Fried Dressing Patties | Thanksgiving Leftover Recipe - Hostess At Heart (2024)

By: Author Julie Menghini

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Fried Dressing Patties have a tender moist center with a buttery crunchy exterior. They’re the perfect quick and easy recipe for using leftover dressing!

Fried Dressing Patties | Thanksgiving Leftover Recipe - Hostess At Heart (1)

Fried Dressing Patties recipe is a delicious way to use up Thanksgiving dressing leftovers.

They’re quick and easy to make and are the perfect side dish for any meal. You’ll feel good about repurposing leftovers instead of throwing them out when the family refuses one more spoonful!

Our Thanksgiving Dressing Recipe is one of our most requested dishes over the holidays.

It’s a simple homemade dressing that family members request to take home so I always make plenty.

But, let’s face it you can only eat so much of it until your family is tired of it or the food police say to throw it out.

This Thanksgiving Leftover Food Guide and FoodSafety.org are good resources on how long food can be safely stored.

Dressing is good for 3 to 4 days in the refrigerator.

We often make up an extra dish of dressing to freeze and bake when we start craving it again.

Fried Dressing Patty Ingredients

  • Leftover Dressing – previously made and baked
  • Egg – this binds the dressing together and allows you to shape it.
  • Butter – adds flavor and allows the exterior of our patties to become crisp.

Note: This recipe can be increased very easily.

How to make this Dressing Patties Recipe

Fried Dressing Patties | Thanksgiving Leftover Recipe - Hostess At Heart (3)

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  1. Combine the leftover dressing with an egg. The egg acts as a binder and will keep your patty together. Feel free to add a couple of drops of water if it isn’t sticky enough to press together.
  2. We used a 3-inch biscuit cutter to make uniformed-sized Fried Dressing Patties that are approximately 1 to 1-1/2 inches thick. You can also use a glass or any 3-inch circle. My mom just used her hands to form them like you would a hamburger patty.
  3. Heat the butter in a large skillet. When hot, add the Dressing Patties and cook for approximately 4 minutes on each side. We love using a fish spatula for this task.

Thaw and Reheat

How to Store and Reheat Leftover Stuffing Patties

Last year we fried up Dressing Patties and repurposed them with some of our other leftover meals.

The best way to store Leftover Dressing Patties

The best way to store Dressing patties is in an airtight container in the refrigerator. That being said, their countdown started the day you made the stuffing. Therefore, keep the dressing or the dressing patties no longer than 3 to 4 days.

If you will not be able to eat them within that period of time, seal them in an airtight container and slip them into the freezer for up to 3 months.

There’s no need to wait for the holidays! You can enjoy delicious patties all year long. They make a great side dish and thaw out in a jiffy.

Tip: You can also freeze them before frying. Just thaw and then fry them. That will give you a nice crisp buttery exterior.

Thaw and Reheat

To thaw, either put the stuffing patties in the refrigerator overnight or thaw them in 30-second increments in the microwave. They can be re-fried in a little butter after thawing to crisp up the exterior.

Fried Dressing Patties | Thanksgiving Leftover Recipe - Hostess At Heart (4)

Tips for the Perfect Fried Stuffing Patties

  • Uniformed-sized patties will cook at the same rate.
  • Make sure the butter is melted and hot in the skillet so the patties will form a crust and not just absorb the butter.
  • Don’t crowd the skillet. These cook quickly so it doesn’t take long to have them all cooked up in a jiffy.
  • Cook over medium-high heat.
    • If it’s too hot they will burn and not get warm in the center.
    • If it’s not high enough, it will be difficult to get that crispy exterior.
  • When freezing the patties, allow them to cool completely before adding to an air-tight container. Otherwise, the exterior will not be crispy.
  • Frozen Fried Dressing Patties don’t have to be thawed.
    • Just pop them into the microwave for a couple of minutes or let them sit in the refrigerator (plan ahead method).
  • You can re-crisp the patties by adding them back to a hot skillet lined with a little butter or placed briefly under the broiler.

Serving Ideas

Make two patties. Top one patty with a couple slices of turkey and then top with the other patty. Fry your mini turkey sandwich and serve with hot leftover gravy.

