What Is Crock-Pot® Dressing?

Crock-Pot® dressing is bread-based stuffing that is simmered for several hours in a slow-cooker. Long cooking times over low heat help the spices and liquid in most Crock-Pot® dressing recipes combine and marry with very little work on the part of the cook. Making dressing this way not only eliminates the need to stuff a chicken or turkey, it may also be a make-ahead time-saver for cooks in a rush. This may be especially important on harvest holidays, like Thanksgiving in North America.

Making Crock-Pot® dressing, or stuffing, almost always starts with bread. Many recipes call for white bread, but cooks may use any kind of bread they like best. Rye, pumpernickel, whole grain, potato bread, and even cornbread are all acceptable bases. In fact, some cooks might enjoy playing with different combinations of bread each time they make this recipe.

Cooks should typically keep in mind, especially when experimenting, that the flavor of the bread base generally dictates what the other flavors in the Crock-Pot® dressing should be. The liquid in these recipes is usually chicken stock, but hearty breads, like rye, can generally stand up to the stronger flavor of beef stock. Vegetarians and vegans creating this dish may want to use vegetable stock and butter-free whole grain bread. Chicken stock is often the liquid of choice because it is flavorful, but subtle, so it usually adds flavor without overpowering the other ingredients.

Most Crock-Pot® dressing recipes also feature a variety of seasonings. Chopped onions, chives, or shallots usually go into a pan with minced garlic and other herbs and spices. These depend largely on the cook’s taste. Thyme, rosemary, marjoram, black pepper, sage, and salt are all common herbs of choice, but some cooks may also enjoy paprika, cumin, and a scoop or two of poultry seasoning.

The chopped onions and garlic generally go into a pan with butter or olive oil until they’re brown and soft. They then get poured into the bottom of a Crock-Pot® and covered with coin-sized pieces of torn bread. The cook may also cube the bread with a knife, but tearing it can be entertaining, especially if one has children that like to help. The stock then goes over the bread; there should be just enough to soak the bread without causing it to fall apart. The last ingredient is generally a few small spoonfuls of butter or vegan margarine.

Some cooks like to add veggies to their Crock-Pot® dressing to give it an extra nutrition and flavor boost. Celery is traditional, but cooks that love to experiment may add small cubes of hard squashes, like butternut and acorn. Others might enjoy the slight sweetness of cubed yams. A little cumin and coriander in either of these variations sometimes helps to bring out the sweetness of the squash and yams. Once all the ingredients are in the Crock-Pot®, the cook need only turn it on to the low setting for six to eight hours.