It ain’t always easy being an herbivore on Thanksgiving, lemme tell ya. Did you know Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday? It’s centered around food, family, and gratitude. Um, hello! What else even matters? I could easily chow down on stuffing and sweet potatoes and green bean casserole on a weekly basis. Really besides the turkey, everything on the table is pretty vegetarian-friendly (have you tried my cauliflower stuffing?) so long as it’s not doused in meat drippings—ahem, stuffing. I speak for the trees!! I’m here to say that you can make hot darn diggity delish vegetarian-friendly stuffing, mmmk? Can I tell you something funny? Never had I ever made stuffing till this year. AND STUFFING IS MY FAVORITE. So much so that I have to YELL ABOUT IT. Jeff doesn’t like stuffing. Can you even? First he’s never had sweet potato casserole and then he tells me he doesn’t like stuffing. “What do you mean you don’t like stuffing? I don’t know if this is gonna work out…” Who doesn’t like the herby moist yet still crispy doughy bready buttery carby dreamboat that is stuffing?! I don’t understand you people. I’ll gladly eat whatever you don’t want. This Spinach and Mushroom Herb Stuffing is moist in the middle, crisp on top, chock full of yummy veggies, and brightened up with the perfect amount of fresh herbies. My best advice for this stuffing recipe is to a) buy a poultry herb blend that comes with rosemary, thyme, and sage all in one container and b) buy pre-toasted stuffing cubes. Now I’m not talking about stuffing mix, i.e. the bagged kind with all the seasonings and funky things already added in. For those ones, you basically just add oil or butter and cook it. We’re talking about literally baked bread and baked bread only. One less thing that you have to worry about when you’re making eight zillion pies and casseroles come next Thursday! I got these hearth baked stuffing cubes at Whole Foods and they were perfect. I’ve also seen them at Kroger. If you can’t get your hands on these handy bread cubes, don’t fret. Get a loaf of bread (sourdough, French, and challah are my favorites), slice her into cubes, and bake per my recipe instructions below. You can buy a loaf a couple days ahead of time and let it get stale. If it’s already stale and hard, no need to toast. Use your best judgement, friends! If you use fresh bread, this Spinach and Mushroom Herb Stuffing will be hella mushy. We’re not making pie, here. You’ll notice this stuffing recipe is vegetarian but not vegan. Let’s talk a bit about dietary preferences for a hot second. If you’re gluten-free, this would totally work with your favorite gluten-free bread. If you’re vegan, you could leave out the eggs. I haven’t tried this recipe without eggs (they help bind it together), but I don’t think it would make a huge difference. If anyone tries it, let me know in the comments! If you’re not an herbivore, feel free to try turkey or chicken stock. Add your favorite sausage. GO WILD, GUYS! After I made this with one package of mushrooms, I kind of sort of totally wished I would’ve used two packages. They get so nice and browned and caramelized and glorious and I definitely could’ve gotten down with twice the amount. Veggie-wise, this Spinach and Mushroom Herb Stuffing is quite forgiving. Don’t like spinach? Leave it out. Don’t like onions? Okay sorry, don’t leave those out. Next time I think I’d add another couple stalks of celery, a couple carrots, double the mushrooms, and dare I say a splash of wine? A handful of peh-kahns? A sprinkle of dried cranberries? Drool. Drool is happening. Oh and I recently learned that if it’s not getting stuffed into the bird, it’s actually called dressing. Not stuffing. So technical we are! I hope your Thanksgiving is full of family and warmth and love and good food. I am so grateful for you for reading my rants. LOVE YOU LONG TIME! TO MAKE AHEAD: You can prepare this the day before and store unbaked in the fridge, tightly covered. If you want it more advance than that, I would recommend baking and freezing it. TO FREEZE: Prepare the stuffing, bake it, then freeze the cooled, covered stuffing. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight and bake before serving per the recipe.
