One of the most popular Thanksgiving recipes on Ambitious Kitchen… STUFFING!
Since I already have my favorite cornbread stuffing (it’s gluten free) on the site, a few of years back I decided to make a version with sourdough bread (2020 was the year of sourdough). After experimenting with a few different flavor combos I landed on the most incredible parmesan bacon mushroom stuffing that truly blows any other stuffing recipe out of the water. Trust me!
The sourdough bread soaks up the flavor of parmesan, bacon and caramelized mushrooms perfectly, but of course, if you don’t have sourdough, cornbread would be an excellent replacement. Get all of my tips and tricks for making this best-every mushroom stuffing within the post, and let me know if you try it this holiday season!
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What is stuffing?
Let’s take it back to basics. What even is stuffing? It’s basically small cubes of bread mixed with a variety of herbs and other items like celery, mushrooms, dried fruit, meats like sausage, nuts and more. People often make it inside the cavity of turkeys (hence the name: stuffing), but you can easily make it in a pan — which is what I prefer.
Ingredients in the best mushroom stuffing
This incredible homemade mushroom stuffing is filled with savory flavor, fresh herbs and wonderful textures in every bite. Here’s what you’ll need to make it:
- Sourdough bread: I’m not a big fan of mushy stuffings so using sourdough bread is key in this recipe. The sourdough gives the stuffing the perfect texture and gets a little toasty on the top. You can also use cornbread if you prefer.
- Bacon: for a little extra savory goodness we’re adding bacon to this stuffing! This is optional, so feel free to omit to keep the stuffing vegetarian.
- Butter: gotta have a healthy dose of good old butter to make the bread super toasty and delicious. Feel free to sub olive oil if you’d like.
- Garlic: fresh garlic adds a delicious flavor throughout the stuffing.
- Herbs: this homemade mushroom stuffing has hints of herby flavor from fresh thyme leaves & sage.
- Veggies: you’ll add baby bella mushrooms, white onion and celery for a variety of textures. Feel free to use wild mushrooms, shiitake mushrooms, oyster or chanterelle, too! Tons of possibilities.
- Salt & pepper: for the perfect amount of seasoning.
- Eggs: you’ll need two eggs to add moisture to the bread.
- Broth: feel free to use vegetable broth or chicken broth for additional moisture. You can use a bit more (as noted in the recipe) if you like a very moist stuffing.
- Grated parmesan: this savory mushroom stuffing has parmesan cheese baked right inside and on top for wonderful cheesy goodness.
- Pecans: add a little crunch with some chopped pecans! They add the perfect texture. You could also use chopped walnuts, or feel free to omit to keep the stuffing nut free.
What type of bread to use for stuffing
I recommend using a hearty bread like sourdough so that the stuffing holds its shape well and gets nice and toasty on top. I would avoid super soft breads and loaves as they can get too soggy. You’ll also want to make sure you toast your bread in the oven before using it in this recipe!
How to dry sourdough bread for stuffing
To dry out the sourdough bread before assembling & baking your mushroom stuffing you’ll simply cut the sourdough into bread cubes and bake it in the oven for about 1o minutes. Easy!
How to make mushroom stuffing from scratch
Good news: this is truly an easy mushroom stuffing recipe that you can make for Thanksgiving and impress guests. Here’s how to do it:
- Toast your bread. Cut the sourdough into 1/2 inch cubes and place them on a baking sheet. Spray the tops of the cubes with nonstick cooking spray or drizzle with olive oil. Bake for 10 minutes at 375 degrees F to dry out and toast the bread.
- Cook your bacon. While the cubes are baking, cook your bacon in a large skillet over medium heat. Once it’s done, blot it with a paper towel to absorb excess grease, then chop it into bite-sized pieces.
- Cook your mushrooms. Next, cook your mushrooms in the same skillet with butter, garlic, thyme and sage. Saute until mushrooms start to become just slightly golden brown, then add in onion, celery and salt and pepper and cook until the onion softens.
- Mix the stuffing. Transfer the mixture to a large bowl and add in the toasted sourdough cubes, beaten egg, broth, bacon, parmesan cheese and pecans. Gently toss to combine and get the bread moist.
