Turkey Time Is Here: Miss Vetra’s Cornbread Dressing

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The holiday season is upon us, and it’s turkey time – or, more importantly - it’s dressing time. Cornbread dressing is the Holy Grail of the Southern holiday meal. Let’s be honest: any long lost cousin twice-removed on your mama’s side can make the turkey, but not just anyone can make the dressing. It takes soul, love of food, and respect for the generations (past, present and future).

If you are asked to make the dressing, then you, my friend, are the keeper of the Holy Grail, which means you have a responsibility to make sure it’s not dry and has flavor. Let’s be frank here. You will most likely be using a family recipe that still has dirt around the edges from when your great grandmother unearthed it from the ground after the Yankees left town. No pressure.

Here is my Grandmother’s recipe for cornbread dressing with a few tips to make sure it’s perfect every time.

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Miss Vetra’s Cornbread Dressing

Ingredients:

1/4 cup (1/2 half stick ) unsalted butter
1 small onion, minced
4 celery hearts (with leaves), minced
1 small green bell pepper, cored, seeded and minced
6-8 cups chicken stock
1 (10oz) can cream of chicken soup
4 eggs (large), lightly beaten
1 heaping tablespoon dry rubbed sage
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 recipe of cornbread, use your family recipe

Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Spray a 9 x 19 inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.

In a skillet over medium heat, melt the butter. Add the onion, celery and bell pepper and cook, stirring, until soft, about 10-15 minutes.

In a large bowl, crumble the cornbread in small pieces and add the cooked vegetables, soup, stock, eggs and dry spices (salt, pepper, sage). Mix well. You may need to add a little less stock or a little more stock depending on the texture of your cornbread. You want the mixture to be wet but not soup. Pour the dressing into the prepared baking dish.

Bake until golden brown on top and with a slight jiggle in the center or until a wooden toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, usually about 45 minutes. Be careful to not over-bake. Let the dressing sit for 30 minutes before serving.

Tips:

  • Make sure the mixture is moist before baking. If it’s dry before you cook it, then it’s going to be dry after it is cooked, and that is an offense to the entire family.

  • Under no circumstance use poultry seasoning which is like putting ketchup on caviar.

  • Taste it before you add the eggs, this way you will know if you need to adjust the seasonings.

  • It’s better if you make a day ahead, and let sit overnight and then bake the next day.

  • Whatever recipe you use for cornbread make sure it calls for bacon grease and buttermilk which is the goodness and love. Never use cornbread out of a box.

  • Now get out there and make your family proud, and remember that it’s your dressing which will make aunt Betty’s dry turkey taste like turkey, helping keep the family relations on track.