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Can I just tell you how I feel about stuffing?
Like the full on honest truth?
I really don’t like it. Well, wait, I LOVE this recipe (of course I would never share anything that I don’t just love), but stuffing in general? Yeah, I really don’t like. Typically I find stuffing to be kind of just a filler for the Thanksgiving table. For me, there are SO many other delicious things to eat, why would I want to eat soggy bread that’s HEAVY on the onions??
It’s just not really my thing, but I know so many people enjoy stuffing, and you guys, this year I really just wanted to be normal, I wanted to enjoy it too. I wanted to make a stuffing I would LOVE, and one that the family would love too (they are not really stuffing people either…although I think maybe Kai likes it. Typical, he likes the bland food.).
SO. I decided a while ago that I was going to tackle stuffing this Thanksgiving. But not in the traditional way that I find so boring and too heavy on the onions for my taste. Nope, stuffing full of flavor and good, good things! A stuffing that in my mind is worthy enough to sit next to my turkey, my sweet taters and my roasted squash on the Thanksgiving table.
YES.
In general, this stuffing is pretty basic: carrots, onions, garlic, celery, butter, bread, broth, eggs. I didn’t really do anything crazy, I just caramelized some butternut squash and mushrooms, added some of my favorite herbs, reduced the onions (by a lot, so add more if you like onion), added in a little balsamic vinegar with the mushrooms and also just a little Asiago cheese…you know, for good measure.
Pretty simple stuff, but I added flavors and textures that I love, and in turn I can now say “I love stuffing”!!
Goal for the month = met – Score!
SIDE NOTE: I am typing this on my computer. You guys all know how I have a cat now, right? He’s a cute little black cat and if you follow me on snapchat then you see a whole lot of him. Anyway, he is the weirdest cat ever, as I type he literally watches the words going left to right following along intently with his eyes. He does this ALL THE TIME. At first it was cute, but now it has gotten just plain annoying, cause I can’t see what I’m typing. So now when he gets to this point I move him away from my screen…then he goes to his spot…AKA my lap. He’s the best!
SIDE NOTE 2: Asher just ran her loud mouth in here (literally), grabbed Snape (the cat) from my lap and went off, all the while going on about something. Then she came running back because she saw a spider. Now she will not shut it about the spider. I also can’t find the said spider…
UGH.
PS. She is also wearing a reindeer shirt today… Christmas is so coming. 🙂
SIDE NOTE 3: My house does seem to be infested with spiders at the moment and I have to say, it is totally grossing me out. I found FIVE spiders in a cup the other day. Eeww! Can spiders infest your house??? At our old house in Frisco there didn’t seem to be any bugs that could even live above 9000+ feet. We are at the same elevation here, so what’s up with the bug infestation, is it because there used to horses in here?
SIDE NOTE 4: Asher is now playing gymnastic with her Elsa doll from Frozen, every time Elsa does a move, she sings “Let it Go”. HELP…
Ok, back to this Butternut Squash and Wild Mushroom Stuffing. I truly love this casserole. It’s moist, buttery and actually full of great flavors and textures. You can prepare it in advance too, which is obviously a bonus come Thanksgiving Day!
Oh but question, are you a stuffing “in” the bird or “out” of the bird the person? I am totally an out of the bird stuffing person. Something about cooking it inside the bird weirds me out. Probably because the inside of the bird just weirds me out in general.
Anyone else with me there?
Butternut Squash and Wild Mushroom Stuffing.
Servings: 8 Servings
Calories Per Serving: 813 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1/2 small onion finely diced
- 4 cups cubed butternut squash
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- 3-4 cups mixed mushrooms sliced if large
- 2 cloves garlic minced or grated
- 2 tablespoons fresh sage
- 2 tablespoons fresh oregano
- 1 tablespoon fresh thyme
- 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
- 1 teaspoons salt + pepper
- 8 tablespoons ( 1stick) butter
- 3 1/2-4 cups low sodium chicken or turkey broth
- 3 eggs
- 12 cups cubed day old sourdough bread (about 1 loaf)
- 1 cup Asiago cheese grated
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Lightly grease a 9x13 inch baking dish.
- Heat a large skillet over medium high heat. Add the olive oil, onion, butternut squash and brown sugar. Cook, stirring often until the butternut squash has softened slightly and the onions are fragrant, about 5 minutes. Stir in the mushrooms, and continue to cook until the squash is fork tender (but not mushy) and the mushrooms have caramelized, about 10 minutes. Stir in the garlic, sage, oregano and time. Cook another 30 seconds and then add the balsamic vinegar and season with salt + pepper. Remove from the heat and add the butter. Set aside to cool slightly.
