Stuffing is one of my favorite side dishes to both eat and make. It can be made with any day-old, dry bread (or toasted cubes), broth, cheeses, meats, and sautéed vegetables. Meaty mushrooms, umami packed miso, and nutty, sweet cheese are the stars of this vegetarian stuffing dish—it is so addictive, you’ll definitely want seconds. This stuffing can be served as a side dish or even for breakfast by serving it with eggs, chili crisp, and scallions.
Ingredients
1lbbread, cut into 2’’ cubes
½cbutter
1 ½lbcrimini mushrooms, cleaned and sliced
2Tbspwhite miso
1 ½Tbsphoney
Salt and pepper to taste
1Tbsptoasted sesame oil
.5 lb gruyere cheese, 2 1/2-3 cups
2cvegetable broth
To Garnish
3Tbsptoasted, crushed sesame seeds
Chopped chives
Instructions
A day or two before baking the stuffing, spread bread cubes onto a sheet tray and allow to dry out. If you don’t have old, dry bread cubes, heat your oven to 325, spread cubes into a single layer on a baking sheet, and toast for 30-35 minutes until dried and toasty. Set aside.
Heat oven to 375 degrees F.
In a large saucepan, melt the butter over high heat, and once melted, add the mushrooms, salt, and pepper, and toss to coat. Cook down the mushrooms for 4-5 minutes before adding the miso, honey, and white wine. Stir and cook an additional 4-5 minutes. Remove from heat and drizzle with 1 Tbsp toasted sesame oil. Set aside.
In a large bowl, toss the bread cubes, cooked mushrooms (and their liquids), and about 2 cups of cheese. Spread into a greased, 4 qt baking dish or similar sized vessel. Ladle over the vegetable broth and top with remaining cheese.
Bake for 35-40 minutes until firmed and browned on top—if you like a crispy top, bake a little longer.
Remove from oven, garnish with chives and crushed sesame seeds and serve warm.