Grandma's Dressing Recipe (2024)

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Making this dressing recipe is a family tradition. Grandma’s Old Fashioned Dressing is a staple on our Thanksgiving table and has been for generations.

I like my dressing to be firm, but moist and have a nice flavor profile. This perfectly describes grandma’s dressing or stuffing recipe.

Grandma's Dressing Recipe (1)

Grandma’s Old Fashioned Dressing Recipe

Simple ingredients mix together to create enjoyable flavors in my grandma’s old fashioned dressing recipe.

This recipe stands out above other dressing recipes in flavor and consistency because of an extra step that my grandma added. A secret to the success in this recipe is putting the celery and onion in a food processor to ensure finely chopped ingredients.

A delicious dressing is a holiday tradition for many families. Our Thanksgiving meal wouldn’t be complete without turkey, Farmhouse Mashed Potatoes, Loaded Sweet Potato Casserole, Applesauce Jello, and Scalloped Corn Casserole.

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My husband’s family add these favorite recipes to their holiday table, Crock Pot Chicken and Dressing, Sweet Potato Souffle, Garlic Mashed Red Potatoes and a Big Batch of Pumpkin Pies.

One Of Our Farmhouse Favorites

My late grandma was a really good cook, probably because she had so much practice making big meals for groups of workers on our family’s farm. In the summer when it was time to bale hay and straw I know they would round up as many able high school boys as they could find. Part of the reward for hard work was a great homemade meal.

I’ve heard many stories about the legendary food that she made. The meal was always topped off with a dessert-like Marshmallow Salad, Cherry co*ke Jello Salad or 7 Up Salad.

This dressing recipe was one of her specialties, so it’s guaranteed to be great!

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Here’s a pic of the recipe in my mom’s handwriting. I’ve added some details so that this recipe is easier to prepare. My mom continues to make this dressing recipe, so I decided to learn the tradition.

I understand that a lot of digital recipes are used now, but there’s just something special about a handwritten recipe. Might a nice cookbook like these make a good holiday gift this year?

I may not make big meals on a regular basis, but I certainly want to preserve the tried and true recipes that have been served around farmhouses in our family for generations. This is one of those excellent traditions that I’m glad to practice and record here in hopes that many others may enjoy it too!

How to Make Farmhouse Dressing

  1. Cut bread cubes equal to 4 cups and leave on a baking sheet overnight or all night to dry. Loosley cover with a dish towel if desired. Do NOT cover tightly with plastic wrap or cubes will not be allowed to dry.
  2. A secret to the success of this recipe is using a food processor to make sure the celery and onion are made very smooth.
  3. Then mix all ingredients together and bake in a 350°F oven for about 45 minutes. The dressing should be lightly brown around the edges and the center should be starting to firm up. Remove from oven and cover with foil to keep warm. Dish will continue to cook and the center should set up a bit more.
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Tips for Making Dressing

  • Put celery and onion in food processor to make a smoother, more consistent texture for the dressing – I have a mini Cuisinart that works great
  • 4 to 6 slices of bread makes 4 cups of bread cubes depending on the thickness of each slice
  • Cutting the bread into smaller cubes will allow more flavors to blend in every bite
  • I prefer the Pepperidge Farm Herb Seasoned Stuffing to mix in with the dried bread. The pieces rather than cubes of stuffing make a smoother and more consistent finished dish. I also enjoy how the pieces are already seasoned with herbs.
  • If the dressing is being baked well ahead of the meal and will need to hold covered in foil be sure to add a little extra chicken broth so that it doesn’t dry out
  • This recipe creates a fairly thin layer of dressing in the pan. Doubling the recipe in the same pan is not recommended as it will greatly affecting baking time.
  • Eggs add a special richness to this dressing recipe and help all of the other ingredients to stick together.

Ingredients Needed to Make Dressing

  • Dried bread cubes or day old bread
  • Herb seasoned stuffing
  • Chicken broth
  • Onion
  • Celery
  • Eggs
  • Butter
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How to Make Grandma’s Dressing Recipe

Use day old bread or fresh bread, cut up enough bread to make 4 cups of cubes.

A mini food processor is the best way to finely chop and blend the celery and onion.

