I don’t mean to brag (well, of course I do – anyone starting a sentence like that is about to brag), but I have been making cornbread dressing for my family since my teens and it is really good. I mean better than yours. Or your mama’s. Or your Aunt Ethel’s. And because I feel bad about you eating sub-par dressing on Thanksgiving, I am sharing my recipe with you.
First, you make the cornbread. Bake cornbread 24-48 hours before making the dressing so it has a chance to dry out. Break it into pieces so it dries out better.
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees
Mix the following dry ingredients:
- 2 cups cornmeal
- 2 cups flour
- 1 tsp salt
- 4 tsp baking powder
Combine the following 3 wet ingredients
- 2 cups milk
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup water
½ cup melted vegetable oil (put this in your 9×13 pan while the oven is pre-heating)
Mix the wet and dry ingredients together. Add the melted vegetable oil and mix. Pour into your 9×13 pan and back for 25 minutes. After it has cooled, cut the cornbread into chunks and let it dry for a day or two.
Okay, now for the dressing:
- Brown 1 pound of Jimmy Dean Sage sausage in a LARGE (I use a pan that covers two burners) roasting pan over medium heat.
- Add ½ – 1 whole stick of butter to the browned sausage.
- Sautee with the sausage: 2 cups chopped white onion and 1 cup chopped celery.
- After veggies are soft, add 2 cans Campbell’s Cream of Mushroom soup (warning, do NOT get the garlic flavored or low-fat kind. It will ruin your dressing).
- Add 4 Cups chicken stock.
- Mix well and then add cornbread. Stir until all ingredients are evenly distributed.
- Last, add ½ cup chopped green onions and ½ cup chopped parsley. Stir well again.
Transfer dressing to pans for baking. I like to use several glass loaf pans, so you can pre-heat in the microwave and finish browning in the oven. Efficient when oven space is at a premium on Thanksgiving Day. Before serving, bake at 350 until warmed through and a little brown on top.
A couple of tips:
- If the dressing seems too dry for your taste, add more chicken stock.
- Cornbread dressing freezes well. I typically make a giant batch (double above) in early November. I freeze in multiple smaller pans and have enough for Thanksgiving and Christmas.
Enjoy!
