Got an awesome stuffing/dressing recipe?

[Neesy228]

My DMIL passed away last December and apparently she took her grandmothers stuffing recipe with her since I haven't been able to find it anywhere. She always made the stuffing for thanksgiving...so, I'm at a loss. I've made the rest of the thanksgiving dinner before, but never the stuffing. HELP!

If you've got an amazing stuffing recipe, would you mind sharing?

(I realize there's often a geographical stuffing/dressing difference, so just to clarify, I will be cooking it outside of the turkey.)

Thanks!

 

[BadPinkTink]

This is the stuffing I cook for my family at Christmas. It is a recipe I learnt at one of my first chef jobs.

Melt 500g butter in a pan, add in a chopped onion and cook the onion until soft. Add in mixed herbs, oregano, parsley, salt and pepper and stir. Take off the heat and add in fresh breadcumbs until all the butter has been absorbed. Remove from the pan and place on a piece of aluminium foil. Wrap up the stuffing in the aluminium foil like a parcel. Place in the oven beside the turkey for the last 10 minutes of the turkey cooking time.

 

[Aliceacc]

Mine is basically this:

Brown sausage-- I usually do one package of 4 big links, casing removed. Remove from pan.

Saute chopped onion and celery until soft.

Follow the directions on the bag of stuffing, using chicken broth (turkey if you can find it) for the liquid. Add in sage liberally.

Honestly, that's pretty much it. It's always a huge hit.

 

[llcoolj]

Cornbread Dressing

Inspired by Paula Deen


Cornbread-I use 2 boxes of Jiffy mix
1 package of Pepperidge Farms Herb Seasoned Bread Dressing
8 tablespoons butter
2 cups celery, chopped
1 large onion, chopped
7 cups chicken stock
1 teaspoon salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon sage
1 tablespoon poultry seasoning
4 eggs, beaten


Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In a large bowl, combine crumbled cornbread and bread dressing; set aside.
Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the celery and onion and cook until transparent, approximately 5 to 10 minutes. Pour the vegetable mixture over cornbread mixture. Add the stock, mix well, taste, and add salt, pepper to taste, sage, and poultry seasoning. Add beaten eggs and mix well. Pour mixture into a greased pan and bake until dressing is cooked through, about 45 minutes. Serve with turkey as a side dish.

 

[Southernmiss]

Stuffing/dressing to me is what makes Thanksgiving. What is your family used to?

For me only southern cornbread dressing will do. My recipe is a similar (but more ingredients) to the Paula Deen one above.

My mil's recipe is more of a stuffing recipe.

 

[Pea-n-Me]

There are so many different ways to make it!

In my neck of the woods, especially with the older generations, Bell's Seasoning products are popular as they originated here. It's what I grew up with, and what I generally use, also, but I have at times branched out a bit and still had good results, too. (For instance, I think Trader Joe's makes a good stuffing mix.)

Anyway, as others have mentioned, we cook sausage, but use the Jimmy Dean roll. Fry it and chop it up into smaller pieces. Also standard onion and celery cooked in butter. I like to add dried cranberries or Craisins, and also chopped, skinned apple as I'm mixing together. (Some people add finely chopped nuts but we have a family member with a nut allergy so we don't.)

Then just follow package directions, add it all together and bake. Some parts of it get crispy on the outside, but it stays soft and moist on the inside. (The bread in this box is already properly seasoned, so no need to buy the little box of herbs, below.)

You can buy Bell's Seasoning by itself and use your own bread or cornbread mix, too. Not sure you can really go wrong however you want to do it.

Good luck, and I'm sorry about your MIL. I hope this helps! Happy Thanksgiving!

 

[Wishing on a star]

I will say this again, as I have in past years...
I will not use Bells.
Tried it.
Not much better than McCormick.
Yuck!!!

I just love the Spice Islands Gourmet Blends Poultry Seasoning.
Wonderful Herbs, not all cheap black pepper.

OP... There is another recent thread here about Stuffing/Dressing that was resurrected from last year.
Tons of different options!

The thing is, we would need to know exactly what type of dressing it was.
There are many very different varieties, from southern cornbread, sausage, oyster... some have fruits like cranberries or apples (yuck!).

 

[Patch'sD]

2 Bags of Pepperidge Farm's Seasoned Stuffing Crumbs
Cup of Diced Yellow Onions
Cup of Sliced Cucumbers
1/2 Cup of Bacon Fat
1 Package of Jimmy Dean Breakfast Sausage
Pepper to taste.
Two cartons of Swanson Chicken Broth

Sauté Onions and Cucumbers in Bacon Fat until Soft. Add in Sausage. Cook Stuffing as Directed, mix Onions, Celery, and Sausage.

Stuff into Bird and bake remainder.

 

[Neesy228]

I will say this again, as I have in past years...
I will not use Bells.
Tried it.
Not much better than McCormick.
Yuck!!!

