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Challah, Wild Mushroom & Herb Stuffing

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By Jenn Segal
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This stuffing crispy on top and loaded with an earthy, buttery mix of onions and vegetables.

Baking dish of challah, wild mushroom, and herb stuffing.

There are as many versions of Thanksgiving stuffing as there are cooks who make it. The truth is, as long as you stick to the basic bread-to-liquid ratio, you can pretty much add any vegetables or seasonings that you like. This challah stuffing, modestly adapted from Mrs. Wheelbarrow on Food52, reminds me of the one my grandmother used to make. It’s golden and crispy on top and loaded with a flavorful and earthy mix of onions and wild mushrooms. A few tips: buy the “poultry blend” of fresh herbs if your supermarket carries it, as it contains all the herbs you’ll need, and buy your mushrooms pre-sliced to cut down on prep time.

Table of Contents

What You’ll Need To Make Challah, Wild Mushroom & Herb Stuffing

Stuffing ingredients including broth, butter, and herbs.

Step-By-Step Instructions

Cut the challah into 1-inch cubes and spread onto a rimmed baking sheet.

Cubes of Challah on a baking sheet.

Bake for about 25 minutes, or until dry and lightly toasted. Set aside.

Toasted cubes of Challah on a baking sheet.

Melt the butter in a large sauté pan. Cook the onions over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until soft and translucent.

onions in pan

Add the celery, herbs, mushrooms, salt and pepper.

Mushrooms, herbs, and other ingredients in a skillet.

Cook until celery is slightly softened, about 5 minutes more.

Mushrooms, herbs, and other ingredients mixed in a skillet.

In a large bowl, combine bread cubes, onion/vegetable mixture, and chicken stock.

Toasted challah in a bowl with a mushroom mixture.

Toss well.

Spatula in a bowl with a challah and mushroom mixture.

Transfer the stuffing to the prepared baking dish and cover with foil.

Uncooked challah, wild mushroom, and herb stuffing in a baking dish.

Bake for 20 minutes. Remove the foil and continue baking until golden, about 25 minutes more. Serve immediately.

Baking dish of challah, wild mushroom, and herb stuffing.

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Challah, Wild Mushroom & Herb Stuffing

Metric Cup Measures
Adapted from Mrs. Wheelbarrow on Food52

This stuffing crispy on top and loaded with an earthy, buttery mix of onions and vegetables.

Servings: 8 to 10

Ingredients

  • 1 large loaf challah (about 1 pound)
  • 1 stick unsalted butter, plus more for buttering baking dishes
  • 2 cups yellow onion, diced (from 2 medium onions)
  • 2 cups celery, diced
  • 2 cups wild mushrooms, diced
  • 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh thyme (or 1 teaspoon dried)
  • 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh rosemary (or ¼ teaspoon dried and crumbled)
  • ½ teaspoon finely chopped fresh sage (or ¼ teaspoon dried)
  • 1½ teaspoons salt
  • 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 3 cups chicken broth

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 300°F and set an oven rack in the middle position. Butter a 9x13-inch baking dish.
  2. Cut the challah into 1-inch cubes and spread in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet. Bake for about 25 minutes, or until dry and lightly toasted. Set aside.
  3. Increase the oven temperature to 350°F.
  4. Melt the butter in a large sauté pan. Cook the onions over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until soft and translucent. Add the celery, mushrooms, herbs, salt, and pepper and cook until celery is slightly softened, about 5 minutes more.
  5. In a large bowl, combine the toasted bread cubes, onion/vegetable mixture, and chicken broth and toss well.
  6. Transfer the stuffing to the prepared baking dish. Cover the dish with buttered foil and refrigerate until ready to bake (up to overnight).
  7. Bake for 20 minutes. Remove the foil and continue baking until golden, about 25 minutes more. Serve immediately.
  8. Make-Ahead Instructions: This dish can be prepared (but not baked) up to 1 day ahead of time. Cover the dish with buttered foil and refrigerate. When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350°F. Bake for 20 minutes. Remove the foil and continue baking until golden, about 25 minutes more. Serve immediately.
  9. Freezer-Friendly Instructions: This dish can be frozen after baking, tightly covered, for up to 3 months. Defrost it in the refrigerator overnight then reheat it, covered with foil, in a 325°F oven until hot.

