Food, Fermentation, & Feral Parenting

Easy 4 Ingredient Slow Cooker Thanksgiving Dressing

Slow Cooker Thanksgiving Dressing is simple, delicious, and the perfect accompaniment to your holiday feast.

My mom has been making the same turkey stuffing since before I was born. For me, nothing compares to my mom’s moist stuffing with a satisfying walnut crunch. She has always insisted that cooking stuffing in the bird is the only way to do it right. However, when my husband decided to smoke our Thanksgiving turkey in his smoker 3 years in a row, I couldn’t stand to miss out on my mom’s turkey stuffing, so I altered her recipe for the slow cooker. It was so easy to throw together on my busiest cooking day of the year, and it tasted just like mom’s; I’ve never looked back!

What is the difference between dressing and stuffing?

When you cook your breading inside your turkey the result is called stuffing. When you cook it separately, such is in your slow cooker as this recipe calls for, the final product is called dressing. There’s a lot of controversy surrounding which method is superior. My mom insists that cooking stuffing in the bird is the only way to go. I taste little difference between my mom’s stuffing and my dressing version of her recipe in the slow cooker.

Why make dressing instead of stuffing?

While I’ve never gotten sick from eating my mom’s stuffing, it is often advised not to cook your stuffing inside the turkey. Cooking a stuffed turkey often takes longer, not something I have time for on a busy day like Thanksgiving, and even when the meat is fully cooked, the stuffing sometimes might not be. This increases the risk of foodborne illnesses like salmonella.

How to make slow cooker Thanksgiving dressing

This easy recipe calls for only 4 simple ingredients, making it a convenient addition to your Thanksgiving spread when your oven and stovetop are already at max capacity.

Pour 24 oz of Pepperidge Farm Herb Seasoned Stuffing (in the blue box/bag) into a large mixing bowl. Mix in 8 cups of bone broth. Stir in 1 cup of chopped walnuts and 1 cup chopped celery. Pour the mixture into your slow cooker.

uncooked stuffing mix, celery, bone broth, and walnuts in the bottom of a slow cooker

Cook your Thanksgiving dressing in the slow cooker for 4 hours on low.

Thanksgiving dressing in a white bowl with a wooden serving spoon sits on a fall themed tablecloth

Serve alongside your Thanksgiving turkey, mashed potatoes, deviled eggs, fried apples, and sweet potato casserole.

Little Cooks Corner

Little chefs in training of any age can assist with this recipe by using a Montessori knife to chop the celery. Let your little helper pour the ingredients into a large mixing bowl and mix with a wooden spoon or rubber spatula. Children 3 and up can also assist by pouring the dressing mixture into the slow cooker and turning the slow cooker on.

Feedback

Did this slow cooker Thanksgiving dressing make it to your holiday table this year? Let me know how it turned out in the comments!

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three pictures of slow cooker thanksgiving dressing are overlaid by orange fall leaves and the text thanksgiving dressing in the slow cooker just 4 ingredients

More Thanksgiving Recipes

Easy 4 Ingredient Slow Cooker Thanksgiving Dressing

Difficulty:BeginnerPrep time: 5 minutesCook time:4 hours Rest time: minutesTotal time:4 hours 5 minutesServings: servingsCalories: kcal Best Season:Fall

Description

Slow Cooker Thanksgiving Dressing is simple, delicious, and the perfect accompaniment to your holiday feast.

Ingredients

Instructions

  1. Combine stuffing mix in a large bowl with bone broth, chopped walnuts, and chopped celery. Mix well.
  2. Pour dressing mixture into your slow cooker.
  3. Cook on low for 4 hours.
Keywords:holiday, side dish, side dishes, thanksgiving

6 responses to “Easy 4 Ingredient Slow Cooker Thanksgiving Dressing”

  1. A Thanksgiving recipe in the crockpot is genius!! Thank you for sharing!

  2. Sounds delicious with walnuts added!

  3. Great recipe! You had me at “Thanksgiving dressing!”🤩

  4. THIS LOOKS AMAZING! I can’t wait to try it.

  5. I love having a slow cooker option!

  6. omgosh! I can’t wait for thanksgivng. Pepperidge farm is my favorite-and I make it almost the same as you but with celery and carrots cut into small pieces. Yum! Thanks for the great recipe!

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