Cornbread Dressing

My dad always made stuffing.  My husband grew up eating dressing.  What’s the difference, not much. Dressing tends to be made in the southern part of the country, the same part where every soft drink is a “Coke”, whereas my dad, who grew up in the suburbs of Chicago, always made stuffing. 

Stuffing or dressing, typically starts with some kind of dried bread product – yeast bread, cornbread, biscuits, or a mixture.  To the bread you typically see aromatic vegetables – onions and celery, traditional herbs like sage and thyme, butter and stock.  From that base the possibilities are endless.  We add sautéed mushrooms to our Traditional Bread Stuffing and bacon to our Cornbread Dressing.  Some recipes call for dried fruits and nuts, and some add eggs, either raw to the stock to be soaked up by the bread, or chopped hard-boiled.

However you say it, stuffing or dressing, it’s one of my favorites, and something that should be enjoyed more often than once a year!

Cornbread Dressing
 Difficulty – Easy
Feeds – 6 – 8

INGREDIENTS
1 – 14 oz bag of Cornbread Dressing (I like Pepperidge Farms)
4 slices thick-cut bacon
6 tbsps butter
1 cup diced onion
½ cup diced celery
1 tsp poultry seasoning
1 tsp kosher salt
½ tsp black pepper
2 ½ cups turkey stock or chicken broth*

*I typically make Turkey Stock on Tuesday of Thanksgiving week but any low sodium chicken broth works well here
​
Prepare the Bacon
Preheat your oven to 375 degrees.  Place bacon on a foil lined baking tray.  Bake for 15-18 minutes, until golden brown.  Remove the cooked bacon from the pan and drain on paper towels, then chop into bite-sized pieces.

​In a medium skillet, melt the butter.  Sauté the onion and celery until tender, 6-8 minutes.  In a large bowl, combine dressing, and seasonings.  Stir in the bacon, onion, celery, and butter.  Add broth.  Stir until the vegetables and bacon are well distributed and the stuffing is moistened. 

Place in a 9” round baking dish.  You can refrigerate the dressing at this point for baking later.

To Bake:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Bake uncovered for 35-40 minutes, until the dressing is heated through and slightly crispy on the top.