Eggplant Dressing | Crawfish, Shrimp or Chicken Cornbread Casserole
This creamy, savory eggplant dressing comes from a Louisiana church cookbook, and Miss Donna's version is the one I grew up on.
Nana found this in her church cookbook. Miss Donna's Cornbread-Eggplant-Crawfish Dressing or Casserole. It's mashed eggplant, cornbread, rice and cream cheese, with crawfish tails folded in.
Crawfish out of season? No problem, cher. You can make this same dressing with shrimp, crab or chicken any time of year. The options are right in the recipe.
It makes two pans, so you bake one for supper and freeze the other for the holidays.
Pawpaw took one bite and didn’t talk for 5 minutes. That’s how Nana knows it’s good. It’s creamy. It’s savory. It’s got seafood. It’s got cornbread.
Let’s make Miss Donna proud.
Why This Dressing Works
No roux. The cream cheese and French onion dip give you the creamy, tangy base.
Eggplant is the binder. Mashed eggplant holds everything together without eggs.
Cornbread and rice. Two starches give you body and a tender, scoopable texture.
Pick your protein. Crawfish, shrimp, crab or chicken all work.
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Ingredients
Yield: two 6x6-inch pans, 12 to 14 servings
2 large eggplants (about 2 1/2 lbs), peeled and cubed
10 oz frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
2 cups crumbled stale cornbread (homemade, or a baked box mix like Jiffy)
2 cups cold cooked white rice (day-old is best)
1 carton (8 oz) French onion dip (I use Dean's)
8 oz full-fat cream cheese, softened
1 teaspoon garlic powder
4 green onions, chopped
2 teaspoons Tony Chachere's Creole Seasoning, plus more to taste
1 teaspoon black pepper
Salt, to taste (start with 1/2 teaspoon, only if needed)
1/2 cup grated Parmesan, for the top
Choose your protein (pick one):
Crawfish: 1 lb cooked Louisiana crawfish tail meat, with the fat if you can get it (thawed and drained if frozen)
Shrimp: 1 lb peeled and deveined shrimp, chopped, sautéed 2 to 3 minutes until pink and opaque, then drained
Crab: 2 cans (about 8 oz each) lump crab meat, drained, picked over for shells
Chicken: 2 cups shredded cooked chicken (about 1 lb)
Deluxe combo: 1 lb crawfish tails plus 1 lb shrimp, or crawfish plus 1 can lump crab
Equipment:
two 6x6x2-inch baking pans (or one 9x13)
food processor or potato masher
cheesecloth
Instructions
1. Cook the eggplant. Peel and cube the eggplants. Boil in a pot of salted water about 15 minutes, until fork-tender. Drain well, then mash by hand or in a food processor until smooth. If it looks wet, squeeze it in cheesecloth. Wet eggplant makes a soggy dressing.
2. Make the base. Beat the softened cream cheese and French onion dip until smooth. Add the garlic powder, Tony's and black pepper. It should taste salty and tangy.
3. Combine. Stir in the mashed eggplant, spinach, cornbread crumbs, rice and green onions. Gently fold in your protein so you don't break it up.
4. Adjust. Taste and add seasoning if you need it. The mixture should be thick, wet and scoopable. If it's too dry, add about 1/4 cup chicken stock. If it's too wet, add about 1/4 cup more cornbread crumbs.
5. Bake. Heat the oven to 350°F. Grease two 6x6x2-inch pans (or one 9x13). Spoon in the mixture, smooth the tops and sprinkle with Parmesan. Bake about 30 minutes (25 to 30 minutes in a 9x13) until hot, bubbly and golden, with the edges pulling away from the pan. The center should reach 165°F on a food thermometer.
6. Rest. Let it sit 10 minutes before cutting into squares. If you cut it hot, it will fall apart.
How To Serve & Store
To Serve: Serve with fried turkey, baked ham or smothered pork chops, with a green salad and vinaigrette on the side. Or let it be the star of the potluck table.
To Store: Refrigerate leftovers within 2 hours of baking. Keep covered in the refrigerator 3 to 4 days.
To Freeze: Cool completely, wrap tightly, and freeze up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator.
To Reheat: Cover and warm at 350°F for about 20 minutes, until it reaches 165°F in the center.
Nana's Tips
Soggy?
Squeeze the spinach and the eggplant harder next time. To fix a batch, bake 10 more minutes uncovered.
Bland?
Use full-fat cream cheese and dip, and season well with Tony's.
Too dry?
Stir in 1/4 cup melted butter and 1/4 cup stock, and bake 10 minutes.
No French onion dip?
Mix 1 cup sour cream with 1 envelope Lipton onion soup mix and let it sit 10 minutes.
Watch the salt. Tony's, the dip, the cream cheese and the Parmesan are all salty, so taste before you add any.
Use real Louisiana crawfish tails if you're making it with crawfish. The flavor is worth it.
Handle seafood and chicken safely. Keep them cold until you cook them, and cook them fully.
Sodium is the one to watch. The French onion dip, Tony's, Parmesan and a boxed cornbread mix like Jiffy all add salt. If you make your cornbread from scratch with no added salt, you'll cut the sodium a little.
Keep that crawfish fat, baby. If you can get Louisiana tails with the fat, that yellow gold, don't drain it. That's all the flavor.
Nutrition Information
Eggplant Dressing — Two 6x6-inch Pans — 12 to 14 servings
Nutrition depends on which protein you use. The two serving sizes are 12 big servings or 14 smaller servings per batch, because 6x6 pans cut differently.
These are estimates and will vary with the brands you use.
Crawfish version, 12 servings, more detail: 286 calories, 12.8g fat (7.5g saturated), 10.8g protein, 58mg cholesterol.
Whole pan totals (both pans):
Base dressing alone, before the protein: about 3,030 calories, 148g fat, 77g protein
Crawfish version: about 3,426 calories
Shrimp version: about 3,513 calories
Crab version: about 3,408 calories
Chicken version: about 3,780 calories
Crawfish + 1 can crab: about 3,614 calories
Crawfish + shrimp: about 3,908 calories
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I make eggplant dressing without crawfish?
Yes. Use 1 lb chopped, sautéed shrimp, 2 cans of lump crab, or 2 cups of shredded cooked chicken. The rest of the recipe stays the same.
Where do I find crawfish tails when they're out of season?
Check the freezer section at your grocery or seafood market. Look for Louisiana crawfish tail meat. If you can't find it, use shrimp, crab or chicken.
Is there an egg in this dressing?
No eggs. The cream cheese, French onion dip and mashed eggplant hold it together.
Can I make it ahead?
Yes. Bake it, cool it, wrap it tightly and freeze it up to 3 months. Thaw it overnight in the refrigerator and reheat it covered at 350°F until it reaches 165°F.
What can I use if I don't have French onion dip?
Mix 1 cup of sour cream with 1 envelope of Lipton onion soup mix and let it sit 10 minutes.
Why is my dressing soggy?
Usually the eggplant or spinach was still wet. Squeeze both well next time. To fix a batch, bake it 10 minutes longer, uncovered.
Can I bake it in a 9x13 pan?
Yes. It makes a thinner layer, so bake it about 25 to 30 minutes, until hot and golden.
What do I serve with eggplant dressing?
Fried turkey, baked ham, smothered pork chops and a green salad. It also works as a potluck main.
How long do leftovers keep?
3 to 4 days in the refrigerator, covered. Reheat to 165°F.
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