I can hear you thinking, “It’s great that you’ve given us a dessert and a side, but come on WE could have figured that out! What about the more difficult vegetarian Thanksgiving items? What about a main dish? What about stuffing? Can stuffing be made without meat-based broth?”

Well, the answer is “yes”. Several years ago I went to Thanksgiving, and there were THREE cornbread dressings there. My sister in law made hers with sausage, so that was a no go for my family. My aunt was bringing my grandmother’s recipe, complete with turkey giblets. And I had to bring a third because, well, what else was I going to do? If I wanted cornbread dressing, I had to make my own. I emailed my aunt to get my grandmother’s recipe. My aunt was absolutely positive it could not be made without giblets and chicken broth. Well, you know what? By the end of the meal, both of my aunts wanted the recipe. Since I never write anything down, I can’t share the exact recipe with you, but I’ll share the recipe I’m going to make this year. Hopefully, it will be as good.

Vegetarian cornbread dressing

Cornbread, use your favorite recipe (I use Hodgson Mills cornbread mix to prepare one pan)
7 slices oven-dried wheat bread
1 sleeve saltine crackers (I suppose you could use some healthier choice, but I usually use the saltines)
8 tablespoons butter
2 cups celery, chopped
1 large onion, chopped
7 cups no chicken broth by Imagine
1 teaspoon salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon sage (optional)
1 tablespoon poultry seasoning (optional)
cayenne pepper, to taste (optional, but this really does make the dressing— you just need a small amount)
5 eggs, beaten

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
In a large bowl, combine crumbled cornbread, dried wheat bread slices, and saltines; set aside.
Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the celery and onion and cook until transparent, approximately 5 to 10 minutes. Pour the vegetable mixture over cornbread mixture. Add the broth, mix well, taste, and add salt, pepper to taste, sage, poultry seasoning and cayenne. Add beaten eggs and mix well. Pour mixture into a greased pan and bake until dressing is cooked through, about 45 minutes.