Kale & Toasted Walnut Sourdough Stuffing
By Sammi Brondo — November 18, 2025
Whether you need a new Thanksgiving side or are just looking for a delicious dish for a crowd, this Kale & Walnut Stuffing is for you.
Controversial opinion: I’m just not here for Thanksgiving food.
Don’t get me wrong, I like it. But it’s not my favorite. If I could choose my favorite dishes for a big feast with loved ones, I wouldn’t choose turkey and mashed potatoes.
Trust me – I know some of you are shaking your heads at this opinion. It’s probably my husband’s favorite meal of the year, and he definitely doesn’t agree with me.
In any case, there’s one part of the traditional Thanksgiving meal that I do love: the stuffing.
A dish made of bread? Count me in.
This kale and walnut version is soooo good.
The garlicky, sautéed kale adds a depth of flavor and even a little nutrient boost to the stuffing.
Plus, the toasted walnuts add an unexpected crunch and even more nutrients (fun fact: walnuts contain the most of the omega 3, ALA, of any nut!). Top that with sweetness from the dried cranberries, and the flavor and texture combination is so, so good.
And believe it or not, this stuffing is pretty simple to make.
Cook it for Thanksgiving, Friendsgiving or just serve it the next time you’re entertaining. Your guests will thank you.
Prep ingredients
Preheat the oven to 400 F. Spray a 9×13 baking dish with cooking spray.
Cut sourdough
Using a sharp knife, cut the bread into 1-inch pieces and add to a large bowl. Set aside.
Toast the walnuts
Roughly chop the walnuts. Add to a large pan over medium heat and toast, stirring constantly, for about 5 minutes, until brown and fragrant. Remove walnuts from the pan and set aside.
Sauté onion and celery
Add 2 tablespoons of olive oil to the pan over medium heat. Add the onion, celery, and garlic. Sauté, stirring occasionally, for about 5-8 minutes, until soft and fragrant.
Add wine and brown sugar
Add the white wine and brown sugar to the pan and cook, stirring occasionally, until the wine is almost evaporated.
Sauté the kale
Roughly chop the kale. Add kale, salt, and pepper to the pan and cook, stirring occasionally, until kale has wilted considerably. Turn off the heat.
Add ingredients to bowl
Pour the kale mixture into the large bowl with the bread. Add the toasted walnuts and cranberries, reserving some for the top of the stuffing. Mix to combine.
Pour eggs and broth
In a separate bowl, mix the eggs and vegetable broth. Pour over the bread, kale, and walnut mixture and toss to combine, so that the bread is moistened. Note: if bread looks dry, add more vegetable broth.
Add to the baking dish
Pour mixture into the baking dish. Drizzle with remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil and top with reserved toasted walnuts and cranberries. Cover the baking dish with foil.
Bake
Bake in the preheated oven for 35 minute.
Turn up the heat
Then, turn the heat up to 425 and bake for an additional 15 minutes – removing the foil for the last 5 minutes.
Serve
Serve for Thanksgiving!
Notes
- Sourdough: Ideal bread for stuffing is left out overnight so that it’s a little stale. If you forget, it’ll still be great!
- Walnuts: Make sure to stir frequently when toasting. Store your walnuts in the fridge or freezer – because of their high content of the omega 3, ALA, they’ll go rancid quickly at room temp!
- White wine: In place of wine, you can also use more vegetable broth.
- Brown sugar: A little goes a long way and is a must to add a little sweetness to the recipe.
- Kale: Curly or dino kale both work great. Make sure to fully de-stem the kale.
- Vegetable broth: You can add more vegetable broth as needed until the bread is lightly covered with the liquid, but not soaked. You want a stuffing that’s moist, but not totally soggy and drenched.
- Storage: This is a dish that’s best served immediately. If you do want to store some, store it in airtight container in the fridge. To reheat, add some vegetable broth on top and broil in the oven until warm and crispy on top.
Ingredients
- 1 medium loaf sourdough bread about 6-8 cups
- 1 cup walnuts
- 1/4 cup olive oil divided
- 1/4 small yellow onion diced
- 2 sticks celery diced
- 1 clove garlic minced
- 1/2 cup dry white wine
- 1/4 cup dark brown sugar
- 4 cups kale de-stemmed
- 1 cup dried cranberries
- 2 eggs
- 2 cups low sodium vegetable broth
- Salt
- Pepper
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 F. Spray a 9×13 baking dish with cooking spray.
- Using a sharp knife, cut the bread into 1-inch pieces and add to a large bowl. Set aside.
- Roughly chop the walnuts. Add to a large pan over medium heat and toast, stirring constantly, for about 5 minutes, until brown and fragrant. Remove walnuts from the pan and set aside.
- Add 2 tablespoons of olive oil to the pan over medium heat. Add the onion, celery, and garlic. Sauté, stirring occasionally, for about 5-8 minutes, until soft and fragrant.
- Add the white wine and brown sugar to the pan and cook, stirring occasionally, until the wine is almost evaporated.
- Roughly chop the kale. Add kale, salt, and pepper to the pan and cook, stirring occasionally, until kale has wilted considerably. Turn off the heat.
- Pour the kale mixture into the large bowl with the bread. Add the toasted walnuts and cranberries, reserving some for the top of the stuffing. Mix to combine.
- In a separate bowl, mix the eggs and vegetable broth. Pour over the bread, kale, and walnut mixture and toss to combine, so that the bread is moistened. Note: if bread looks dry, add more vegetable broth.
- Pour mixture into the baking dish. Drizzle with remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil and top with reserved toasted walnuts and cranberries. Cover the baking dish with foil.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 35 minute. Then, turn the heat up to 425 and bake for an additional 15 minutes – removing the foil for the last 5 minutes.
