Mindy Merrell’s Favorite Stuffing/Dressing
November 2021Ingredients
- 1 1/2 sticks butter, divided
- 2 cups chopped onion
- 2 cups chopped celery
- 5 to 6 cups crumbled cornbread from a skillet of cornbread made with 2 cups self-rising cornmeal mix or self-rising cornmeal
- 3 cups stale, toasted or fresh bread cubes. Regular bread helps hold the dressing together and gives it a softer texture. You can also use leftover biscuits.
- A handful of fresh chopped parsley
- Other fresh herbs as you like — fresh chopped sage, marjoram, thyme, and/or rosemary. If you go with dried herbs, use about 1 teaspoon each of rubbed sage, marjoram, thyme, and/or rosemary.
- A generous amount of black pepper
- 3 to 4 cups chicken or turkey broth, homemade or canned
- 2 eggs, beaten
Directions
Melt 1 stick of the butter in a large skillet. Cook the onions and celery in the butter over medium heat until they are soft and caramelized, about 20 minutes.
Combine the crumbled cornbread and bread cubes in a large mixing bowl. Stir in the cooked vegetables, parsley, herbs, and black pepper. Blend well. Taste it to test the seasoning and adjust as needed. Then, stir in the broth and eggs, adding enough broth so that the mixture is moist but not soupy.
Bake the dressing right away, or cover and refrigerate the mixture overnight and cook it the next day.
Grease a 9-by-13-inch baking pan with 1 to 2 tablespoons of the remaining butter. Pour the dressing into the prepared dish. Dot with the remaining butter.
Cover lightly with foil and bake in an oven heated to 375 Fahrenheit. Baking time will vary — if baked right away it should take about 45 minutes, but if it’s just out of the refrigerator, it will take closer to an hour. If you have other things in the oven, a lower temperature won’t matter. Just make sure you brown the dressing by removing the foil during the last 15 minutes for a nice, crispy, brown top.
To be sure the dressing is cooked through, check the internal temperature with an instant-read thermometer. It should register at least 165 Fahrenheit.
Leftover dressing reheats well in the microwave or oven. Or, crisp it up in an iron skillet for breakfast, served with runny eggs!
Do you have a great recipe? Email a copy of a recipe you’d like to share!