- Optional: cook in the turkey. Simply stuff the cavity of the turkey.
- Bake separately. Add the stuffing into a greased baking dish and dot the top with butter pieces or drizzle with olive oil. Sprinkle with parmesan, cover, and bake. Remove the foil and continue to bake for an additional 20-30 minutes or until bread is golden brown on top.
Make your mushroom stuffing ahead of time
This savory mushroom stuffing can be made a day or two ahead of time, so keep that in mind when prepping for the big Thanksgiving day. Simply make the stuffing as directed but instead of baking it, cover it with foil and place it in the fridge until ready. Once ready to bake, follow the recipe as instructed! It will come out delicious either way.
How to store homemade stuffing
If you have any leftover mushroom stuffing, simply store it in airtight containers in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days. Simply reheat in the microwave and enjoy!
Can you freeze stuffing?
Yes! To freeze this mushroom stuffing for later, simply let the stuffing cool completely, transfer portions of it to freezer-friendly containers and place it in the freezer for up to 2 months. Reheat the stuffing in the oven until it’s warmed through.
What to pair with sourdough mushroom stuffing
Check out all of my Thanksgiving recipes here, plus a few suggestions on what to pair with this mushroom stuffing:
- Dad’s Creamy & Cheesy Au Gratin Potatoes
- Herb Butter Maple Roasted Turkey
- Lightened Up Brown Butter Mashed Sweet Potatoes (with a slow cooker option!)
- Winter Roasted Butternut Squash Black Lentil Salad with Grapes + Arugula
- The Best Homemade Healthy Green Bean Casserole
- Lightened Up Healthy Sweet Potato Casserole with Pecan Oat Streusel
- Spinach Bacon Pumpkin Mac and Cheese
- The Best Creamy Garlic Slow Cooker Mashed Potatoes
And remember, learn exactly how to host Thanksgiving here!
I hope you love this amazing parmesan bacon mushroom sourdough stuffing! If you make it be sure to leave a comment & a rating so I know how you liked it. Enjoy, xo!
Ambitious Kitchen
Cookbook
125 Ridiculously Good For You, Sometimes Indulgent, and Absolutely Never Boring Recipes for Every Meal of the Day
Parmesan Bacon Sourdough Mushroom Stuffing
Ingredients
- 1 pound sourdough, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
- 10 ounces bacon
- 2 tablespoons butter (or can sub olive oil)
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
- 2 tablespoons fresh chopped sage
- 16 oz baby bella mushrooms, sliced
- 1 large white onion, chopped
- 3 stalks celery, diced
- ½ teaspoon salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 2 eggs, lightly beaten
- 1 cup vegetarian or chicken broth (plus another 1/2 cup if you like a very moist stuffing)
- ½ cup grated parmesan
- ½ cup chopped pecans
- 1 tablespoon butter, diced into small pieces (or olive oil)
- Topping:
- 2 tablespoons parmesan, for topping
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Cut the sourdough into 1/2 inch cubes and place them on a baking sheet. Spray the tops of the cubes with nonstick cooking spray or drizzle with olive oil. Bake for 10 minutes to dry out and toast bread.
- While the cubes are baking, cook your bacon: add bacon to a large skillet or pan and place over medium heat, cook bacon on both sides until crispy and golden brown. If the pan starts to smoke at any point, simply lower the heat. I always cook my bacon on medium low heat. Once bacon is done, blot with a paper towel to absorb excess grease, then chop into bite sized pieces.
- Place a large skillet or pan over medium heat. Add in butter. Once butter melts, add in garlic, thyme, sage and mushrooms. Saute until mushrooms cook down and start to become just slightly golden brown. Next add in onion, celery and salt and pepper. Cook for another 3-5 minutes until the onion has softened.
- Transfer mixture to a large bowl and add in the toasted sourdough cubes, beaten egg, vegetarian or chicken broth, chopped bacon, parmesan cheese and pecans. Gently toss to combine and get the bread moist.
- If you want to make it in the turkey: Stuff the cavity of the turkey.
