When I was little this was always on the holiday table but I didn’t love it because of my feelings about celery. I like celery as an adult–this recipe rules!! I’m so glad I’ve been open to changing my mind about things life is a lot better now that I’m adaptable and enjoying my unique experience on the planet.
This recipe is DELICIOUS and really amenable to lots of dietary needs.
This is sized for a crowd. I’m doing dinner with five total so I’ll cut everything in half.
INGREDIENTS
1 Bag Fritos Corn Chips (The Trader Joe’s faux fritos are even better in my opinion) crumbled up in a bag to nearly crumb texture–this is a fun job for a little one to help with
1 Bag Cornbread Crumbs (the vagueness of the original recipe is wild–I have made this recipe many times just doubling the amount of fritos–but I assume a box of GF cornbread mix baked up could become cornbread crumbs / this is what I’m trying this year)
1-2 quarts of stock (chicken stock usually but could easily be veggie stock, and the estimate is just because this is a throw it together not specific recipe)
4 whipped eggs (you could substitute a cup of apple sauce for vegan! And I have forgotten this before and it’s tasted great anyway)
2 stalks celery (finely diced–also go wild if you want more!)
1 cup shredded carrots
1 small onion finely diced
1 lb of cooked crispy bacon finely diced (can omit, could substitute ground sausage, both are delicious but I rarely do a meat version bc there’s usually a couple vegetarians attending my meal)
2 small cans water chestnuts (you buy it sliced and then you drain the can and chop it up some more)
Seasonings! I never measure but usually use sage, black pepper, probably chop some fresh herbs from the garden like thyme, oregano but honestly don’t need much
METHOD
- Place all your crumbs in a bowl, pour stock over the crumbs to just above the crumb line and let it hang out while you chop the rest of the ingredients. (If you don’t let it soak for awhile it will still be fine but this is where it stays super flavorful and I’ll use this word–moist.)
- Add all chopped ingredients to the soaked crumbs and mix. Add whipped eggs.
- Put it in a wide flat casserole dish greased with butter or olive oil.
- Bake at 350 degrees Farenheit for 45 minutes or so. This is flexible and makes it a great holiday casserole for her very flexible cook time. Does it look done? Probably is.
I have never cooked this inside a turkey, proceed with that at your own risk. Fantastic holiday side dish!!