Vegetarian Spinach and Mushroom Herb Stuffing full of color, texture, and savory flavors that will have everyone coming back for seconds, meat-eaters and vegetarians alike! Make ahead instructions included.
It ain't easy being an herbivore on Thanksgiving, lemme tell ya.
Did you know Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday? It's centered around food, family, and gratitude. Um, hello! What else even matters?
I could easily chow down on stuffing and sweet potatoes and green bean casserole on a weekly basis. Really besides the turkey (I always make this yummy Lentil Loaf for my main dish), everything on the table is pretty vegetarian-friendly so long as it's not doused in meat drippings---ahem, stuffing.
I speak for the trees!! I'm here to say that you can make hot damn diggity delish vegetarian-friendly stuffing, mmmk?
Can I tell you something funny? Never had I ever made stuffing till this year. AND STUFFING IS MY FAVORITE. So much so that I have to YELL ABOUT IT.
Jeff doesn't like stuffing. Can you even? First he's never had sweet potato casserole and then he tells me he doesn't like stuffing. "What do you mean you don't like stuffing? I don't know if this is gonna work out..."
Who doesn't like the herby moist yet still crispy doughy bready buttery carby dreamboat that is stuffing?! I don't understand you people. I'll gladly eat whatever you don't want.
This Spinach and Mushroom Herb Stuffing is moist in the middle, crisp on top, chock full of yummy veggies, and brightened up with the perfect amount of fresh herbies. My best advice for this stuffing recipe is to a) buy a poultry herb blend that comes with rosemary, thyme, and sage all in one container and b) buy pre-toasted stuffing cubes.
Now I'm not talking about stuffing mix, i.e. the bagged kind with all the seasonings and funky things already added in. For those ones, you basically just add oil or butter and cook it. We're talking about literally baked bread and baked bread only. One less thing that you have to worry about when you're making eight zillion pies and casseroles come next Thursday!
I got these hearth baked stuffing cubes at Whole Foods and they were perfect. I've also seen them at Kroger. If you can't get your hands on these handy bread cubes, don't fret. Get a loaf of bread (sourdough, French, and challah are my favorites), slice her into cubes, and bake per my recipe instructions below.
You can buy a loaf a couple days ahead of time and let it get stale. If it's already stale and hard, no need to toast. Use your best judgement, friends! If you use fresh bread, this Spinach and Mushroom Herb Stuffing will be hella mushy. We're not making pie, here.
You'll notice this stuffing recipe is vegetarian but not vegan. Let's talk a bit about dietary preferences for a hot second. If you're gluten-free, this would totally work with your favorite gluten-free bread. If you're vegan, you could leave out the eggs.
I haven't tried this recipe without eggs (they help bind it together), but I don't think it would make a huge difference. If anyone tries it, let me know in the comments! If you're not an herbivore, feel free to try turkey or chicken stock. Add your favorite sausage. GO WILD, GUYS!
After I made this with one package of mushrooms, I kind of sort of totally wished I would've used two packages. They get so nice and browned and caramelized and glorious and I definitely could've gotten down with twice the amount. Veggie-wise, this Spinach and Mushroom Herb Stuffing is quite forgiving.
Don't like spinach? Leave it out. Don't like onions? Okay sorry, don't leave those out.
Next time I think I'd add another couple stalks of celery, a couple carrots, double the mushrooms, and dare I say a splash of wine? A handful of peh-kahns? A sprinkle of dried cranberries? Drool. Drool is happening.
Oh and I recently learned that if it's not getting stuffed into the bird, it's actually called dressing. Not stuffing. So technical we are!
I hope your Thanksgiving is full of family and warmth and love and good food. I am so grateful for you for reading my rants. LOVE YOU LONG TIME!
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Spinach and Mushroom Herb Stuffing
- Prep Time: 20 mins
- Cook Time: 50 mins
- Total Time: 1 hour 10 mins
- Yield: 10 1x
- Category: Side Dishes
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: American
Description
Vegetarian Spinach and Mushroom Herb Stuffing full of color, texture, and savory flavors that will have everyone coming back for seconds, meat-eaters and vegetarians alike! Make ahead instructions included.
Ingredients
- 2 large onions, diced
- 4 stalks celery, chopped
- 8oz sliced mushrooms (I used Baby Bella)
- ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil + 2 tbsp, divided (or melted butter)
- 2 tbsp fresh chopped sage
- 2 tbsp fresh chopped rosemary
- 2 tbsp fresh chopped thyme
- ⅓ cup chopped parsley
- 1-5oz bag baby spinach
- 8 cups toasted bread cubes
- 1 ½ to 2 cups vegetable broth
- 2 large eggs
- 1 tsp fine sea salt
- Lots of freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- Grease a 13x9x2-inch or 3 qt baking dish. Place 2 tbsp oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add mushrooms and a pinch of salt and pepper. Sauté until mushrooms are nice and browned, about 8 minutes. Transfer to a small bowl.
- Place ¼ cup oil in same skillet. Add onions and celery plus a pinch of salt. Sauté until tender, about 12 minutes.
- Meanwhile, preheat oven to 350°F. If your bread needs toasting, place cubes on lined baking sheet and bake until bread is crusty, about 10-15 minutes. Transfer to large bowl to cool.
- Once onions are tender, add herbs and sauté for another minute. Add spinach and cook for a few minutes more, or until wilted.
- In a small bowl or liquid measuring cup, whisk broth (start with 1 ½ cups), eggs, salt, and pepper. Add egg mixture and vegetable mixture to bowl with bread, tossing to combine. My bread was pretty crunchy, so I added another ½ cup of broth for 2 cups total. Use less for softer bread. It should be nice and moist but not at all soupy. Spoon mixture into baking dish.
- Cover with foil and bake for 40 minutes. Remove foil and bake for another 15 minutes. Garnish with fresh parsley.
Notes
STORAGE: Store leftovers in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
TO MAKE AHEAD: You can prepare this the day before and store unbaked in the fridge, tightly covered. If you want it more advance than that, I would recommend baking and freezing it.
TO FREEZE: Prepare the stuffing, bake it, then freeze the cooled, covered stuffing. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight and bake before serving per the recipe.