- Otherwise to bake separately: add the stuffing into a greased 12x8 inch or 2 quart baking dish and dot the top with butter pieces or drizzle with a bit of olive oil. Sprinkle with parmesan. Cover with foil and bake at 375 degrees F for 30 minutes. Remove foil and continue to bake for an additional 20-30 minutes or until bread is golden brown on top. Enjoy! Serves 8-10.
Recipe Notes
Nutrition
This post was originally published on November 11th, 2020, republished on November 17th, 2022, and republished on November 13th, 2023.
Recipe by: Monique Volz // Ambitious Kitchen | Photography by: Eat Love Eats
This was SO good! It was a hit at Thanksgiving and others wanted the recipe. I made it exactly as the recipe stated and yes a 9×13 pan worked fine. I made it the day before and baked it the day of. Nothing to worry about doing that as it turned out perfect. Will make this as a side during the year as it is so tasty.
Amazing! So happy to hear that!
If I wanted to make this without bacon, do you think I would need to add more oil?
You can simply omit the bacon! The mushrooms, etc. cook in butter anyway.
Made this last Thanksgiving for a party and it was a hit! Everyone loved the mushrooms and crusty croutons and of course bacon! I omitted the pecans.
Love that!
Never liked stuffing. Made this and I am forever in love ! This is amazing as a side dish at any dinner or event !
So glad you gave this one a try!
Resounding success for FOUR years in a row!!! This recipe has definitely become a part of our family tradition. This year I prepared the stuffing the day before and it still turned out beautifully (we bake it separately). This stuffing reheats great and makes amazing leftovers.
Ahh this makes me so happy! Glad you’re loving this recipe and it turned out fabulous for you!
ooh could you make ahead of time and reheat this on the stove?! oven is a little crowded on thanksgiving…
Hi Arielle – Not on the stove, but you can definitely make the day before. Just follow the Making Ahead of Time instructions in the blog post above. Enjoy!
I was searching about this topic, then i found this post which provide me very helpful information.
The stuffing was AMAZING! My hubby doesn’t like mushrooms so I left that out and did some extra celery. Turned out amazing!
Yay!! So happy to hear that!
This recipe is not just for Thanksgiving though that’s when I first made it and fell in love. Had all the ingredients on hand except bacon which I subbed with about 4oz additional mushrooms. Used dried herbs (1 tsp each). Followed everything else exactly. Was perfect! My toddler crushed it too!
SO TRUE! I’m happy you’re still enjoying it!
This stuffing is tremendous. The edges got so crispy, it was amazing.
YAY, happy you tried and loved it!
I cannot find 1 flaw with this recipe. It’s perfection. I made it for Thanksgiving this year and everyone couldn’t wait to have left overs. Followed the recipe exactly and the texture and flavor was spot on. Had larger pieces of sourdough and that made for a yummy crispy top. I have always been a fan of your recipes, and this has increased my fan girl status. Thank you!!!!
THIS MADE MY DAY! So glad that everyone loved it and that you’re following along 🥰
I am not a huge stuffing fan, but this was DELICIOUS! Made it exactly as written, and will now be making it every Thanksgiving, It was one of everyone’s favorite dishes, and there were a LOT to choose from! Thank you!!
Can we add in sausage? Would that alter anything?
Hi there, sorry for the delay! Yes you can definitely add sausage, and I’d recommend browning it in a pan before mixing it in with the rest of the ingredients.
I have made this dish two years in a row, and most recently at a Friendsgiving gathering. I have turned stuffing haters into stuffing lovers with this delicious recipe! I had many people request the recipe at the end of the weekend. The dish is such a crowd pleaser and truly has the tastiest combination of ingredients. I made one with (the best way) mushrooms as directed, and one without for those who don’t love them and it all turned out perfect!
Amazing one , just Love it.
I made this for Thanksgiving last year and it was such a hit that everyone made me make it again for brunch the next morning LOL Also fun fact, last year was my first year ever making AND EATING stuffing. I tried it when I was younger, didnt like it, and never went back again for it. I decided to try this recipe last year because I am obsessed with all AK recipes so I thought this would be a great re-introduction to stuffing. And mannnnnnn I am addicted. I actually made it for my husbands birthday in April (He requests a thanksgiving meal for his bday meal every year haha). It is hands down the best stuffing recipe. It is a MUST for this year’s holiday dinner. Might even make it for Christmas too 🙂
Seriously so good! Made two weeks in a row because I couldn’t get enough.
