Makeover Cornbread Dressing

[ 1 ] 11/22/2009 | Christy

I don’t know about you, but cornbread dressing is THE reason I look forward to Thanksgiving. Okay, so I really look forward to ALL the food. Seriously. I grew up in a family where traditions are strong, especially traditional holiday meals. My grandma always, always made homemade cornbread dressing, and I was by her side each year learning the “secret” recipe. You see, it wasn’t written down, it only existed in her memory, and now mine.

This year, I’m still making our traditional cornbread dressing, but I am going to make a few minor adjustments to make it a little more healthy. I actually came across this recipe in the Taste of Home Healthy Cooking Turkey and Trimmings magazine, and it gave me some great ideas! This recipe is very close to my family recipe, except we don’t use any white bread, only homemade cornbread. We also don’t put pecans in our dressing, so I’ll omit those as well. All-in-all, I think this recipe is pretty close, and I know it’s so much lower in calories!!

ENJOY!

Makeover Cornbread Dressing

Gather
1-1/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup yellow cornmeal
1/4 cup sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 egg
1 cup fat-free milk
2 tablespoons canola oil
2 tablespoons unsweetened applesauce

DRESSING:
2 celery ribs, finely chopped
1 large onion, finely chopped
1/2 cup chopped pecans
1/2 cup reduced-fat butter
6 cups cubed day-old bread (1/2-inch cubes)
2 eggs, beaten
1-1/2 teaspoons poultry seasoning
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
2-1/4 to 2-3/4 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth

Directions
In a large bowl, combine the first five ingredients. Combine the egg,
milk, oil and applesauce; stir into dry ingredients just until
moistened. Transfer to a 9-in. square baking pan coated with cooking
spray.

Bake at 400° for 15-18 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near
the center comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack. Place cubed bread
on baking sheets; bake for 5-7 minutes or until lightly browned.
Cool on a wire rack. Cut corn bread into 1/2-in. cubes; set aside.
In a large skillet, saute the celery, onion and pecans in butter
until vegetables are tender. Transfer to a large bowl. Stir in the
corn bread, cubed bread, eggs, seasonings and enough broth to reach
desired moistness (about 2-1/2 cups).

Transfer to a 13-in. x 9-in. baking dish coated with cooking spray.
Cover and bake at 350° for 35 minutes. Uncover; bake 8-10
minutes longer or until a thermometer reads 160° and top is
lightly browned.

Yield: 12 servings.

Source: Can be found at tasteofhome.com

Editor’s Note: This recipe was tested with Land O’Lakes light stick butter. It makes enough dressing to stuff a 12-pound turkey. If used to stuff poultry, replace the eggs in the dressing with 1/2 cup egg substitute. Bake until a meat thermometer reads 180° for poultry and 165° for dressing.

Nutrition Facts: 3/4 cup equals 267 calories, 12 g fat (4 g saturated fat), 67 mg cholesterol, 616 mg sodium, 33 g carbohydrate, 2 g fiber, 8 g protein.