Nutrition Information

Powered by Edamam

  • Per serving (10 servings)
  • Calories: 259
  • Fat: 13 g
  • Saturated fat: 7 g
  • Carbohydrates: 29 g
  • Sugar: 4 g
  • Fiber: 3 g
  • Protein: 7 g
  • Sodium: 448 mg
  • Cholesterol: 50 mg
Nutritional Data Disclaimer

This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.

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  • Jenn- i am making the stuffing ahead on Wednesday for Thanksgiving on Thursday. Can i cut the celery up tonight – Tuesday? If so, do i need to put it in water in the frig or is it better to chop on Wednesday? Thanks!
    Best stuffing ever – 2nd time making it!

    • Hi Amy, You can actually chop the celery, onions and mushrooms all a day ahead, if you’d like. Just store them separately in plastic bags in the fridge (no water necessary). Happy Thanksgiving!

      • Thanks so much for the quick reply! Think i can toast the Challah tonight too (Tuesday) or is that pushing it?

        • Sure!

          • So should i toast and cool on the counter and then put in a plastic bag overnight? You are a god send! ❤️

            • — Amy

          • That’ll work — hope you enjoy!

            • — Jenn

  • I can’t wait to try this! Unfortunately, I bought regular sliced mushrooms. Will it taste okay if they’re not “wild” mushrooms. I didn’t know what that meant and they weren’t labeled “wild” at the Whole Foods!

    • It will still be delicious, Lisa – just won’t have quite the same flavor. Happy Thanksgiving!

  • Hello Jenn, please include me to your long list of admirers who totally trusts you and your recipes to always make me shine with family and friends. Thank you. I plan to make your challah stuffing for Thanksgiving 2017 and am requesting your opinion on adding 2 cups of roasted pumpkin to your recipe. If I do add the pumpkin, should I keep or omit the mushrooms? Sincerely, Marcine Mu.

    • Hi Marcine, That is so sweet – thank you! I’m glad you’re enjoying the recipes. I think you could add up to 2 cups of roasted pumpkin — and I’d keep the mushrooms since they add a lot of wonderful flavor.

  • Is it OK to prepare the challah/mushroom stuffing a day ahead? If so, should I bake it a day ahead also – or wait til Thanksgiving Day to bake it?

    • Hi Marilyn, It’s definitely fine to prepare the stuffing a day ahead (and regarding when to bake it, either way will work — Whatever is easiest for you. Enjoy!

  • Hi Jen,
    I always make challah stuffing like my mom did. I add several eggs to recipe that she made. Can I do that with your recipe.

    • Sure, Evie – but you might reduce the broth a bit to make up for the added moisture. Please lmk how it turns out!

  • Hi. This looks like what I’m looking for. Two questions – we have dairy allergy – do you think will taste ok with dairy-free margarine. I know you said can be reheated day of, but how long?covered?how hot? I don’t want to ruin it. Could I bake it the first 20 mins day before and then finish off the 25 mins to get golden right before serving?

    • Hi Linda, I think it’s perfectly fine to use dairy-free margarine. And I think your plan to bake the first 20 minutes the day before and finish it off before serving is perfect; that way it won’t overcook.

  • Followed your recipe but added sausage. It was very good, but it was soggy and not at all crispy on top as you stated. Wonder why?

    • Hi Diane, The sausage probably added a lot of additional fat to make the mixture “wetter.”

  • tried this for the first time for christmas day dinner needless to say it was a winner and will definetly make this every time a stuffing is need I did not put mushrooms in it and cooked it uncovered for 25 minutes longer than it said

  • I made the challah bread since I cannot get it here where I live. I really wanted to eat this stuffing and after a whole day working on that bread it was sooo worth it. Why to even ever go back to regular stuffing! It is addicting!!!

    I will even switch the challah for the bread cubes from your sausage stuffing which was also really good! I made both!

    Thank you

    Sara

    • — Sara MacMillan
    • Reply

  • Hi and Happy Holidays!
    I mistakenly did not cook Challah and am now pre cooking 25 minutes with the entire ingredients… Major oops! I plan to entirely cook tomorrow when guests arrive. Any adjustments I might make?!

    • Hi Deanna, Absolutely no worries at all – it will be fine and no need to make any adjustments.

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