Wild mushroom and chestnut stuffing

Name: Wild mushroom and chestnut stuffing
Total time: 2 h 20 min
Yield: 10
Cuisine: american
Ingredients: 570 g sourdough bread (1¼ lb crusty loaf, cut into ¾-inch cubes (about 12 cups)); 15 g dried porcini mushrooms (½ oz); 680 g mixed wild mushrooms (1½ lb, such as chanterelle, oyster, maitake, shiitake (stems removed) and cremini, torn or sliced); 400 g roasted chestnuts (about 14 oz, peeled (vacuum-packed or jarred, not sweetened), roughly chopped); 2 tbsp olive oil; 115 g unsalted butter (½ cup, plus more for the dish); 4 shallots (medium, finely chopped); 3 celery (stalks, chopped); 3 cloves garlic (minced); 2 tbsp fresh sage (chopped); 1 tbsp fresh thyme (leaves); 2 tsp fresh rosemary (finely chopped); 0.5 cup fresh parsley (chopped, plus a little to finish); 600 ml vegetable broth (2½ cups, plus up to ½ cup more if needed); 2 eggs (large); 1.25 tsp kosher salt (divided); 0.75 tsp black pepper

Crusty sourdough, golden wild mushrooms, porcini and sweet roasted chestnuts, baked in a dish until crisp on top and rich inside.

⏱ 2 h 20 min
🍽 Serves 10
📈 Medium

Vegetarian

Contains: egg, gluten, milk, tree nuts, wheat

AI can make mistakes: always check labels.

Ingredients

570 gsourdough bread1¼ lb crusty loaf, cut into ¾-inch cubes (about 12 cups)
15 gdried porcini mushrooms½ oz
680 gmixed wild mushrooms1½ lb, such as chanterelle, oyster, maitake, shiitake (stems removed) and cremini, torn or sliced
400 groasted chestnutsabout 14 oz, peeled (vacuum-packed or jarred, not sweetened), roughly chopped
2 tbspolive oil
115 gunsalted butter½ cup, plus more for the dish
4shallotsmedium, finely chopped
3celerystalks, chopped
3 clovesgarlicminced
2 tbspfresh sagechopped
1 tbspfresh thymeleaves
2 tspfresh rosemaryfinely chopped
0.5 cupfresh parsleychopped, plus a little to finish
600 mlvegetable broth2½ cups, plus up to ½ cup more if needed
2eggslarge
1.25 tspkosher saltdivided
0.75 tspblack pepper

Steps

1
Prep: put the porcini in a heatproof bowl and cover with 1 cup (240 ml) of just-boiled water to soak for 20 minutes. Meanwhile cut the bread into ¾-inch cubes, tear or slice the wild mushrooms, chop the chestnuts, shallots and celery, mince the garlic, chop the sage, rosemary and parsley, and pull the thyme leaves off the stems.
💡 Brush dirt off the wild mushrooms with a damp paper towel rather than soaking them, so they brown instead of steaming.
2
Dry the bread: heat the oven to 325°F (165°C), spread the cubes on two baking sheets and bake 20 to 25 minutes, stirring once, until dry and crisp but barely coloured.
⏱ 20 min
💡 Dry bread drinks up the mushroom juices without turning to mush.
3
Raise the oven to 375°F (190°C) and butter a 9x13-inch baking dish. Lift the porcini out of their liquid, squeeze them and chop them. Pour the soaking liquid through a paper towel–lined sieve and keep it, leaving the grit behind. In your largest skillet, heat the olive oil and 2 tbsp of the butter over medium-high heat. Add the wild mushrooms in two batches if the pan is crowded and cook, stirring now and then, for 10 to 12 minutes until their liquid has cooked off and they're deep golden. Season with ½ tsp of the salt and tip them into a very large bowl.
💡 Don't crowd the pan or stir too often: mushrooms need space and time to brown.
4
Lower the heat to medium and melt the rest of the butter in the same skillet. Cook the shallots and celery until soft, about 7 minutes. Add the garlic, sage, thyme, rosemary, chopped porcini and chestnuts and cook 2 to 3 minutes more, until the chestnuts are glossy and lightly toasted.
5
Add the bread, the skillet mixture, the parsley, the remaining ¾ tsp salt and the pepper to the mushrooms and toss. Pour in the strained porcini liquid and 2 cups of the broth and toss well. Taste a bread cube (there's no egg in yet) and adjust.
6
Whisk the eggs with the remaining ½ cup broth, pour over the bread and toss until evenly moist. It should feel very damp; if the bread still has dry spots, add up to ½ cup more broth. Spread it in the buttered dish without packing it down.
💡 Make ahead: cover and refrigerate the assembled dish up to 1 day. Bake straight from the fridge, adding about 15 minutes to the covered time.
7
Cover with foil and bake for 25 minutes. Uncover and bake 20 to 30 minutes more, until the top is deep golden and the edges are crisp.
⏱ 25 min
8
Check the center with an instant-read thermometer: it must reach 165°F (74°C). If not, bake 5 to 10 minutes more. Let it sit 5 minutes and scatter over a little parsley. Refrigerate leftovers within 2 hours and reheat them to 165°F (74°C).
⏱ 5 min
💡 The thermometer is the reliable check; a browned top is only a rough guide.

Make it easier

Shortcut mushroom and chestnut stuffing

Use a 12-oz bag of dried stuffing cubes instead of drying your own bread.
Use 1½ lb sliced cremini instead of wild mushrooms, and skip the porcini: use 1 more cup of broth instead.
Start at the skillet step; bake and check as written.

Dietary versions

Swaps checked for this recipe. In the app, Jude makes them for you once he knows your diet and allergies.

AI can make mistakes: always check labels.

Wheat allergy: Instead of sourdough bread: gluten-free bread, cubed and driedGluten-free bread soaks up less; start with less broth and add more as needed.
Gluten-free: Instead of sourdough bread: gluten-free bread, cubed and driedGluten-free bread soaks up less; start with less broth and add more as needed.
Milk allergy: Instead of unsalted butter: olive oil or plant butterFor vegan, also replace the eggs. Olive oil makes it a little less rich; plant butter is closest.
Dairy-free: Instead of unsalted butter: olive oil or plant butterFor vegan, also replace the eggs. Olive oil makes it a little less rich; plant butter is closest.
Vegan: Instead of unsalted butter: olive oil or plant butterFor vegan, also replace the eggs. Olive oil makes it a little less rich; plant butter is closest.; Instead of eggs: leave them out and add ½ cup more broth or 2 flax eggs (2 tbsp ground flaxseed mixed with 5 tbsp water, left 10 minutes)Without egg the stuffing is a little looser and more spoonable, but still holds together.
Egg allergy: Instead of eggs: leave them out and add ½ cup more broth or 2 flax eggs (2 tbsp ground flaxseed mixed with 5 tbsp water, left 10 minutes)Without egg the stuffing is a little looser and more spoonable, but still holds together.
Tree nut allergy: Instead of roasted chestnuts: 2 cups diced roasted butternut squash or more mushroomsIt becomes a wild mushroom stuffing without the sweet, nutty chestnut bites.