This will help even out these flavors into an enjoyable undertone instead of creating random chunks with bigger bursts of flavor.

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Measure out ingredients and pour into a mixing bowl. Stir well and pour into a lightly greased 9 x 13 inch baking pan.

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Be sure to preheat the oven to 350°F. Do not cover the pan and set in the oven.

Bake until the edges are lightly browned and the center is beginning to set.

Grandma's Dressing Recipe (8)

More Delicious Holiday Recipes

Here are a few other of the best side dishes from our family Jiffy Corn Pudding, Crock Pot Loaded Cauliflower Casserole, and Farmhouse Loaded Potatoes. We hope you enjoy these recipes as much as we do!

Click HERE to sign-up for our weekly newsletter to get more easy and delicious recipes!

Printable Grandma’s Farmhouse Dressing Recipe

Grandma's Dressing Recipe (9)

Farmhouse Dressing Recipe

I may not make big meals on a regular basis, but I certainly want to preserve the tried and true recipes like this Farmhouse Dressing Recipe that has been served around farm houses in our family for generations.

5 from 4 votes

Print Pin Rate

Course: Side Dish

Cuisine: American

Keyword: Grandma’s Dressing Recipe

Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 45 minutes minutes

Total Time: 1 hour hour

Servings: 12 people

Calories: 242kcal

Author: Jennifer @ Plowing Through Life

Ingredients

  • 4 cups day old bread cubed
  • 4 cups herb seasoned cubed stuffing
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 stick butter
  • 1 cup celery
  • 1/2 cup onion
  • 2 cups turkey broth

Instructions

  • Cut 4 cups of bread into cubes and leave out, uncovered overnight to dry out.

  • Add celery and onion to the food processor and make smooth.

  • Mix all ingredients together and bake in a 350 degree F oven for 45 minutes until just brown around the edges and slightly firm in the center.

Video

Notes

  • If using plain bread cubes add 1/2 teaspoon poultry seasoning and 1/2 teaspoon sage to the dressing.
  • Put celery and onion in food processor to make a smoother, more consistent texture for the dressing – I have a mini Cuisinart that works great
  • Cutting the bread into smaller cubes will allow more flavors to blend in every bite
  • I prefer the Pepperidge Farm Herb Seasoned Stuffing to mix in with the dried bread. The pieces rather than cubes of stuffing make a smoother and more consistent finished dish. I also enjoy how the pieces are already seasoned with herbs.
  • If the dressing is being baked well ahead of the meal and will need to hold covered in foil be sure to add a little extra chicken broth so that it doesn’t dry out
  • This recipe creates a fairly thin layer of dressing in the pan. Doubling the recipe in the same pan is not recommended as it will greatly affecting baking time and may make it difficult for the center to finish baking.

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Nutrition

Calories: 242kcal | Carbohydrates: 25g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 14g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Cholesterol: 20mg | Sodium: 634mg | Potassium: 146mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 482IU | Vitamin C: 3mg | Calcium: 57mg | Iron: 1mg

Tried this recipe?Follow me@PlowingThroughLife and mention #PlowingThroughLife!

Grandma's Dressing Recipe (14)

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Grandma's Dressing Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What is traditional dressing made of? ›

Dressing: Dressing typically includes ingredients like cornbread, white bread, or biscuits, mixed with vegetables, herbs, spices, and sometimes sausage or other meats. It is often moistened with broth or stock and baked in a casserole dish until it forms a crust on top.

What is the difference between turkey stuffing and turkey dressing? ›

"Stuffing is cooked in the cavity of the turkey, so the juices soak into the ingredients, making it more flavorful. Dressing gets cooked on its own and needs extra liquid to make it flavorful." So stuffing is cooked inside the bird. Dressing is cooked outside the bird, usually in a casserole dish.

Who calls it dressing vs stuffing? ›

Some people insist that it should be called dressing when it hasn't actually been stuffed inside a bird. But many people insist on one term or the other regardless of how it's prepared or what's in it. The term dressing is most commonly used in the South, but it's popular in pockets throughout the US.

What are the following ingredient you need to make the dressing? ›

Hot-process spoonable salad dressings are typically made by cooking starch, vinegar, salt, sugar and water to a paste, cooling the paste, and adding the remaining ingredients. The oil is added last, typically with egg yolks, whites or another emulsifier.

