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The Best Old Fashioned Cornbread Dressing

Geraldine Fletcher's Old-fashioned, Southern-style, Cornbread Dressing to be precise.
Because The Captain did not grow up eating cornbread dressing on any occasion, I never really had to learn to perfect a recipe for said holiday menu item. Don't get me wrong, I did bake some version of this over the years from time to time when we did not have a combined family Thanksgiving meal; but I honestly can't tell you if I had an exact recipe, either.
However, once I ate Geraldine's dressing, I experienced cornbread dressing bliss and needed never search for just the right amount of sage again.
Cuisine American
Prep Time 1 hour
Cook Time 1 hour
Total Time 2 hours
Servings 8 people
Author Capt. Wendy

Ingredients

  • 2 Sticks of Butter
  • 2 Medium Onions Chopped
  • 6-8 Stalks Celery Chopped
  • 2 Bell Peppers Chopped
  • 1/4 Cup Fresh Parsley Chopped
  • 1 Bunch Green Onions Chopped-separated
  • 2 Pans of Cornbread Crumbled
  • 1.5 Quarts Chicken Stock approximately 1qt. plus 2 cans
  • 1 Tblsp Tony Chachere's Seasoning
  • 1 Tblsp Season All
  • 1/2 t Tblsp Poultry Seasoning optional - my family doesn' care for sage flavor
  • 1 Tsp Salt optional-to taste
  • 6 Eggs

Instructions

  • Melt butter in sauté pan and add the finely chopped onions, celery, bell pepper, let them simmer on low, stirring occasionally while you continue.
  • Chop parsley and green onions and set aside - keep the dark green tops of the green onion separate from the white parts.
  • Assemble and bake 2 pans of cornbread, cool, and crumble into a large bowl. (Put oven on 400 after removing cornbread if you plan to bake the dressing right away. See Notes)
  • Add parsley and bulbous white part of the green onion to the sauté pan
  • Add 2 quarts of stock to the cornbread in the bowl. (If you made stock ahead of time, you must re-heat it before adding)
  • Add all the seasoning (and taste for needed salt)
  • Add the vegetables to the cornbread mixture
  • Add green onion tops to the cornbread mixture
  • Mix eggs well and fold into cornbread mixture
  • Bake in a 400 degree oven to “set” which takes about 30 minutes. Then lower the oven to 350 and continue baking for another 30 minutes or so. Dressing is done when golden-colored and knife comes out clean. So, check it often!

Notes

After everything is mixed together, you can cover and let this rest in the refrigerator overnight, which really enhances all the flavors, you can freeze it for future use, or you can bake right away. You will need about three or four baking dishes, as this makes a LOT of dressing. I used shallow glass baking dishes. Corning Ware works okay, but the edges are more prone to over-browning. Feel free to cut the recipe in half for smaller families.