Challah Slow Cooker Stuffing
User Reviews
4.8
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Prep Time
35 mins
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Cook Time
4 hrs 30 mins
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Total Time
5 hrs 5 mins
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Servings
10 servings
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Calories
156 kcal
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Course
Side Dish
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Cuisine
Middle Eastern
Challah Slow Cooker Stuffing
Description
Challah Slow Cooker Stuffing features large cubes of challah bread toasted to a light golden crisp before being combined with sauteed yellow onion, garlic, carrot, celery, and sliced mushrooms. These vegetables impart a savory foundation, complemented by fresh herbs like sage, marjoram, and oregano. The optional turkey sausage, browned separately, adds a meatiness that enriches the overall flavor. The mixture is moistened with chicken or vegetable broth, helping to soften the toasted bread and create a moist, cohesive stuffing. Eggs or aquafaba act as a binder, keeping the texture balanced without being overly dense.
Cooking in the slow cooker ensures even heat distribution and allows the flavors to meld over time, yielding a stuffing that is tender throughout with well-integrated herb and vegetable notes. The use of challah bread provides a slightly sweet and rich base that holds up well to slow cooking, offering a pleasant contrast to the herbal and savory components.
This stuffing works well as a side dish for poultry or holiday meals and accommodates dietary preferences by swapping out sausage and broth for plant-based alternatives. It is prepared ahead by toasting the bread and sautéing vegetables, which streamlines the final assembly and cooking process.
Ingredients
- 12 ounces turkey sausage optional - omit for vegetarian or vegan, or chicken sausage, ground or removed from casing
- 1 challah about 1 ½ lbs - use a vegan challah for vegan, large
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil or 6 tbsp if not using sausage
- 1 yellow onion large, sweet, chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 pound carrot peeled and chopped
- 1 pound celery peeled and chopped
- 1/4 cup parsley fresh, chopped
- 1 tablespoon fresh sage chopped or 1 ½ tsp dried sage
- 1 tablespoon fresh marjoram chopped or 1 ½ tsp dried marjoram
- 2 teaspoons fresh oregano chopped or 1 tsp dried oregano
- 1 quart chicken broth (you probably will not need all of the broth, start with 2 1/2 cups per instructions below - substitute vegetable broth to make vegetarian or vegan)
- 1 pound white mushroom sliced
- 2 large egg use 6 tbsp aquafaba for vegan, beaten
- salt
- black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Cut the challah into ½ inch cubes. Spread the cubes out across two baking sheets. Place the trays in the oven for about 12 minutes, switching trays on racks halfway through cooking. The challah cubes should be toasted and slightly golden. Remove from oven and allow to cool.
- Heat 2 tbsp of olive oil in a large sauté pan over medium high. Add sausage to the pan and cook until browned. Transfer to a bowl using a slotted spoon and reserve for later. If you are not using sausage, see note at the end of this recipe.
- Add the onions, carrots and celery to the same pan and sauté for 5-6 minutes until softened and fragrant. Add garlic and sauté for an additional 2 minutes.
- Pour 2 ½ cups of chicken broth into the pan along with 1 tsp of salt and ½ tsp of black pepper. Remove from heat. Reserve remaining chicken broth.
- Heat the remaining 2 tbsp of olive oil in a clean skillet over medium high heat. Add sliced mushrooms to the skillet. Sauté for 10 minutes, until the mushrooms begin to brown and shrink in size. Remove from heat. You may need to cook the mushrooms in two batches depending on the size of your skillet.
- In a very large mixing bowl, combine challah cubes, sausage, vegetable/chicken broth mixture, mushrooms and herbs. Stir to blend all ingredients, making sure the challah cubes are evenly moistened. Add the beaten eggs to the mixture and stir until they are fully incorporated into the stuffing. The mixture may seem dry now, but wait to add more broth until it’s had a chance to cook—the liquid will slowly be absorbed by the bread.
- Spray the slow cooker with nonstick cooking spray; then pour in the challah mixture.Set slow cooker on high heat and cover the pot. Cook for 30 minutes. Remove the cover and stir to redistribute the liquid throughout the stuffing, then check the stuffing for dryness. If it still seems dry, drizzle a little more broth over the top of the stuffing and stir again. Return the lid and reduce heat to low.
- Let cook on low for 4 hours, checking and stirring every hour to make sure the stuffing isn’t too dry. If it is, add more broth—carefully, as it can easily go from the right texture to overly wet and mushy.After 4 hours, stir, taste, and add more salt or pepper, if desired. Switch to warm setting until ready to serve.
- Variation: If you prefer to make your stuffing without sausage, skip that step and begin by first sautéing the onions, carrots and celery in 6 tbsp of olive oil, then continue the recipe as written, omitting the sausage.
Notes
- Omit sausage and use vegetable broth to make the stuffing vegetarian or vegan.
- Use aquafaba in place of eggs as a vegan binder.
- Toast the challah cubes ahead to ensure a good texture in the final stuffing.
- Reserve some broth to adjust moisture during slow cooking as needed.
- The slow cooker method allows for prep in advance and hands-off cooking.
- Large slow cooker size (5 to 6 quarts) is recommended for even cooking.
Nutrition Information
Show DetailsNutrition Facts
Serving: 10servings
Amount Per Serving
Calories 156 kcal
% Daily Value*
| Calories | 156kcal | 8% |
| Carbohydrates | 10g | 3% |
| Protein | 9g | 18% |
| Fat | 9g | 14% |
| Saturated Fat | 1g | 5% |
| Cholesterol | 61mg | 20% |
| Sodium | 781mg | 33% |
| Potassium | 521mg | 11% |
| Fiber | 2g | 8% |
| Sugar | 4g | 8% |
| Vitamin A | 8095IU | 162% |
| Vitamin C | 15.1mg | 17% |
| Calcium | 58mg | 6% |
| Iron | 1.4mg | 8% |
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.
User Reviews
Overall Rating
4.8
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