A Dish a Day: Slow-Cooker Cornbread Dressing

I am sorry. I forgot that I was supposed to post about cornbread dressing when I did the cranberry salad earlier. My brain is tired due to a 5 A.M. date with the slow cooker this morning. So if you think the title of this post is a mistake because of a lack of REM sleep, you are wrong. I'm here to testify that dressing can be successfully cooked in a crockpot (or "crackpot" as my son calls it) and taste very good.

There was a very good reason why I was up so early to cook dressing 5 days before Thanksgiving

For several years, the members of the church I attend have cooked a traditional Thanksgiving meal for people who are alone, sick, or otherwise afflicted. We assemble the meals in take-out plates and deliver them to the communities near the church.

Cakes are sliced and put into sandwich bags.

Sweet potato patties ready for the oven.

Just a portion of our bounty.

 

The dressing really does cook well in the slow cooker and everyone is surprised by that. And the best part is that your oven is freed up to cook other parts of the meal. I found the recipe in Southern Living magazine several years ago. Their test kitchens gave it one of their highest ratings. Whenever I see that, I pay attention!  I will print the recipe as it originally appeared. Then I will tell you about the changes I made to suit my taste.

Slow-Cooker Cornbread Dressing

4 & 1/2 cups cornbread crumbs

1 (16oz) package herb stuffing stuffing mix

2 cans cream of chicken soup

2 (14oz) cans low-sodium chicken broth

1 medium onion, chopped

1/2 cup celery, chopped

4 large eggs

1 tablespoon rubbed sage

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

2 tablespoons butter, cut up

Stir together first 10 ingredients in a large bowl. Pour cornbread mixture into a lightly greased 5 & 1/2 to 6 quart slow cooker. Dot with butter. Cook, covered , on LOW 4 hours or until cooked through and set. Makes 12 to 16 servings.

****You can use 2 (7.5oz) packages of Martha White Yellow Cornbread Mix prepared according to package directions and baked in  a 13x9 pan. You may get more crumbs than is called for but I added them all in.

Nan's  notes: I did not use the herb favor stuffing mix, rather, I used Pepperidge Farm cornbread stuffing mix which has some seasoning in it. I also like a moister dressing so I used a little more than 3 cans of chicken broth or about 6 cups. I like more celery so I put in a whole cup. The dressing was not quite set after 4 hours so plan on at least an extra hour of cooking time. However,  it probably took longer because I had more liquid in it. Use your good judgment in determining doneness.

Happy cooking!

Nan