From our friend and reader Roma

Pin this amazing Leftover Dressing recipe!

Fried Dressing Patties | Thanksgiving Leftover Recipe - Hostess At Heart (5)

More Thanksgiving Leftover Recipes

Don’t forget to stop back and let me know how your fried dressing patties turned out!

Fried Dressing Patties | Thanksgiving Leftover Recipe - Hostess At Heart (6)

Fried Dressing Patties Recipe

Author: Julie Menghini

Fried Dressing Patties have a tender moist center with a buttery crunchy exterior. It's an easy delicious recipe for using leftover dressing!

4.67 from 6 votes

Print Recipe Collect Pin Recipe

Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 8 minutes mins

Total Time 23 minutes mins

Course Side Dish

Cuisine American

Keyword: Dressing Patties, Thanksgiving Dressing, Thanksgiving leftover recipe

Servings: 4

Ingredients

  • 2 cups Cooked Dressing
  • 1 egg
  • 2 tbsp butter

Instructions

  • Combine the leftover dressing with the egg. Press together until somewhat sticky.

  • Using a circle such as a biscuit cutter or a glass, cut a 3-inch circle that's approximately 1 inch thick. You can also form individual patties with your hands.

  • Heat 2 tbsp butter in a large skillet. Add the dressing patties and fry 4 minutes on each side over medium-high heat.

Notes

  • Uniformed sized patties will cook at the same rate.
  • Make sure the butter is melted and hot in the skillet so the patties will form a crust and not just absorb the butter.
  • Don’t crowd the skillet. These cook quickly so it doesn’t take long to have them all cooked up in a jiffy.
  • Cook over medium-high heat.
    • If it’s too hot they will burn and not get warm in the center.
    • If it’s not high enough, it will be difficult to get that crispy exterior.
  • When freezing the patties, allow them to cool completely before adding to an air-tight container. Otherwise, the exterior will not be crispy.
  • Frozen Fried Dressing Patties don’t have to be thawed.
    • Just pop them into the microwave for a couple of minutes or let them sit in the refrigerator (plan ahead method).
  • You can re-crisp the patties by adding them back to a hot skillet lined with a little butter or placed briefly under the broiler.

Nutrition

Calories: 243kcalCarbohydrates: 22gProtein: 5gFat: 15gSaturated Fat: 6gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 56mgSodium: 545mgPotassium: 91mgFiber: 3gSugar: 2gVitamin A: 547IUCalcium: 40mgIron: 1mg

Nutritional Disclaimer

This recipe was calculated using the exact brands and measurements I used to make this recipe. If you are following a strict diet please note changing anything will cause the nutritional info to change. My calculations are intended as a guide only.

Tried this recipe?Let me know how it was!

More Delicious Recipes

  • Loaded Blueberry Muffins
  • Italian Sausage and Potatoes
  • Shrimp Stir Fry Recipe

This post was updated to improve readers’ experience. No changes were made to the recipe.

Fried Dressing Patties | Thanksgiving Leftover Recipe - Hostess At Heart (2024)

FAQs

How to reheat dressing without drying it out? ›

If you're looking for the best way to reheat your stuffing leftovers, the Good Housekeeping Test Kitchen recommends reheating it in a pan on the stovetop. Not only will this ensure the crispiest result, it's also one of the fastest methods!

What is Thanksgiving dressing made of? ›

Dressing: Dressing typically includes ingredients like cornbread, white bread, or biscuits, mixed with vegetables, herbs, spices, and sometimes sausage or other meats. It is often moistened with broth or stock and baked in a casserole dish until it forms a crust on top.

How to reheat leftover stuffing? ›

Bring the baked stuffing to room temperature so that it will reheat evenly (about 30 minutes). Preheat the oven to 350 F and warm the dish covered for 30 to 40 minutes, until it is heated through. To recreate the crispy top found in freshly-baked stuffing, remove the foil for the last 10 minutes of the baking time.

Can you cook dressing the day before and reheat? ›

Can you prepare stuffing ahead of time and reheat? YES! This stuffing is baked to golden perfection the day before the big meal. You store it in the fridge overnight and then simply warm it in the oven before dinner.

What is the difference between Thanksgiving dressing and stuffing? ›

"Stuffing is cooked in the cavity of the turkey, so the juices soak into the ingredients, making it more flavorful. Dressing gets cooked on its own and needs extra liquid to make it flavorful." So stuffing is cooked inside the bird. Dressing is cooked outside the bird, usually in a casserole dish.

What is dressing in the South? ›

But for the Thanksgiving side dish in the South, the term dressing was adopted in place of stuffing, which was viewed as a crude term, during the Victorian era. Although dressing and stuffing are interchangeable terms, the signature ingredient of this Thanksgiving side dish in the South is cornbread.

What is Pepperidge Farm stuffing made of? ›

MADE FROM: ENRICHED WHEAT FLOUR (FLOUR, NIACIN, REDUCED IRON, THIAMINE MONONITRATE, RIBOFLAVIN, FOLIC ACID), WHOLE WHEAT FLOUR, SALT, SUGAR, YEAST, CONTAINS 2% OR LESS OF: VEGETABLE OILS (CANOLA AND/OR SUNFLOWER AND/OR PALM), MOLASSES, SPICES, CELERY, ONION POWDER, CALCIUM PROPIONATE TO EXTEND FRESHNESS, MALTED BARLEY ...

How long is leftover stuffing safe to eat? ›

If it is frozen two days after cooking, once it is thawed out, it is only good for two more days. Stuffing and gravy: 2 days. Use stuffing and gravy within two days of cooking. Side dishes: 5 days.

Can you eat stuffing cold the next day? ›

If the turkey and stuffing were cooked and refrigerated separately, both should be safe. Keep these cold foods cold and refrigerate them immediately upon arrival at home (always within 2 hours). Serve the meal within 3 to 4 days. Do not reheat a whole cooked turkey.

How many times can you reheat stuffing? ›

In terms of food safety, however, so long as you reheat the food at the correct temperature and for the correct duration of time, it can in fact be safely reheated multiple times. However, the Food Standards Agency (FSA) recommends that food is only reheated once, so follow this guidance wherever possible.

Why add eggs to stuffing? ›

Broth: Chicken broth keeps the stuffing moist without making it soggy. Eggs: Two lightly beaten eggs help hold the dressing together and add moisture. Water: You can add a few tablespoons of water, if you'd like, to achieve your desired consistency.

Why is my stuffing gummy? ›

If the stuffing came out too wet and soggy (aka bread soup!) try not to over mix it, otherwise it'll turn into mush. Curtis Stone says to pour it on a large sheet tray and spread it out. Bake it on high heat to crisp it up, but make sure it doesn't burn.

How to crisp up stuffing? ›

Baking Dish: The first oven option is to move leftover stuffing to a baking dish, add broth and butter, and heat at 350°F for 30 minutes covered. Uncover and bake for another 10 to 15 minutes so you can get some crispy, crunchy bits on top.

How do you warm up salad dressing? ›

Just warm the dressing
  1. In a microwave safe measuring cup add olive oil, balsamic vinegar, dijon mustard, salt, pepper, and Penzey's Sandwich sprinkle.
  2. Warm in 15 second intervals.
  3. Toss with mixed greens, fruits, cheese, and vegetables.
Dec 30, 2016

How do you keep dressing from drying out? ›

You want your stuffing moist but not soggy and certainly not dry. The bread in the stuffing absorbs moisture, but if it's dry (as it should be, see above), it takes some time for the liquid to settle in. I suggest adding a little at a time, say 1 cup of broth for every 4 cups of dry mix.

How to keep stuffing warm and moist? ›

He uses the hot broth on stuffing, too, rather than putting the stuffing in the oven to heat it up (and risking drying it out). "I make indentations in the trays of stuffing with a spoon," he says, "I put the hot chicken stock in it and it keeps it warm."

How do you keep salad dressing from solidifying in the fridge? ›

If you use a high quality olive oil (has a higher ratio of monounsaturated fats), it will solidify in the fridge. This is completely normal, so no worries. Just let it sit out at room temperature for 30 minutes before using or place in a warm water bath to speed up the process. Shake and enjoy!

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