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Upgrade this year’s holiday stuffing with my Herby Mushroom Croissant Stuffing. Buttery croissants, cozy herbs, caramelized wild mushroom, kale, and Gruyère cheese take classic stuffing from bland and boring to flavorful and completely delicious. Even stuffing haters love this casserole. It’s just as good as a holiday side dish as it is a meal. Prep this stuffing in advance and then bake up just before you’re ready for dinner for super easy holiday entertaining.
Stuffing has never been a highly cherished Thanksgiving side dish for my family. I know that sounds crazy, since stuffing is one of the most classic Thanksgiving sides there is. But for whatever reason my family has just never been all that into it. In the last few years however, I’ve had to cook Thanksgiving for a lot of non family members. And because I love to please all, I knew that my Thanksgiving menu needed to include a good stuffing.
I’ve tried more classic recipes, but never found anything I absolutely loved.
Until this year. When I had the idea to swap out dry bread for buttery croissants, my views on stuffing changed immediately. Stuffing can be good, delicious actually. You just need to make it with croissants. Oh, and cheese…
Of course.
When I was thinking up this year’s Thanksgiving menu, and brainstorming stuffing concepts, I had just made a recipe that used croissants as the base. I had a ton of day old croissants left over, so I decided to do a quick stuffing test run with the ingredients I had on hand.
Pretty much immediately, I knew the recipe was going to be good. I mean? Croissant stuffing? With wild mushrooms and kale and Gruyère cheese?
It’s basically a meal on its own, and it’s all things delicious.
Like most stuffing recipes, you want to be using dry bread.
The key here is to toast your croissants up in the oven to dry them out a bit before adding any broth to them. This helps them hold up while baking, and gives them a nice crispness.
While that’s happening, caramelize the mushrooms with butter, fresh sage, thyme, and a good amount of kale. I love using a good mix of vegetables in my stuffing to give it color, flavor, and texture. The warming sage and thyme pair perfectly with the earthy mushrooms and kale. It’s one of my favorite fall combos and perfect for a Thanksgiving meal.
Once your croissants are toasted, toss them with the mushroom mixture, add cheese, and then bake.
Nothing too fancy, but the use of croissants is such an upgrade from the classic stuffing. And I have to say, everyone loved this dish. I ended up serving the leftovers to my family and they ate it multiple nights in a row. The verdict was two thumbs up all around, and everyone agreed that the croissants are a game changer.
Already excited to serve this pretty stuffing on Thanksgiving next week for the family we have coming into town.
Also, I’m not a stuff the stuffing inside the turkey kind of person. I much prefer to bake my stuffing separately.
One of the most delicious details of this recipe are the crisp, cheesy croissants on the top layer. They’re mouth-watering and so good, and my favorite part of the dish. For that reason, I’m not advocating placing this stuffing inside your bird.
Got it? OK. Cool.
Enjoy, enjoy!
PS. If you’re looking for a little different stuffing option, check out this oldie but goodie…Buffalo Cheddar Beer Bread Stuffing.
If you make this stuffing be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to also tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
Herby Mushroom Croissant Stuffing
Servings: 8
Calories Per Serving: 1050 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
- 12 cups roughly torn, day old croissants (about 12-16 croissants)
- 2 tablespoons salted butter, thinly sliced
- 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 small onion, chopped
- 3 celery stalks, chopped
- 3-4 cups mixed mushrooms, torn if large
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt and black pepper
- 8 tablespoons (1 stick) salted butter, at room temperature
- 2 cloves garlic, minced or grated
- 2 cups roughly torn Tuscan kale
- 2 tablespoons fresh chopped sage
- 1 tablespoon fresh chopped thyme
- 2-3 cups low sodium chicken, turkey, or veggie broth
- 3 eggs, beaten
- 1 cup shredded Gruyere cheese
Instructions
- 1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9x13 inch casserole dish.2. Arrange the torn croissants in the baking dish and lay 2 tablespoons of thinly sliced butter over the croissants. Transfer to the oven and bake 5-8 minutes, until the croissants are lightly toasted.3. Meanwhile, heat the olive oil In a large skillet over medium heat. When the oil shimmers, add the onions and cook until fragrant, about 3-5 minutes. Add the celery and mushroom, and season with salt and pepper. Cook undisturbed for 5 minutes or until golden, stir and continue cooking until the mushrooms have caramelized, 3-5 minutes. Add the butter, garlic, kale, sage, and thyme. Cook, stirring occasionally until the kale has wilted down, about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and set aside.4. In a very large mixing bowl, whisk together 2 cups broth and the eggs. Add the toasted croissants and the mushroom/kale mixture + all the butter left in the skillet, gently toss to combine. If the mix seems dry, add additional broth, 1/4 cup at a time until all the bread is moist. Pour the mixture into the casserole dish. Top evenly with cheese. 5. Cover the dish with foil and bake for 35 minutes. Remove the foil and check for dryness, if needed drizzle over extra broth, 1/4 cup at a time, to keep things moist, then continue baking for another 10-15 minutes or until the stuffing is golden on top. Serve warm.
