Bayou Thanksgiving Sides
No more boxed mixes, canned vegetables, and canned soup. These homemade sides will be the stars of your Thanksgiving table.
Cajun Cornbread Dressing
Yield: 8-inch pan; recipe doubles easily into a 9×13-inch pan
Ingredients for cornbread:
- ½ cup Yellow cornmeal
- 1 ½ cups All-purpose flour
- ½ cup White sugar
- 1 tablespoon Baking powder
- ½ teaspoon Kosher salt
- ⅓ cup Neutral oil
- 3 tablespoons Unsalted butter (melted)
- 2 eggs Beaten
- 1 ¼ cups Whole milk
Method for cornbread:
- Preheat oven to 350°
- Add dry ingredients into a large bowl and mix.
- Make a well in the dry ingredients and stir in oil, butter, eggs, and milk.
- Stir until just combined. Batter may have some small lumps.
- Grease an 8-inch, square pan.
- Bake at 350° for 35-40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.
- Allow to cool completely.
- Note: Cornbread can be made up to 3 days prior.
Ingredients for dressing:
- 2 tablespoons Neutral cooking oil
- 1 lb Ground beef (80/20 fat content)
- 1 lb Savoie’s Dressing Mix (thawed)
- 1 medium Yellow onion (chopped)
- 3-4 cloves Garlic (chopped)
- 1 cup Water or chicken stock
- 2 tablespoons Louisiana Love Seasoning Blends
- 1 cup Green onions (sliced)
Method for dressing:
- Place a large, heavy pot over medium-high heat and add oil.
- Once hot, add ground beef and cook until browned and crumbled.
- Add Savoie’s, onions, garlic, and water.
- Reduce heat to medium, cover, and cook for about 10 minutes.
- Mixture should be soupy.
- Reduce heat to low, and start to add piece of cornbread, using the back of the spoon to break the pieces and incorporate.
- Note: Wait 2-3 minutes after each addition of cornbread to allow it to be fully absorbed.
- The final consistency should be very moist, but hold its shape when spooned.
- Taste and adjust seasoning.
- Turn off heat and stir in green onions.
- Keep covered until served.
Homemade green bean casserole:
Yield: 8-inch square pan
Ingredients:
- 2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons kosher salt, divided, plus more to taste
- 1 lb Frozen green beans
- 1 large Yellow onion (chopped)
- 5 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 12 ounces Mushrooms (thickly sliced)
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/3 cup All-purpose flour
- 2 cups unsalted chicken broth
- 2 tablespoons Steen’s cane vinegar
- Louisiana Love Seasoning Blends to taste
- 2 cups Frenches Fried onions
Method:
- Preheat oven to 350º.
- Thaw green beans and dry with several sheets of paper towels.
- Melt the butter in a large, heavy pot over medium-high heat. Add the mushrooms, onions, and cook, stirring frequently for about 10 minutes until the mushrooms have browned.
- Add the garlic stirring constantly, about 30 seconds.
- Sprinkle the flour over the mushrooms, and stir until the flour is completely incorporated, about 2 minutes.
- Add the vinegar to the stock, then slowly add stock stirring well, and cooking until well thickened.
- Reduce heat to low and cook about 10 minutes.
- Add Louisiana Love to taste.
- Stir in the green beans then transfer to greased casserole, top with fried onions.
- Bake for 30-35 minutes until onions are brown and dish is bubbling.
Stay hungry.