Southwestern-Style Spoonbread Dressing Recipe
Laurey W. Glenn
This gem of a recipe from our November 1994 issue will make a tasty addition to your holiday table, or a standout side dish on a weeknight. Made with crumbled cornbread and herb stuffing mix, and flavored with celery, onion, red bell pepper, cumin, and a touch of ground red pepper, the dish bakes up golden brown and aromatic. The moist, tender texture is like a cross between spoonbread and cornbread dressing. The recipe calls for cornbread baked fresh from two 8.5-ounce packaged mixes (such as Jiffy), but you can substitute your favorite cornbread recipe, store-bought cornbread, or even leftover cornbread. (You’ll need the equivalent of 12 to 16 corn muffins or a 9-inch by 9-inch baking pan of cornbread.) The dressing can also be made vegetarian by swapping out the condensed chicken broth for an equal amount of vegetable broth. You can also make this dish one day in advance—which is especially handy when you’re cooking for the holidays. Prepare the recipe according to the directions (omitting the garnishes), let it cool to room temperature, then store it, covered, in the refrigerator. Reheat before serving and top with red bell pepper strips and celery leaves.
How to Make It
Step 1
Prepare cornbread according to package directions; cool and crumble into a large bowl. Set aside.
Step 2
Cook cumin seeds in a large heavy skillet over medium heat, stirring constantly, 3 minutes or until seeds are more fragrant and lightly browned. Cool seeds and crush; set aside.
Step 3
Melt butter in skillet over medium heat; add celery and next 3 ingredients, and cook, stirring constantly, until tender.
Step 4
Stir celery mixture, crushed cumin, stuffing mix, and next 5 ingredients into crumbled cornbread.
Step 5
Spoon mixture into a lightly greased 13- x 9- x 2-inch baking dish. Bake at 350˚ for 1 hour and 15 minutes or until lightly browned. Garnish, if desired.
