit with everyone. Will make it again for sure. The mushrooms and hazelnuts made it different from any dressing I have ever made. Thank you Sue!
This was a delicious side dish. Unfortunately, I did not have hazelnuts but look forward to adding them next time.