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Does it matter to you if I call this stuffing or dressing? I think that technically anything not baked in the bird is called dressing. However, I associate the word dressing with the gloppy wet side dish my grandma made that I refused to eat. It didn’t look tasty.
So this may technically be dressing, but I call it stuffing. Either way, major yum!
I am a real fan of traditional stuffing. But I’m an even bigger fan of this unique and amazingly delicious wild rice and cornbread stuffing. The slightly nutty wild rice and slightly sweet cornbread make the perfect combination.
If you’re looking for something new to try, I highly suggest this recipe.
Wild Rice Cornbread Stuffing
Being from Minnesota, wild rice is nothing new. But when I lived in Georgia, I couldn’t even find it in stores. When I shared my mom’s recipe for wild rice soup, I went into some detail about what to expect taste and texture-wise with true wild rice. If you haven’t had it before, check that out for more information. And if you can’t find it in your grocery, you can order it online.
I came across the original recipe for this years ago. The idea of adding wild rice to stuffing intrigued me, and using cornbread added even more flavor. Ever since, I’ve made it almost every year for Thanksgiving, tweaking it somewhat over the years.
What makes this an easy recipe to pull together is that you can prepare both the wild rice and the cornbread in advance. Making the cornbread in advance also gives it a little time to dry out a bit, which is a good thing in this recipe.
I have made this with Jiffy Cornbread (delicious) but usually use my homemade cornbread recipe, doubled. I’ve included the recipe I follow below.
I also cook extra wild rice, freezing the excess. I figure I might as well cook the whole bag, since I’m making it. Carrot, onion, and celery sauteed up in some butter add flavor and richness.
Since my oven is filled with a turkey, I cook my stuffing in the crock pot. So it really is just mix it and forget it. I think it would be delicious baked in the oven, too, though.
I’m sharing with you my Thanksgiving-sized recipe for this stuffing. If you’re making it for a smaller crowd, and don’t want lots of leftovers, consider halving it. (Speaking of leftovers, though…sublime, just sublime).
Try it with a scoop of gravy over the top…that’s my favorite way to eat it. It’s makes for the perfect bite: a little sweet, nutty, salty. Perfection.
Here’s the recipe:
Ingredients
- 5-6 cups cooked wild rice (prepare according to package instructions, this usually takes 45-55 minutes)
- 8-10 cups crumbled cornbread (see recipe following this, or use 2 Jiffy mixes to make a 9x13 pan)
- 1 large onion, diced
- 1 carrot, diced
- 2 stalks celery, diced
- 1 1/2 - 2 cups chicken stock
- 1/2 cup butter + 2 Tblsp
- 2 tsp dried thyme
- 1 tsp salt (or to taste)
- 1/2 tsp pepper (or to taste)
Instructions
- Bake cornbread and leave, loosely covered until ready to make stuffing (up to 48 hours)
- Crumble cornbread
- Combine cornbread and wild rice in slow cooker
- Saute carrot, onion, and celery in 1/2 cup butter until softened (5-10 minutes)
- Add additional 2 Tblsp butter and let melt
- Add vegetable and butter mixture to slow cooker and stir gently to combine
- Sprinkle with thyme, salt and pepper
- Drizzle one cup of chicken stock over the top and stir gently
- Keep adding until mixture is slightly moist (up to 2 cups total)
- Cover and cook on low for 5-6 hours, stirring once half way through
- Alternately, you could bake this in the oven at 375 for 30 minutes
- Cornbread recipe:
- 1 1/3 cup flour
- 1 cup cornmeal
- 6 Tbsp sugar
- 2 Tbsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 2 eggs
- 2/3-1 cup milk
- 4 Tbsp vegetable oil
- Mix dry ingredients. Add eggs, oil and 2/3 cup milk. If mixture is too tight, add additional milk, up to 1 cup total. Spray a 9x13 baking dish and spread mixture in it. Bake at 400 degrees for 18-20 minutes, or until lightly browned.
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