Mushroom and Bacon Stuffing

I made this easy mushroom and bacon stuffing recipe recently with my homemade bread cubes and it was wonderfully textured, moist, smoky, and so tasty! We all loved this stuffing–especially my daughter and it paired well with the roasted turkey, green bean casserole, creamy mashed potatoes, homemade cranberry sauce, and dinner rolls I served it with. YUM!

Mushroom and Bacon Stuffing

Ingredients

• 4 strips of bacon, cooked & chopped into pieces
• 4 stalks of celery, chopped (leaves separated & used later)
• 1 small yellow onion, diced
• 1 lb button mushrooms, chopped **Use an assortment of mushrooms for extra flavor!
• 1/2-1 tsp rubbed sage, to taste
• ½ tsp fresh thyme leaves
• Sea salt and freshly cracked pepper, to taste
• 3 cloves of garlic, minced
• 8 cups dried homemade bread cubes (see link for recipe) **You can also use cornbread cubes or a combination of both
• 2 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
• 3 cups chicken broth
• 2 eggs
• 1 tbsp butter

How to Make Mushroom and Bacon Stuffing

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Coat a 9 x 13 baking dish with cooking spray or butter.

In a large skillet, cook the bacon until crisp and golden; remove it to a paper towel; and chop it into pieces. Drain the bacon grease, reserving 1 tablespoon in the skillet.

Add 1 tablespoon of butter to the skillet and saute the onion and celery until tender. Add the mushrooms, sage, thyme, salt & freshly cracked black pepper, to taste; cook and stir for 5 minutes. Add the minced garlic and cook, stirring constantly, for 1 minute.

Remove from the heat; stir in the bread cubes, celery leaves, fresh parsley, and bacon.

Combine eggs and broth; whisk very well. Stir into the stuffing mixture and gently mix until evenly coated. Spread the stuffing in the prepared baking dish.

Dot with some remaining butter. Cover and bake for 30 minutes, or until the stuffing temperature reaches 165 degrees. Uncover and bake 10 minutes longer or until lightly golden brown. Serve and enjoy.