Notes
To Make a Few Hours Ahead: This can be made assembled a few hours ahead of time and kept in the fridge. Allow the stuffing to come to room temperature before baking.
To Make a Few Days Ahead: complete the recipe through step 3. Toss the mushrooms, kale and croissants together. Store in a sealed container in the fridge for up to 3 days. When ready to assemble, remove from the fridge. And continue on with step 4, tossing the croissants + mushrooms with the egg mix, then assemble in baking dish. This can be done up to 4 hours ahead of time. Bake as directed.
I’ve made this the past 3 years or so for either Thanksgiving or Christmas and it’s always a hit!
Hey Amanda,
I am so glad you have been enjoying this recipe each year, thanks so much for making it and your feedback:) xT
If I want to start making this the day before, do I really mix the toasted croissants and the vegetables and leave in 9×13 in the fridge overnight? Then add the eggs, broth, and cheese the following day and bake. It seems like the bread will get too moist.
Hi Stephanie,
Yes, that is correct, you can follow the make ahead instructions as written:) Please let me know if you have any other questions! xx
Planning to make this next week for t’giving. Thoughts re: substituting spinach for kale?
Hi Joan,
Sure, that would be a great option for you! Let me know how this dish turns out, I hope you love it! xx
Could you make this with sourdough bread instead of croissants?
Hi Courtney,
Sure, that would work well, I would just tear it into large chunks. I hope you love this recipe! xx
This looks delicious! Any suggestions for substitutes for mushrooms, or ho make it on the side for guests who don’t like mushrooms?
Hey there,
I might make two smaller batches, one with mushrooms and one without:) I hope you love this recipe! xx
What step do you add the garlic???
Hi Nicole,
The garlic is added in step 3:) Please let me know if you have any other questions! xT
I have a family recipe that has mild Italian Sausage in it which my family loves. What’s your thought on adding that to this recipe?
Liz, I am curious too how Italian Sausage would work in this recipe. I think I will give it a try this year.
Hey Liz,
Sure, sounds like a great idea! I hope you love this recipe! xx
Hi Tieghan!
Any way to make this without eggs?
Hi Debbie! I haven’t ever tried this stuffing without egg, so sorry! xT
Most delicious stuffing I have ever had! So savory!
Hey Susan,
Happy Sunday!!🪷 I love to hear that this recipe was enjoyed and appreciate you making it! xT
I’ve made this now for two years and plan to do so again – absolutely love! This year I wanted to make it in a crockpot… thoughts? Possible?
Hey Sue,
Fantastic!! So glad to hear that this recipe turned out well for you, thanks a bunch for giving it a try! Sorry, I’ve never done this in the crockpot, but let me know how it turns out! xx
We made this recipe and though we loved the flavors, we found it too heavy for a dressing. We like to put gravy on our dressing and this one didn’t need it. It was much more like egg casserole in our opinion. If making it again, I would use much less butter, cheese, and egg-broth mixture as I missed the crunch the top of my dressing usually has. On a side note, we served a leftover pan of stuffing for breakfast with coffee and cranberry sauce. It was fabulous that way.
Hey Kara,
Happy Sunday!!☃️ Thanks a lot for making this recipe, I love to hear that it turned out well for you! xT
This is the only dish I look forward to at Thanksgiving every year. It’s my favorite! So delicious and unique. Is there any way to make ahead and freeze? I see your notes about prepping a few days ahead but wondering about a freezer option?
Hey Katelyn,
Happy Wednesday! I am so glad to hear that this recipe is always enjoyed, thanks so much for making it every year! Hmmm, I’ve never tried freezing it, I don’t think that would be the best option:) xxT
We baked one and froze one for two weeks before baking. The frozen one cooked up just perfectly.
I have made this stuffing recipe for Thanksgiving the last three years, and it is always everyone’s favorite side. DELICIOUS!
Hi Katie,
Happy Sunday!!⛄️ I truly appreciate you making this recipe and sharing your feedback, so glad to hear it was enjoyed! xxT
This was a new addition to our Thanksgiving meal, and by far a favorite by everyone. Thank you. I have been looking for a “go to” recipe and this one was it. I did substitute spinach for kale, and will make this again.
Hey Amy,
Wonderful!! I love to hear that this recipe was a hit, thanks for giving it a try! Have a great weekend:)
I made this recipe for thanksgiving this year and I followed your week prep guide. I went grocery shopping on Monday, and by Wednesday my mushrooms went bad! I used a zucchini instead since it has a very similar texture. I was very pleased and it wasn’t weird at all! I will be making this for Christmas and will be using zucchini again because mushrooms have been recalled.
Hey Andrea,
Happy Friday!!☃️ I love to hear that this recipe was a winner, thanks so much for making it and your comment! xT
The hero of my thanksgiving!! 🙌🏻🙌🏻🙌🏻 My father-in-law is such a picky eater and he LOVED it! My husband and I are vegetarian, so he wasn’t anticipating enjoying our dishes so much 🤣
Hey Constance,
Thank you so much for making this recipe, I love to hear that it was a winner! I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving! xx