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Classic flavors made with love and from scratch! Onion and celery, sautéed in butter, lightly seasoned with sage, salt and pepper. Baked with cornbread, sourdough breadcrumbs, chicken broth and cream of mushroom soup. Baked in a cast iron skillet to a nice golden color. Creating this side dish is a true savory stuffing sensation.
Hello, my friends, I think everyone has a plan on how to celebrate Thanksgiving. It is my most favorite holiday of all! I fell in love with this holiday from the moment I arrived in the U.S. I think this is the most original family holiday. The dinner plan is already on your mind. And while some sides are optional, some are absolutely a must. Next to the turkey the stuffing is one of the most important components of the Thanksgiving dinner spread. But, to get technical here, if you want to call it stuffing, it should be baked inside the cavity of the turkey. For the most part, I'm making a dressing, since it's baked in a separate pan.
Today my friend Lesa, who is a fantastic cook, shares with us her favorite recipe for dressing. She says this is the best of all she has ever tried over the years. This recipe was passed down to Lesa from her mom, and her mom got it from a chef in one of the bed and breakfast places in Alabama. She says this: "Her mom couldn't leave the place without getting the recipe from the head chef because it was that good"!
Also, try Lesa's Delightful Fall Soup with roasted Nuts, Mushrooms and Creme Fraiche, this soup is elegant and festive. It could be a great starter for a big meal.
WHAT DO I NEED FOR THIS RECIPE?
Just 5 ingredients! That's all! Use the best quality possible! And the best way is to pre-make them ahead of time.
Corn bread - I used my recipe for cornbread, plain and baked in a preheated skillet well-greased with bacon drippings.
Sourdough bread - only a few slices are needed but it gives the stuffing a nice contrast of flavor. Here is the recipe for easy everyday sourdough bread.
Eggs - it depends on the size so anywhere between 3 to 4 eggs.
Onion - regular sized onion.
Celery - a few stalks; celery is one of those vegetables that when buying it organic is a must. It's always on the list of dirty dozen foods.
Chicken stock or broth - if you don't have homemade on hand, don't worry there are plenty of options. Look for grass fed organic stock, usually located in the freezer department of the supermarket. Here is the recipe for chicken stock if you would like to make it yourself. Homemade stock always tastes better.
Cream of mushrooms soup - Lesa says any creamy soup will work here, such as cream of corn, or cream of chicken. I used homemade cream of mushrooms soup since this ingredient is one that I try to always have in my freezer, and it is a great addition to many traditional recipes.
Butter - as always, I recommend, grass-fed yellow rich butter.
Seasonings - dried sage, salt and freshly ground black pepper, that's all.
OTHER TRADITIONAL TURKEY DINNER RECIPES
CAN I FREEZE IT?
Yes, absolutely!
And you can do it in two ways:
Assemble all the ingredients but instead of putting it into the skillet pour it into some kind of freezable container. You can freeze it for 3 months. When you are ready to bake it, thaw it out and then pour it into a preheated well-greased cast iron skillet and bake for an hour or until it is a nice golden color.
Or you can bake it, and then cool it down. Flip onto a board, and then wrap the dressing tightly with plastic wrap and freeze for up to 3 months.
Either way if you like to save time on your busiest day in the kitchen or maybe save leftovers, freezing cornbread dressing is always an option.
Let's do it...
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 60 minutes
Total time: 1 hour 10 minutes
Author: Inna of innichkachef.com
Ingredients
4 cups of cornbread (not fine crumbs - just tear into bite-size pieces)
2 cups sourdough bread (not fine crumbs - just tear into bite-size pieces)
1-2 teaspoons dried sage
Salt and black pepper to taste
1 cup celery, diced
1 onion, chopped
2 cups cream of mushroom soup (homemade for the best result)
2 cups chicken stock or broth
3-4 eggs
2 Tablespoons of butter
Directions
Preheat oven to 350F.
First, in a skillet add half butter, and sauté celery and onion. Add salt and pepper. Cook for few minutes on a medium heat, stir once a while. You want to cook just enough to get transfusive onions, no need to get brown color.
3. In a big bowl mix bread, dried sage, cream of mushroom soup, then chicken broth. Do in this order, its important.
4. To the bowl add eggs, sauté and slightly cooled mixture of onion and celery.
5. Mix with your hands everything very well.
6. Heat the same skillet with rest of the butter, pack tight bread mixture into the skillet.
7. Bake in the oven for about 45-50 minutes. Or until your house starts smell amazing! Enjoy with your turkey meal or on its own. It's so yummy.
I'm thankful my friend Lesa for sharing this recipe with us, I hope you will see the video how she does it.
I hope you'll make this recipe soon. If you do, please tag me #innichka_chef on Instagram, Facebook, Patreon or Pinterest.