Love it!!
OKAY! This was insane. SO SO good. I made it for Christmas Day for my boyfriend and I. We were both obsessed and were actually pleased with covid restrictions for once because it meant we couldn’t/didn’t have to share with anyone else hah! Highly recommend this recipe.
Amazing! So glad you both loved it!
I am a stuffing lover, my favorite dish every thanksgiving, but this year after taking one look at this recipe we decided to stray from tradition and try something new and… BOYYYY IT DID NOT DISAPPOINT! Best stuffing EVER!!! We double the recipe and we barely had enough for the next day, the mushrooms being such a different and necessary texture to stuffing!
HIGHLY RECOMMEND!
Amazing!! So happy to hear that 🙂
THIS. WAS. MAGIC. Absolutely making this again!
So happy to hear that!
Made this for Thanksgiving this year and it was a huge hit! All 3 of us agreed that it was the best dish of the night, and also made for the best leftovers. We used pancetta instead of bacon but it was still so good. The recipe was super easy and felt very fancy.
Amazing! So happy to hear that!
Oh.M.gee this was PHENOMENAL!!!! My husband is not a stuffing person AT ALL, but said he would eat this every Thanksgiving. It was seriously delicious. I didn’t have onion on hand and used leeks, and I sautéed the mushrooms and veggies in the same pan as the bacon, just poured grease out before adding. That way you get extra bacon goodness! Making again for Christmas dinner.
Perfect! So happy you both loved it!
I can’t say enough what a success this recipe was! This was my first time celebrating Thanksgiving at my in-laws, and this was my contribution to the table. What I love about this stuffing recipe is definitely the simplicity. I omitted the celery because my husband doesn’t like it, didn’t have fresh herbs so I used smaller quantities of dried ones. The result was a success and we amicably fought over leftovers 😉
Amazing! So happy everyone loved it 🙂
Delicious! Made the night before. Bacon gives it wonderful smoky flavor. Don’t be afraid of broth. It all gets absorbed. Perfect!!
Absolutely! Glad you loved it!
Best stuffing ever!! I did replace the sourdough with the gluten free croutons from Trader Joe’s and it came out sooooo freaking good!
I’m glad that worked out well!
Delicious! For sure keeping this for next year. Made without the bacon but still great
Perfect! 🙂
I had never made homemade stuffing before… This recipe was so simple to follow and was an absolute hit with my family! We omitted the mushrooms and added a little extra celery. It was so moist and flavorful. I think this will be a staple on the Thanksgiving table each year going forward now.
So happy to hear that!
Loved this recipe! Did add a little more than 1 cup of broth. It turned out great.
Perfect! Glad you enjoyed 🙂
This stuffing is divine! My husband and I really enjoyed the recipe for this Thanksgiving – we wound up using a pumpin sage bread instead of sourdough since our local bakery was sold out of sourdough. And it did not dissapoint! Now we’re going to try out AK’s cornbread stuffing this Christmas!
Love that! So glad you enjoyed!
If I want to maybe this with a 325 oven instead of 375, how would you alter the time? We are braiding a turkey this year abs would love to pop it in oven same time! Approximately same time frame.
This looks amazing!! This is definitely going to be on our Thanksgiving table this year! I was wondering if you had any suggestions for an alternative to the mushrooms? Thank you!
Apologies for the delay! You could leave them out if you want! But they add amazing flavor.
Would you make any changes for baking this in a 9X13 inch pan?
That should be just fine!
I just made this today. I had a craving for it and oh my gosh, this dish!! This dish is the first stuffing I’ve ever made and the best stuffing I’ve eaten. It has a great crunch to it with the crisp top, and soft in the middle. The flavors all work so well to create a savory bite. This will be a huge hit at Thanksgiving, and any time you’ve got a craving for it! Recommending it to everyone I know!
Amazing! So happy you loved this one!
Can this be prepped a day in advance to help minimize day of cooking on Thanksgiving? At what point should we prep the recipe to? Thank you! Love all of your recipes!!
Yes, directions for making ahead in the blog post 🙂