What are the three 3 kinds of dressing? ›

In Western culture, there are three basic types of salad dressing: Vinaigrette; Creamy dressings, usually based on mayonnaise or fermented milk products, such as yogurt, sour cream (crème fraîche, smetana), buttermilk; Cooked dressings, which resemble creamy dressings, but are usually thickened by adding egg yolks and ...

What do they call stuffing in the south? ›

But for the Thanksgiving side dish in the South, the term dressing was adopted in place of stuffing, which was viewed as a crude term, during the Victorian era. Although dressing and stuffing are interchangeable terms, the signature ingredient of this Thanksgiving side dish in the South is cornbread.

Should you stuff a turkey or cook stuffing separately? ›

Here's an important Thanksgiving food safety tip that will surprise many: USDA doesn't recommend stuffing a whole turkey. The practice increases the risk of cross-contamination and takes the turkey longer to cook. Cook stuffing separately instead.

Is stuffing the same as dressing for black people? ›

The stuffing mixture may be cooked separately and served as a side dish, in which case it may still be called 'stuffing', or in some regions, such as the Southern US, 'dressing'. This is from Wiki. Basically, everyone except a tiny percentage of Black people with family in Alabama calls it stuffing.

Why put eggs in stuffing? ›

Broth: Chicken broth keeps the stuffing moist without making it soggy. Eggs: Two lightly beaten eggs help hold the dressing together and add moisture. Water: You can add a few tablespoons of water, if you'd like, to achieve your desired consistency.

Why does my stuffing come out mushy? ›

You'll need day-old loaves to get stale so that the stuffing doesn't get too mushy. Don't cube that bread! Ragged, imperfect pieces of bread have more surface area; it's those nooks and crannies that give you good texture. Speaking of texture, that's what stuffing is all about--you want a mix of crispy and soft pieces.

Why is my dressing gummy? ›

If your dressing doesn't turn out right, don't fret. You can usually fix it. If you find your stuffing is too dry, add additional warmed broth to it, stir well, and return to the oven, checking periodically. If the stuffing is overly wet and too gummy, cook it uncovered for a bit longer, checking periodically.

What do British people call stuffing? ›

In England, a stuffing is sometimes made of minced pork shoulder seasoned with various ingredients, such as sage, onion, bread, chestnuts, dried apricots, and dried cranberries. The stuffing mixture may be cooked separately and served as a side dish. This may still be called stuffing or it may be called dressing.

What do Texans call stuffing? ›

Dressing is more commonly used to refer to the dish in the South, while stuffing is the more frequently used term in the North, Southern Living reported.

What do Northerners call stuffing? ›

Both dressing and stuffing are side dishes served at most Thanksgiving tables. It depends on the part of the country you are from as to what you call it. Those in the south use the term dressing interchangeably; whereas those in the northern states generally refer to the dish as stuffing.

What is salad dressing made of? ›

Here's my master salad dressing that I use as a base for every salad! You just need 1 tbsp vinegar, 3 tbsp oil and 1/2 tsp mustard. Finish with salt and pepper, or choose from any number of flavourings – garlic, fresh or dried herbs, pinch of spice, touch of honey.

What is the common ingredient in cooked dressings? ›

Cooked Salad Dressings

Salad dressing is the emulsified semisolid product prepared from ingredients such as those of mayonnaise plus cooked (or partially cooked) starch paste prepared with a food starch, tapioca, wheat or rye flour, or any two or more of these.

What is traditional stuffing made of turkey? ›

The BEST traditional Thanksgiving Stuffing recipe is easy to make dried bread cubes, sausage, diced vegetables, and chicken broth. It's a great side dish to make ahead of time and it definitely tastes best homemade! Pair this easy homemade stuffing with our popular turkey recipe, homemade rolls, and Thanksgiving pie.

What is the most common salad dressing? ›

Ranch dressing takes the number one spot as America's most popular salad dressing. It's so popular that it's used beyond enhancing a salad. Ranch is a favorite dipping sauce for vegetables, chips, French fries, chicken wings, onion rings, chicken fingers, pizza, and pretty much anything else that's edible.

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