Southern Cornbread Dressing Recipe – Granny Moore’s Dressing

Do you stuff or dress your turkey? I prefer to dress. What better way to dress your turkey than using a southern cornbread dressing recipe!

Every Thanksgiving, we prepare Granny Moore’s Dressing, a southern cornbread dressing recipe, at our family gathering. It is a timeless, southern traditional recipe that has been handed down through the generations of the Moore Clan. It is wonderfully moist and full of flavor. It is personally one of my most favorite dishes I look forward to having on Thanksgiving Day.

I was recently asked by City View Magazine, in Fayetteville, North Carolina, to write their holiday food feature on dressing recipes.  I was so excited, flattered, and delighted! This would be my first article in print and they were using my photographs! I, of course, accepted the challenge.

There was no way I could not include my grandmother-in-law’s recipe in the article. It has been in my husband’s family for many years and they always, always, always have Granny’s Dressing on Thanksgiving.  I also included a Pumpkin and Chorizo Dressing, and an Individual Bread Dressing with Pears, Bacon, Blue Cheese, and Caramelized Onions that I created for the magazine. I would be so pleased if you  read the full article “To Stuff or to Dress.”

Southern cornbread dressing

I really didn’t like cornbread dressing growing up. I think the first time I had ever liked it was when I first had Granny’s Southern Cornbread Dressing…. It was so moist and creamy. It had the “soul food” kind of flavor that made you feel all good inside. I fell in love with it instantly. I kept going back for seconds, then thirds, then leftovers… It was sooooo GOOD! It is such a treasured heirloom that I was almost scared to publicly share it.  After all, to get the recipe, I had to marry into the family!

When I married my husband, I received Granny’s handmade recipe book, which included this southern cornbread dressing recipe. As you can see, she didn’t use exact measurements. She tasted and adjusted her dishes until they were to her liking. Therefore, trying to replicate her exact dressing wasn’t an easy task. I called a couple of her daughters and sons to see how they made it and their answers varied also…

How to make the perfect Southern Cornbread Dressing for Thanksgiving:

Here are the tips and tricks from Granny on how to make Southern Cornbread Dressing:

• Ballard Cornbread Mix is no longer available. Martha White claims to use the Ballard Recipe, but some family members just use Jiffy. Either cornbread mix will work.
• For sure, she ALWAYS used Herbed Seasoned Pepperidge Farm Stuffing Mix. (If you want to make yours from scratch, try this recipe.)
• The dressing will appear and feel soupy when you mix it, and that is how it is supposed to be! (See image above.)
• Granny sliced butter for it to melt evenly on the dish when baking (pats of butter). This gives it an amazing buttery topping.(See image above.)

Juanita Moore, aka “Granny Moore” with my daughter, Caroline playing dress up

Granny Moore is no longer here with us, but her traditions of family gathering and preparation of her southern cornbread dressing recipe still carry on.

The family was of the MOST important to Granny. She always had time, love, hugs, and kisses for all her family members. We spent many, many Sunday afternoons visiting with her. My kids had countless days of endless playtime in her living room. They were spoiled rotten by her.  And she always ended our visits with hugs, kisses, and “I love you” in her southern drawl.

We miss her dearly. Creating her treasured dressing recipe every year reminds us of the happy memories and special times we shared with her.  I hope you enjoy it as much as we do.

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Southern Cornbread Dressing Recipe - Granny Moore's Dressing

Every Thanksgiving, we prepare Granny Moore's Dressing, a southern cornbread dressing recipe. This timeless recipe has been handed down through our family.

Course Side Dish

Cuisine American

Keyword Southern cornbread dressing

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 40 minutes

Total Time 50 minutes

Servings 12

Calories 83kcal

Author Juanita Moore

Ingredients

• 7.5 oz Martha White Cornbread Mix
• 1 large onion or 2 small onions finely chopped
• 15 oz can evaporated milk or 3 (5oz) small cans
• 1 sleeve package of saltine crackers crumbled
• 1 package Pepperidge Farms Stuffing Mix
• 32 ounces turkey or chicken broth
• 1 stick of butter thinly sliced

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 350.
• Prepare and cook cornbread mix according to directions.
• After cornbread is cooked, crumble cornbread into a large mixing bowl.
• Add in the finely chopped onion, milk, crumbled crackers, Pepperidge Farms Mix, and Broth. Mix well. It should be soupy.
• Place dressing mix in a large 13x9 in baking dish.
• Slice butter into several small pieces and evenly arrange slices of butter on top of dressing. (This keeps the top from drying out and creates a nice buttery taste.)
• Bake uncovered at 350 for about 40 minutes. You do not want it to dry out.
• Allow it to set for 10 minutes before serving.

Nutrition

Calories: 83kcal | Carbohydrates: 14g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 2g | Sodium: 452mg | Potassium: 33mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 3.6% | Vitamin C: 0.8% | Calcium: 1.2% | Iron: 2.6%