Crockpot Thanksgiving Dressing

Mashed potatoes and dressing/stuffing are as essential to your Thanksgiving meal as the turkey.  One of the biggest fears of a Thanksgiving cook is how to get every dish finished on time. Cue the heavenly hosts. I have your answer. This Crockpot Thanksgiving Dressing has been a lifesaver to my arsenal of holiday recipes since my mom shared it with me a few years ago.

The key to this tasty side dish, is that it is made ahead of time.

You heard me!

Made. Ahead. Of. Time.

Just like my Mom’s Make Ahead Mashed Potatoes, I shared last year on the blog, this recipe is made a day or two in advance saving time and precious oven space.

Usually the Tuesday before Thanksgiving is my “prep” day. I chop vegetables, cook the sausage, etc. Then the day before Thanksgiving I slow roast the dressing ingredients.

At this point the dressing is completely cooked and ready to eat. But, since Thanksgiving isn’t for another 24 hours, I let the dressing cool and place it into a sealed container in the refrigerator.

On the big day, after the pies have baked and the turkey is in the oven cooking away. I place the dressing that was baked the day before, into a crockpot, turn on low, and add a bit more chicken broth.

Slowly, over the course of the afternoon, the dressing heats plus does not take up any extra oven space.

Now you have extra time for that glass of wine while playing board games with your family.

Which is also a very important activity on your Thanksgiving to do list.

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Crockpot Thanksgiving Dressing

Course Side Dish

Cuisine American

Prep Time 20 minutes

Cook Time 2 hours

Servings 16

Ingredients

• 2 bags (12oz) Cubed Stuffing Mix, white and wheat bread
• 1/2 lb Sausage, cooked and drained*
• 4 Celery Stalks, diced
• 1 cup Diced Onion
• 4 cups Milk
• 2 Eggs, beaten
• 4-8 tbsp Butter
• 1-2 cartons (32oz) Low-Sodium Chicken Broth

Instructions

1. Into a large roasting pan, stir together cubed stuffing mix, sausage, diced celery, and diced onion.

2. In a saucepan over medium heat, bring milk to a low simmer. Once heated, pour over stuffing mix, sausage, celery, and onion. Salt and pepper to taste.

3. Add in beaten eggs and stir to combine. 

4. Top dressing with 4 tablespoons of butter before placing roasting pan into oven heated to 325 degrees F. 

5. Bake dressing for 2-3 hours, stirring every 30 minutes. At which time, continue adding more butter and chicken broth, until the dressing reaches your desired consistency. 

6. Notes: After baking, the dressing can be cooled and placed into a storage container in the refrigerator. When ready to reheat, place mixture into a slow cooker and heat over low, stirring occasionally. If mixture becomes too dry add more chicken broth. 

7. *Substitute the sausage for cooked ground beef. Or do a 50/50 combination of sausage and ground beef.