Mom's Thanksgiving Dressing

A close up view of a wooden spoon in a pan of Thanksgiving dressing.

Course: Side

Cuisine: American

Prep Time: 15

Cook Time: 50

Make ahead: Cornbread: 50

Total Time: 1 55

Servings: people

Calories: 143kcal

Author: Kris Longwell

This is my mother's recipe for dressing. It's been my all-time favorite since I was a kid. We love it baked in the oven (not stuffed in the bird) until golden and crunch on top and moist in the middle! So good!

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Ingredients

½ pan cornbread about 2 cups, save the rest for eating
5 slices bread dried out, or toast3e
8 oz stuffing packaged, seasoned is best
½ cup yellow onion chopped
½ cup celery chopped
4 eggs lightly beaten
4 tablespoon sage or 2 tablespoon dried
salt and pepper to taste
3 to 4 cups broth turkey or chicken, see note

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350°F.
Combine all ingredients, except the broth, in a large bowl or pot, cover, and set overnight in the refrigerator, or for at least several hours.
½ pan cornbread, 5 slices bread, 8 oz stuffing, ½ cup yellow onion, ½ cup celery, 4 eggs, 4 tablespoon sage, salt and pepper
Transfer the mixture into your serving dish and pat it down gently with your hands.
Pour enough broth into the prepared dressing until it's just juicy to the touch. Shouldn't be swimming in it, but still juicy when pressed.
3 to 4 cups broth
Bake for 50 minutes. If starting to brown too much, cover with foil in the final 15 minutes of baking.

Video

Notes

NOTE: Watch the video in the recipe card for visual guidance.

Making the cornbread from scratch is great, but you can also use the boxed variety, too.

Let the sliced bread sit out for 12 to 24 hours to dry out, or toast them (we toast them, just like mom does, and we love the toasty taste).

Make broth by simmering the turkey giblets and neck in a pot of water for 45 minutes to an hour. For a deeper flavor, add roughly chopped carrots, celery, and onion. Strain.

After the turkey has finished roasting, remove the turkey and strain the liquid into a bowl. Add this to the giblet broth.

We usually roast the turkey, let it sit, and then carve it, which allows us to collect the delicious turkey juices, add them to the broth, and then bake the dressing.

Nutrition