Growing up in the South, we have ALWAYS called our Thanksgiving side dish dressing. We have also always made it in a casserole dish never actually stuffed in the turkey itself. That's why we called it dressing instead of stuffing (because there was no stuffing involved).
This is the recipe that we used growing up. It's a little different from most Southern recipes in that it doesn't use cornbread as the base, but bread crumbs.
Grandma's Bread Dressing (Stuffing)
4 stalks celery, diced
1 large onion, diced
10 cups crumbled, dried bread (or 2 (12 oz) packages herb seasoned stuffing mix like Pepperidge Farm)*
4 eggs, beaten
2 sticks of butter, divided and melted
4-6 cups broth*
1/4 teaspoon pepper, or to taste
2 teaspoons poultry seasoning, or to taste
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter or spray a 9 x 13 baking dish. Set aside.
- Saute the onions and celery in a small amount of butter in a pan for a few minutes until onions become transparent. Stir in the pepper and poultry seasoning. Remove from heat and set aside to cool slightly.
- Place the crumbled bread or stuffing mix in a large bowl, add the onion and celery mixture and remaining melted butter. Stir and pour two cups of the broth over top. Mix well. Taste and adjust the seasonings. (It should taste like what you want your finished dressing to taste like at this point.)
- Add the beaten eggs and mix well. Now you can change the consistency to your preference. If you prefer a wetter dressing, add more broth as needed to reach desired consistency. If you want a fluffy dressing you won’t add as much broth.
- Lightly spoon mixture into the prepared casserole dish, but do not pack.
- Bake at 350 degrees F for 35 to 45 minutes.
- For a moister stuffing, baked your dish covered with aluminum foil.
- For a drier stuffing with a crunchy top, bake uncovered.
Notes:
We use veggie broth to make this a vegetarian recipe, but Grandma's original recipe called for chicken broth. The amounts for the broth are approximate based on the desired moisture level of the final product.
Remember that broth includes salt, which is why the recipe does not include additional salt. Also, poultry seasoning includes pepper (among other herbs), which is why there is noticeably less pepper in the recipe. Make sure to take this into consideration when adjusting your seasonings in step 3.
I usually use actual bread, dried and crumbled for this recipe. I tear dried pieces of bread into small pieces and fill up a gallon-sized Ziploc bag that I store in the freezer. Once the bag is full, I have enough for the recipe. It depends on how small you tear your bread pieces as to how many cups you will end up with in a full gallon-sized Ziploc bag, but you will usually end up with around 10.
If you would like to season your bread crumbs as you go along, you can add your own mix of spices, such as garlic, onion powder, parsley, etc., to the bread crumbs in the Ziploc bag. Make sure to shake the bag to incorporate the spices into the bread crumbs.
If you opt to use 2 (12 oz.) packages of Pepperidge Farm herb seasoned stuffing mix, keep in mind that these are measured by weight (ounces) not volume (cups). Each package will contain between 5-6 cups.
Make Ahead:
Save time on Thanksgiving day! You can assemble the dressing in the baking dish, then wrap it tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate it for up to 24 hours before baking. To bake, let the dressing stand at room temperature for 30 minutes. Remove the plastic wrap and proceed with step 6.
Here's a look at the old-fashioned Southern dressing served up alongside some other Harris Sisters Thanksgiving side dish favorites:
