Thanks lindac92. In the future, how far ahead do you think I could freeze this?

3 months..... If you really wrap it well, with that sticky glad wrap and then in foil....you could do it a year ahead. The problem with almost all frozen things is not wrapping well. The exception is smoked meats, which get rancid....even in the freezer.

If you can, I would make 2 batches so that you can freeze one and bake it ahead of time to have an idea of how long it will take from its frozen state to avoid any timing surprises that day. If you plan to defrost and then bake, never mind.

Oh good. If I ever again host Thanksgiving at home, I'll do the stuffing way ahead then.

I always keep stuffing ingredients in the freezer. We love pork chops baked with stuffing between them.

I don't put the liquid on until I'm ready to use the stuffing. I've also been making it in the slow cooker for the past number of years.

What kind of bake time do you use in the crockpot?

It will keep in the fridge for about five days before being baked, I think, and it is much better if it has never been frozen, as that affects the texture/crunchiness of the celery. If you are okay with mushy celery, then freeze it ahead of time - if you want to preserve texture, then make it only a few days ahead of time, refrigerate it, and bake it on the day.

It's been a few years since I've made stuffing; as the friend who hosts Thanksgiving doesn't usually do a turkey. I don't remember the texture of the celery. Does it retain some bite if pre-cooked in butter before the stuffing is mixed? Since my turkey stock is already a day old, I should probably freeze it anyway.

It does freeze fine though i've only frozen the leftovers from thanksgiving that we pull out some moment over the christmas holiday.

It is best fresh....even prepped a day or two ahead. (i prep and chop everything and put into two zip-locks like a 'kit'). The toasted bread and spice separate, then fold everything together the night before or early morning of.

That is a good classic recipe you posted.

Liz, this is the recipe that I use for the slow-cooker. I posted it back in 2011

I made Slow-Cooker Dressing last year for Christmas, and again this year for our Canadian Thanksgiving. It's the "only" way I'll make it from now on.

I always add cooked rice to my stuffing/dressing, as well.

Slow-Cooker Stuffing/Dressing

1 cup butter or margarine
2 cups chopped onion
2 cups chopped celery
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
12 cups dry bread cubes
1 teaspoon poultry seasoning
1 1/2 teaspoons dried sage
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon dried marjoram
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
4 1/2 cups chicken broth, or as needed
2 eggs, beaten

Melt butter or margarine in a skillet over medium heat. Cook onion, celery, and parsley in butter, stirring frequently.
Spoon cooked vegetables over bread cubes in a very large mixing bowl. Season with poultry seasoning, sage, thyme, marjoram, and salt and pepper. Pour in enough broth to moisten, and mix in eggs.

Spray slow-cooker with non-stick spray and transfer mixture to slow cooker.
Cook on High for 45 minutes, then reduce heat to Low, and cook for 4 to 6 hours.

After celery has been sautéed in butter until translucent then baked for 40 minutes, there will be precious little "crunch" left!

That's what I thought. The stuffing my mother's family always made cooked for several hours in the bird, back when people cooked turkeys for half a day. At any rate, the celery wasn't crunchy by that time!

I do not cook stuffing that long, and the celery in my stuffing still has crunch. After it has been reheated a few times, it no longer has the crunch, but I prefer it when it does. I never reheat a whole pan of stuffing at once - only individual servings. I saute the celery no more than 5 minutes, and I bake the stuffing no more than 15 minutes - or just enough to get it hot.

I don't cook it for 6 hours either, but it's nice having the slow cooker do the job. 15 minutes would be too crunch for me, for the celery and onions. I like them softer than that.

I also cook it longer to meld the flavors. Starting like a mirepoix, (without carrot). Celery and onion only, chopped fine. If i have leek i often use that as well.

Lots of fresh parsley and a bit of fresh sage...and Bells seasoning...a nod to my family and Grandmother.

I do like a toasty top, so i use a shallow baking dish and more stock than most. The bread i use is is tougher than my mothers wheat and white store bought.

Not unlike a good mac-n-cheese that is moist but has a crisp top. : )

I add crushed toasted pecans and breadcrumbs...no real recipe but i've been making the same for 20 years and a favorite, now tradition.

It gets 350 heat for about an hour, sometimes two. Always good.

My BIL makes a killer oyster dressing, called 'dressing', his mothers recipe. ...my sister just left him this past summer so that favorite will not be on the holiday table. : (

I add cashews but just about the same recipe as posted. I am not going to make much stuffing as everyone watches their weight. Its so good, tho.

An easy way to do this is to buy some disposable foil pans. Put the cooked dressing in the pans and allow to cool, then (as mentioned above) wrap tightly with foil and freeze. The night before the meal, take the pans out of the freezer and put on the counter to thaw. Warm the thawed pans in a medium oven, and remove the foil from the top for the last 10 or 15 minutes to get a little browning on the top.

sleevendog (5a NY), would you happen to have your XBIL oyster dressing recipe? Anyone else have a good one?