The Best Traditional Herbed Dressing

Home » In the Kitchen » The Best Traditional Herbed Dressing

As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases. Posts may contain affiliate links.

How to make delicious, traditional herbed dressing, baked in a pan.

When I began making my turkey in the method that I do, it meant no longer stuffing it with one of my favorite Thanksgiving side dishes. I spend the next several years trying to figure out just how to replicate the flavor and getting the technique just right. I finally have it zeroed in and have mastered it.

How to make delicious, traditional herbed dressing, baked in a pan.

First of all, I am calling this “dressing.” Growing up, I always called this same exact dish, “stuffing.”

What is the difference? Easy.

Dressing is when it is baked in a dish. Stuffing is when it is stuffed in the turkey or chicken… stuffed. Simple, right?

How to make delicious, traditional herbed dressing, baked in a pan.

When making this dish, it generally uses chicken broth for the moisture. However, if you make your own turkey stock, like I do, I highly recommend using the turkey stock instead of chicken broth. It perfectly replicates that flavor of being stuffed and baked inside the turkey.

How to make delicious, traditional herbed dressing, baked in a pan.

Click Here to See how to make your own Turkey Stock.

Check out this Dressing Patty Recipe from Aunt Bee’s Recipes.

How to make delicious, traditional herbed dressing, baked in a pan.

Did You Make This Recipe? I would love for you to rate it in the recipe card, and I’d love to hear your thoughts!

How to make delicious, traditional herbed dressing, baked in a pan.

Traditional Herbed Dressing

Constance Smith - Cosmopolitan Cornbread
How to make delicious, traditional herbed dressing, baked in a pan.
5 from 4 votes
Prep Time 12 hours
Cook Time 52 minutes
Total Time 12 hours 52 minutes
Course Side Dishes
Servings 10
Calories 553 kcal

Ingredients
  

  • 8 cups bread, cubed (I use a mix of sour dough, wheat, and rye)
  • 1 onion, diced
  • 3 stalks celery, diced
  • 1/4 c butter, unsalted
  • 1 tsp dry thyme, or 1 Tb fresh thyme leaves, minced
  • 1 tsp dry sage, or 1 Tb fresh sage leaves, minced
  • 1 tsp dry parsley, or 1 Tb fresh parsley leaves, minced
  • 1/2 tsp sea salt
  • 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
  • 2/3 c raisins, optional
  • 3 1/2 cups chicken broth or turkey stock, divided (quantity may vary, see instructions)

Instructions
 

  • To begin, your bread will need to be fairly dry. The day before you will be making your dressing, cube the bread and spread it out on 2 baking sheets in a single layer. Cover it with thin tea towels and let it sit overnight to air dry.
  • The next day, heat your oven to 400 degrees.
  • Bake the cubed bread for about 10-12 minutes or until they are just beginning to get toasted and a touch golden on the edges.
  • Transfer the toasted bread to a large bowl.
  • Combine the butter, diced onion and celery in a saucepan and simmer it together on low heat until the onions and celery are just tender, about 5 minutes.
  • Pour the onion mixture all over the bread cubes.
  • Sprinkle the seasonings all over the bread cubes.
  • Add in the raisins.
  • Gently stir or toss them all together.
  • Add in about 2 1/2 cups of the broth, all over the dressing mixture. Gently fold the ingredients together to moisten the bread cubes. You want them to be moist, but not soggy. Only add the additional broth if it is needed. Do not over -stir the mixture.
  • Spread the dressing in a greased 9x13 baking dish.
  • Cover it tightly with foil and bake for 20 minutes.
  • Remove the foil and bake another 15-20 minutes or until the dressing is golden brown and crispy around the edges.
  • Enjoy!

Nutrition

Calories: 553kcalCarbohydrates: 103gProtein: 21gFat: 7gSaturated Fat: 2gPolyunsaturated Fat: 3gMonounsaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 1mgSodium: 1410mgPotassium: 520mgFiber: 9gSugar: 12gVitamin A: 26IUVitamin C: 8mgCalcium: 281mgIron: 7mg

Nutritional information is auto-generated and the accuracy is not guaranteed.

Did You Try This?I'd Love For You to Share it on Instagram and tag me! @CosmopolitanCornbread

6 thoughts on “The Best Traditional Herbed Dressing”

  1. Hi Constance,
    Thanks so much for all the lovely recipes. <3
    In looking over your scrumptious looking Traditional Herbed Dressing, I'm not sure if it's my computer, or if your instructions are in fact incomplete. I can only read through step 3…I'm guessing that I can figure it out, but since the bread is toasted, I'm not sure how long the baking time is. I want to set a timer and forget it as Thanksgiving dinner is a hectic time for me!
    Thanks for checking this out. I, too, roast an unstuffed bird and this recipe looks yummy! I'm looking for something different than my usual bread/cornbread dressing and would love to give yours a go!
    Love what you do! Keep up the great job of combining recipes, life and faith!!

    Reply
  2. The recipe sounds amazing, but I don’t like all the spicy. I make my moms and she used green pepper in it too, water not broth to moisten the bread. Egg and butter to fry the veggies in. I still stuff a chicken or turkey. I don’t make turkey anymore too much. I don’t know why they tell you not to stuff it anymore, we have done for years and never had a problem. Thank you for your recipes.

    Reply

Leave a Comment

Recipe Rating




This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.