I just love the Spice Islands Gourmet Blends Poultry Seasoning.
Wonderful Herbs, not all cheap black pepper.

OP... There is another recent thread here about Stuffing/Dressing that was resurrected from last year.
Tons of different options!

The thing is, we would need to know exactly what type of dressing it was.
There are many very different varieties, from southern cornbread, sausage, oyster... some have fruits like cranberries or apples (yuck!).

Stuffing/dressing to me is what makes Thanksgiving. What is your family used to?

For me only southern cornbread dressing will do. My recipe is a similar (but more ingredients) to the Paula Deen one above.

My mil's recipe is more of a stuffing recipe.

I'm not really trying to replicate her stuffing recipe, or even stick to the same type -- largely because I feel like it would never be the same and I don't want the comparisons. My grandmother died back in 1987 and since then, people in my family have been trying to replicate her potato salad recipe. Everyone always says, "well, it's close, but not quite."

I was more just looking for some tried and true recipes that I could attempt and these all sound like fantastic options! I've never had cornbread stuffing, so that would be something new, but sounds amazing. And I've never had stuffing with sausage in it either. Maybe I'll make two and see what everyone thinks!

Thanks to everyone for sharing their recipes. Happy thanksgiving!

 

[Wishing on a star]

Have you even had the dressing at Cracker Barrel on Thursdays? This is the type of dressing that we grew up with.
It is the only stuffing recipe that I am super familiar with

Make a southern cornbread (I don't like sugar/sweet), preferably in a small cast-iron skillet. But any deep, heavy, baking pan will probably do.
Cool and dice. Can be done in advance and put in a zip-lock
Get good turkey or chicken stock/broth, or use some of the diluted turkey stock if you are roasting the turkey... place in a pot on the stove and add diced onion and celery... simmer this until the veggies are soft. (I do not recommend actually sauteeing/frying the veggies.)
Season this with plenty of salt and some good poultry seasoning. (see above) Amount of seasoning may vary to your tastes.
Depending on how much cornbread stuffing you are making, zap some slices of bread, one broken up slice at a time, in the blender... Voila, fresh bread crumbs. (I do not recommend actually using 'stale' bread... never really got that???)
You would probably want about 1/3 bread crumbs to 2/3 cornbread cubes.
Okay, all the prep is done, and it is time to bake your dressing...
Fold together the cornbread and breadcrumbs, then add the onions and celery from your pot, and enough of the stock to make this wet, but not 'soppy' or 'drippy'.
Proceed carefully, adding a little more stock at a time, just as needed.
You don't want it to be dry... but this is a dressing, not a wet batter.
Just gently fold all of this together, don't turn it into mush.
Dump into your baking pan, bake until done and beginning to brown.
IMHO, it should not be totally baked thru, like a bread or cake.. slightly mushy inside is okay.

 

[wenrob]

First thing in the morning I get a stock going with turkey neck, wing tips, the parts of the celery, onion and carrots you'd normally throw away, season with salt, pepper, poultry seasoning and top off throughout the morning with chicken broth. This is what makes the stuffing (and gravy) IMO.

I use one and half packages of Mrs. Stubbings Seasoned Corn Bread stuffing. Sauté chopped carrots, onion and celery in a cube of butter (Dad uses two but that's too greasy for us)with more salt, pepper and poultry seasoning. Mix this and an egg with stuffing mix and then mix in the stock until is super moist but not disintegrating wet. I stuff my turkey and do a quarter pan on the side. The pan I bake for about 20 minutes.

 

[Pea-n-Me]

Hmm, "Yuck!".

I hate to steer the OP in the wrong direction...maybe it's just regional, so....

Just checked Amazon to see that Bell's products are Top Sellers and get good reviews. (I'd think they'd have to be pretty good if they've been around since 1867.)

And here are some more Bell's, and Bell's spices, abundantly five-star reviews from Food.com

http://www.food.com/recipe/bells-poultry-stuffing-seasoning-69629?ftab=reviews&photo=6576

 

[MataHari22]

2 Bags of Pepperidge Farm's Seasoned Stuffing Crumbs
Cup of Diced Yellow Onions
Cup of Sliced Cucumbers
1/2 Cup of Bacon Fat
1 Package of Jimmy Dean Breakfast Sausage
Pepper to taste.
Two cartons of Swanson Chicken Broth

Sauté Onions and Cucumbers in Bacon Fat until Soft. Add in Sausage. Cook Stuffing as Directed, mix Onions, Celery, and Sausage.

Stuff into Bird and bake remainder.

Cucumbers? I have never seen that in stuffing before. Is that a regional thing? I cannot imagine how that would taste.

 

[Minnesota!]

Cucumbers? I have never seen that in stuffing before. Is that a regional thing? I cannot imagine how that would taste.

I will admit...I gagged when I read that. That just seems SOOOOOO wrong.

 

[jetskigrl]

My Mom always makes cornbread stuffing and I make rice stuffing.
Mine is really simple.

