How to make your Christmas side dish the main attraction
My how time flies! Can you believe there’s only 5 days left until Christmas? As the stores begin to crowd, it’s time to make that grocery list and beat the others to the punch.
Of course when you think about your holiday meal, the meats pop up as a main attraction. This year, we’re swapping the spotlight and shining it on the side dishes. Because I mean, who can’t resist the carbs!
My favorite thing to make for Christmas is cornbread dressing. With its origins tying to West Africa, the dish combines baked cornbread, spices, and meats to make for a scoop of perfection on a plate!
I learned to make this popular dish from my grandma so this recipe is very special to me. In recent years, I’ve been trusted to carry the torch and make it for my family. I mean, people call all the time to ensure they have a pan. Typically, we make 3 versions of dressing to accommodate the dietary needs of our family. As always, you can modify this for your preference.
TRADITIONAL CORNBREAD DRESSING
For this recipe, my family mixes chicken gizzards, ground beef, and turkey sausage for a perfect blend of meaty goodness. Served family style, the recipe yields enough for a large holiday gathering but will have guest fighting over the last drop.
What you’ll need:
2 pans of cornbread, finely ground
( I usually make this from scratch, but a great time saving alternative is vegetarian Jiffy)
2 packs of turkey breakfast sausage
1 family style pack of lean ground beef
1 pack of chicken gizzards
1 large can of cream of onion
1 large can of cream of celery
1 large can of cream of mushroom
2 onions , chopped
2 green bell peppers, chopped
8 cloves of garlic, minced
1 stalk of celery, chopped
1 stick of butter
Garlic Salt (to taste)
Tony’s (to taste)
Sage (to taste)
Freshly ground black pepper
Water
2 chicken bouillon cubes
How to:
1) Preheat oven to 350 and mix cornbread. Pour in pan and bake, following instructions. Once done, add to food processor to finely grind.
2) In a large saucepan, add onions, celery, garlic, bell peppers, and butter. Cook until tender.
3) In a separate pot, boil chicken gizzards with water and add bouillon cubes to make a chicken stock. Reserve water and remove gizzards.
4) Add ground beef and turkey sausage to pan and cook thoroughly.
5) Finely blend gizzards in food processor. Add to pan with other meats.
6) Stir in cans of cream of mushroom, onion, and celery.
7) Add cornbread to mix and pour homemade stock to moisten.
8) Season to taste with dry seasoning, being generous with sage.
9) Pour into pan and bake for 30-45 minutes until brown.
SEAFOOD CORNBREAD DRESSING
This version of cornbread dressing is a seafood lover’s delight! Unlike traditional cornbread dressing, you’ll use shrimp, crab, and oysters blended with other savory flavors.
What you’ll need:
1 pan of cornbread, finely ground
( I usually make this from scratch, but a great time saving alternative is vegetarian Jiffy)
16 oz of seafood stock
2lbs of shrimp, peeled and deveined
( 1 lb. chopped and 1lb. whole)
1 pack of oysters
1 pack of crab meat
1 pack of crawfish tails (optional)
1 can of cream of onion
1 can of cream of celery
1 can of cream of mushroom
1 can of cream of shrimp
2 onions , chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped
4 cloves of garlic, minced
1 stalk of celery, chopped
1 stick of butter
Garlic Salt (to taste)
Tony’s (to taste)
Sage (to taste)
Freshly ground black pepper
How to:
1) Preheat oven to 350 and mix cornbread. Pour in pan and bake, following instructions. Once done, add to food processor to finely grind.
2) In a large saucepan add onions, celery, garlic, bell peppers, and butter. Cook until tender.
4) Add shrimp, crab, oysters, and crawfish tails (optional).
5) Stir in cans of cream of mushroom, onion, shrimp and celery.
6) Add cornbread to mix and pour seafood stock to moisten.
7) Season to taste with dry seasoning, being generous with sage.
8) Pour into pan and bake for 30-45 minutes until brown.
VEGETERIAN CORNBREAD DRESSING
With the growing popularity of vegetarian diets, consider offering a vegetarian version of this popular dish to accommodate the dietary restrictions of potential guest.
What you’ll need:
1 pan of cornbread, finely ground
( I usually make this from scratch, but a great time saving alternative is vegetarian Jiffy)
16 oz of vegetable broth
2 packs of veggie crumbles
1 can of cream of onion
1 can of cream of celery
1 can of cream of mushroom
2 onions , chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped
4 cloves of garlic, minced
1 stalk of celery, chopped
1 stick of butter
Garlic Salt (to taste)
Tony’s (to taste)
Sage (to taste)
Freshly ground black pepper
How to:
1) Preheat oven to 350 and mix cornbread. Pour in pan and bake, following instructions. Once done, add to food processor to finely grind.
2) In a large saucepan add onions, celery, garlic, bell peppers, and butter. Cook until tender.
4) Add veggie crumbles.
5) Stir in cans of cream of mushroom, onion and celery.
6) Add cornbread to mix and pour vegetable broth to moisten.
7) Season to taste with dry seasoning, being generous with sage.
8) Pour into pan and bake for 30-45 minutes until brown.