- In a very large mixing bowl, whisk together the chicken broth and eggs. Add the bread + Asiago cheese and gently toss to coat. Now add the the butternut squash/mushroom mixture and all the butter to the pan. Gently toss to combine with the bread cubes. Pour the mixture into your prepared baking dish.
- Cover the dish with foil and bake for 35-40 minutes. Remove the foil and continue baking for another 10-15 minutes or until the stuffing is golden on top. Serve warm.
Stuffing for the win!
the mushrooms and butternut together look SENSATIONAL!! who knew they’d work so damn well? awesome recipe T! x
I have always been a huge fan of stuffing; it may actually be my favorite part of the Thanksgiving meal…
BUT, my mother has (and passed along) a great recipe that is not at all soggy and is full of sagey, sausagey, mushroomy, cranberry goodness……..sorry! My mouth started watering and I lost my train of thought. That said, your version looks amazing! I’m not sure why but this screams “add wild rice!” to me. Tieghan, you may have just changed up our Thanksgiving table 🙂
Totes agree – stuffing in the bird weirds me out too! Love this version though, squash + mushrooms is a great combo!
Stuffing is my favorite part of Thanksgiving! This sounds lovely!
I have similar feelings about stuffing: I used to hate it, then I realized that I had just been having the “wrong” kind. Loading it with fall ingredients is a must, and this is perfection! I’d eat it for lunch w/ an egg on top too 🙂
Snape is adorbs and Asher always makes me laugh when you talk about her. This looks really really good, Tieghan! I have to admit that I’m a big fan of stuffing, but I think that’s because my mom makes a totally non-bland and amaing one every year. She makes it as a side dish and not an actual bird stuffing. I love the mushrooms in yours though, great addition! Definitely want to try this!
Oh that looks SO good – just like everything else you make! Just a quick FYI in the South we usually have “dressing”. It is cooked in a pan (big pan if you are my family) and served with the turkey. But it is pretty much the same ingredients as a stuffing that is cooked in the bird. Looks like I will have to try your version of dressing this year! Thank you!
For the Spiders- Try Lemon Verbena as a natural spider defense. Something about the two don’t mix. Heard that a Lemon verbena soy candles-(Yes, another candle you need) strategically placed around the house gets ride of spiders!
and here I am lost in thought early a.m. and suddenly, I am hungry because I read your recipe.
I do love the flavor of stuffing in the bird, but ever since I heard that the temperature doesn’t really get to the point where it’s…um…safe to eat, I have been worried about it. Also! Mushrooms in stuffing are a MUST!!!
Stuffing is one of the first things gone from our holiday table and it’s not goopy, not a lot of onions…it’s just plain delicious..I make it with regular bread crumbs, corn bread crumbs, celery, onion, sausage, apples and chestnuts…it’s awesome. You’re recipe looks wonderful too but if I serve stuffing with mushrooms I’d be disowned so I’ll save your recipe for a Sunday dinner.
I have never had stuffing. We have corn bread dressing. We cook it separate, no stuffing the turkey. Some people do put the dressing in the bird, but we don’t.
Ha ha, you totally make me laugh… I can relate with regards to Snape. My one cat is totally obsessed with my computer and especially when I am trying to type! I envisioned Asher running in…momentary chaos :-)..well, I definitely am with you on the stuffing being out of the bird…much better idea, and this stuffing sounds amazing. A nice change from my usual. 🙂
Dunno if you know this, but we don’t celebrate Thanksgiving in Portugal – we are surely not a thankful and grateful people, we’re downright depressive and moody, just look at Fado music aha!! – but I have been always curious about the elusive stuffing. Having lived in the UK for a stint, I spent Christmas there and was made to come face to face with stuffed turkey on Christmas. I did not like it at all!! And still, it stayed there, at the back of my mind, and I wanted to play with it, I wanted to stuff birds (oh dear, this did not come out sounding right!!) and I wanted to stuff them with delicious things… so I had to come up with my own stuffing recipe, and it involves red wine, herbs, stale bread, créme de cassis, raisins and… offal. Yep. I use the bird’s own offal (agaon, it’s not coming out quite right ahahahah), the gizzards, livers, hearts, etc. I cut them very fine, fry it all up and stuff the bird. It is to die for. And now I am presented to this recipe and am like … confused? Do you stuff the bird with this or use it as a side dish? It looks and sounds so yummy, but… it does not go inside a turkey, now, does it??
http://bloglairdutemps.blogspot.pt
so with you! i feel like stuffing is generally very goopy and too soft (i love bread pudding though so not sure what’s going on here). this one sounds super tasty though, since i am a sucker for caramelized squash, and i love that the top of the stuffing gets toasty and crisp and browned!