Saute chopped celery and onion in butter until very soft.
Brown 1 tube of Jimmy Dean Hot Sausage
Prepare 1 box of Uncle Ben's Long Grain and Wild Rice (fast cook version).

Mix all ingredients together.
For larger groups, it is easy to double the recipe

 

[NotUrsula]

Sausage and oyster for people who don't like eating oysters; always gets rave reviews, but there are people who eat first and ask later, which sometimes makes them second-guess liking it (I have also made it with sauteed oyster mushrooms when I've got someone who really cannot eat oysters):

Get two packs of stuffing crumbs; one loose and one cubed, and make sure there is some rye in one of them; otherwise brand doesn't matter. For enough to stuff the bird AND make 2 qts on the side, use 1/2 lb of loose sweet Italian sausage; less if you are not making that much. Get a half-dozen large oysters as well, as fresh as possible, though it is OK to use cold-jarred, but you'll need a few more of them.

First, brown the sausage, breaking it up into small pieces. Set aside on paper to drain. In the oil from the sausage, saute the oysters until they have shrunk up to half-size. Also set aside on paper.

According to package directions, melt the appropriate amount of butter in some of the turkey stock that you made the night before, plus sauteed minced onion and minced red bell pepper, 1/4 tsp of celery seed, 5 or so cloves of minced garlic, poultry seasoning and sage to taste, and 1/2 to 1 tsp of cajun seasoning (pref. the lower salt kind, if the butter has salt in it.) Once this has heated through, let it cool a bit, pour about 1/2 of it into a food processor or blender, and add the sausage and the oysters. Puree it so that you have a "seasoned slurry".

Take off your jewelry and wash your hands; making stuffing requires getting in there with your fingers. Put a mix of both kinds of crumbs in a large bowl, then add the slurry and mix it up until the slurry is evenly distributed though the crumbs. Once that is done, gradually add more of the remaining seasoning liquid until you have the consistency you like. If you make it in a dish rather than the bird, bake it covered for about 20 minutes at 350F.

I find that what is in the bird comes out quite moist, while the portion in the casserole dish is more crisp on the surface. That works for my family, because we have people who like it straight up, and also those who like to douse it in gravy.

 

[lynxstch]

Husband is southern and has to have bread stuffing, I am northern and have to have what my great grandmother called 'French dressing', but I don't think it's French, and I don't think it's dressing--lol.

I sauté a chopped onion and a little celery. Depending on how much I want to make I then brown however much ground beef, and however much ground pork I think I need. Drain well. Mix in the onion and celery. I cook a pressure cooker full of potatoes, and mash them using the cooking liquid. Then I add the meat and onion/celery mixture. Season with salt, pepper, and some Bells seasoning. Then I put it in a casserole dish and reheat it in the oven. I love this as leftovers on buttered white bread and sliced cranberry sauce. Can't wait for Friday for the leftovers, lol

 

[aprilchem]

I don't like stuffing. But I've been making this recipe for years, and my family RAVES about it. I always get assigned the darn stuffing because they like it so much.

2 lbs ground sausage
4 cups chopped celery
4 cups chopped red onions
4 peeled granny smith apples, chopped
1 cup dried apricots, quartered
1 cup dried cherries
2 tsp sage
1 tsp thyme
2 cups chicken broth
12 cups cubed bread (I just buy the bags)

Directions: Cook up the sausage in a heavy pot. Once it's browned, remove the sausage and add the celery, onions, and spices. Cook until it looks softened (not mushy). Add the apples, apricots, cherries, and sausage and mix. Add the bread. Moisten with up to 2 cups broth.

I then just put it in a baking dish and heat in a 350 oven for a while (until it's hot). I don't know what it is about this stuffing, but everyone loves it.

 

[xlsm]

Yum, my favorite part of Thanksgiving!
I don't have a real recipe, I just eyeball it...it's the dressing that my grandma makes, and it's the best thing ever. And super simple!

I bake four packets of Martha White white cornbread the day before, so it's all ready to go. Jiffy is a no no, because I do not want it to be sweet. Then, day of, I saute onions and celery in butter until translucent. I crumble the cornbread into a large bowl, pour in the onion/celery mix, a little bit of baking powder, rubbed sage to taste, and the drippings from the turkey...mix until combined. (I think I also throw in a couple of eggs...it's muscle memory, some parts I only remember as I do it, lol!). It should be very moist. If you don't have enough turkey drippings, add some chicken broth. I try to use as little chicken broth as possible, because I want it to have the rich turkey flavor (I prep my turkey by rubbing it down inside and out with butter...sometimes I do butter under the skin and olive oil on top though, and sea salt. That's it, and it's always amazing.).

Bake it at 350 for 45ish minutes or until golden.

It sounds so simple, but it's incredible. People go crazy for it.

 

[Pea-n-Me]

So how did your stuffing come out, Neesy?