Southern-Style Dressing
Southern-Style Dressing originally posted in 2014.
Post updated in 2019 with new pictures and recipe card!
I wanted to have a little Thanksgiving series on the blog for two reasons.
- All of these recipes are vegetarian AND Southern-inspired (a difficult combination to find). I have fiddled with the ratios and with veggie-friendly substitutions until I find the right balance of flavors that best represent the culture that I come from, as well as our deep-abiding commitment to good food.
- All of these dishes make about 4-6 servings, perfect for a somewhat smaller Thanksgiving table or young families.
Growing up, we would always travel up north to Decatur, Alabama for Thanksgiving. There, my Mimi would make the best dressing you’ll find east of the Mississippi! Even better, she’d make me a special, little dish of meat-free dressing — with no chicken broth. This is an edited version of the recipe that Mimi makes. For other vegetarian friendly Thanksgiving recipes, see my series here.
Before we get started with the recipe– a word about Southern terminology. Dressing is what we are making here. It will never ever go inside of a bird, and it is completely vegetarian! Stuffing is at some point inside of the turkey. It is never vegetarian, and often more crumbly than dressing. Southern-style dressing is very moist and really like nothing else you’ve ever tasted! Keep this in mind when you make the recipe- do not make it dry! It is not meant to be cake-y or like any other casserole, it is wetter than that and this is part of what makes the dish Southern and delicious!
Southern-Style Dressing
Ingredients
- 1/2 stick salted butter
- 1/3 medium, yellow onion
- 2 stalks celery
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon cajun seasoning
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon herbs d'Provence
- 10 medium-large fresh sage leaves
- 3 cups cornbread *see note
- 3 cups white or sourdough bread
- 1/3 cup vegetarian brown gravy **see note
- 1 1/4 cups vegetable broth
- 1 egg
Instructions
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Grease an 8×8 cake pan and preheat the oven to 350F.
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Melt the butter in a skillet over medium heat and dice the onion and celery.
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Sautee the onion and celery in the skillet until tender, about 5 minutes.
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Turn the heat to low and add in the salt, cajun seasoning, black pepper, and herbs d'Provence.
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Wash the sage leaves and chop them, or julienne with herb scissors.
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Add the sage to the pan and toss to combine. Continue warming over low heat for another few minutes.
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Cube the breads and put them into a large bowl. Top with gravy and 1 cup of vegetable broth, mixing until combined and the bread has begun to break down.
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Add the cooked vegetables and stir to combine.
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Mix in the egg and check the consistency. You want the mixture to be the consistency of a thick polenta or cooked grits. If it is too thick, add in the rest of the broth.
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Stir thoroughly and pour into the cake pan.
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Bake dressing for 45-50 minutes or until it is browned on the edges and solidified but still moist. Enjoy!
Recipe Notes
*For the cornbread, I usually make a full recipe of my Bahamian Johnny Cake. Half of this, cubed, is about 3 cups.
**For the gravy, I use my vegetarian brown gravy recipe.
***Recipe can be easily doubled and prepared in a 13×9 dish without any changes to baking.
