Vegan Cornbread Dressing

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 1 20

Drying the cornbread 8

Total Time 1 35

Servings:10 servings

Author: Lori Rasmussen, My Quiet Kitchen

This vegan cornbread dressing is made with your choice of buttery Southern-Style Cornbread or Oil-Free Cornbread, plus sautéed vegetables, broth, thyme and sage. A new classic! Gluten-free and oil-free options.

Ingredients
US Customary | Metric

1 batch Oil-Free Cornbread, left out overnight to dry (tap for recipe) or ¾ batch of our Southern-Style Vegan Cornbread (linked above)
4 to 5 slices sturdy whole-grain bread, crusts removed, cubed - or your favorite gluten-free bread
1 tablespoon olive oil, optional - omit for oil-free
1 large onion, chopped
5 to 6 ribs celery, chopped - should equal about 1 ½ cups
10 ounces cremini mushrooms, chopped, optional
5 to 6 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon dried thyme
½ teaspoon ground sage
freshly cracked black pepper
pinch of sea salt
1 tablespoon Better Than Bouillon No-Chicken Base dissolved in 4 cups warm water or 4 cups salty vegetable broth (oil-free option) - for strict gluten-free, Better Than Bouillon does not claim to be GF, so substitute suitable veg broth

Instructions

The day before you plan to make dressing, cut the cornbread into squares and leave out overnight to dry. I like to place the cornbread in a large storage container with the lid slightly askew, not closed tight. Tip: see tips in post above for same day quick-dry instructions.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees and lightly oil a 9 x 13 (3 Qt.) or 10 ½ x 7 ½ (2.5 Qt.) casserole dish. Also preheat a sauté pan over medium heat.
Add the oil and onions to the sauté pan and cook until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the celery and mushrooms and cook until the mushrooms are softened, 8 to 10 minutes. Add the garlic and cook 1 minute, stirring frequently. Add the thyme, sage, black pepper and a generous pinch of salt, and stir to combine. Remove from heat.
Crumble about half of the cornbread into the prepared casserole dish (texture can vary from crumbs to some larger chunks). Add the bread cubes, sautéed vegetables, remaining cornbread, and pepper (if using) and carefully stir to combine. Add just enough vegetable broth so that everything is well-soaked but not overly soupy, 3 to 4 cups.
Cover the dish tightly with foil, and bake for 30 minutes. Remove foil and bake for another 30 to 40 minutes or until lightly browned on top and hot in the center. Cover again if the top begins to look too brown before the center is done.
Remove from oven and let stand for a few minutes. Serve hot.

Notes

If using a 9 x 13 inch casserole dish, cooking time may be slightly reduced. This also depends on how dry your cornbread is. Just test the center, using a butter knife, skewer, or chopstick, for heat and moisture. When done it should still be moist inside but not soupy.

Store leftover cornbread dressing in the refrigerator for up to 5 days or freeze for up to 2 months.

Nutrition