After I interviewed Dolly Parton for the first time, I made her cornbread for my family. It was the first thing my dad mentioned when I shared the news that she had died on Tuesday.
“I remember her cornbread,” he replied. “Food brings back good memories with people.”
Maybe that’s why I’ve spent the last day thinking so much about the Dolly dishes I’ve made over the years, and all the things she taught me about cooking during our interviews.
It only seemed right to compile them all in one place in honor of the queen of country music.
Dolly Parton typically kept her recipes simple, but she loved to include a special ingredient
Parton told me that she loved whipping up “mashed potatoes, coleslaw, and a big ol’ hunk of cornbread” for her goddaughter Miley Cyrus, so I asked if she had any tips for making cornbread at home.
Her secret: bacon grease.
“When I make my things from scratch at home, I put a little bit of salt and pepper and bacon grease in the dough,” she said. “That is very Southern.”
Parton also surprised me when she revealed that she made her mac and cheese with fried apples dusted with cinnamon. She came up with the dish one night when she didn’t have a lot of supplies in the fridge.
“I just remember I got my macaroni out, and of course I cooked that with the butter and two or three different types of cheeses — a lot of shredded cheddar cheese, and I used some Velveeta,” she added. “And I just remember having some fried apples that had come out of another order of food from somewhere, and I thought, ‘Well, there’s some apples! That’s a great taste combination.'”
Parton also had a more classic mac and cheese recipe, which you can find here.
Parton’s hack for making scrambled eggs is also easy to replicate
When I asked Parton how to make a great plate of scrambled eggs, she told me that all you need is a little bit of water.
“Somebody told me this one, and it works,” she said. “When you crack your eggs in the bowl, put a few drops of ice water. That makes them fluffier — it really does!”
Parton also recommended using bacon grease in a scramble. She loved her bacon grease!
Parton wrote a cookbook with her sister, Rachel Parton George
When I last spoke with Parton in 2023, she told me she was about to release “Good Lookin’ Cookin'” with her sister.
“We both love to cook, and we grew up eating and cooking the things that mama used to cook,” Parton said. “We get in the kitchen all the time and come up with new recipes.”
“Good Lookin’ Cookin’,” which came out in September 2024, is divided into 12 sections, each representing a month of the year. My favorite is the Thanksgiving chapter, where Parton and her sister shared their recipes for Southern staples.
Here are their recipes for sweet potato casserole and mashed potatoes.
Parton believed fried chicken was the one dish everyone should learn how to make for a successful marriage
Parton and her husband, Carl Dean, were married for more than 50 years. Naturally, I had to ask if she had a dish that was good for marriage.
“I think everybody should really know how to make good fried chicken,” she told me. “I love good fried chicken with coleslaw.”
“Make sure your batter is good, add some flour and some pepper and salt,” she continued. “I put a little extra pepper on mine. And then you just dunk it in your oil or grease, whatever you cook with.”
Parton told me she loved cooking for Dean, who died in 2025. She’d whip up French toast with bacon or gravy and biscuits for breakfast, while dinner could be chicken and dumplings (“My specialty,” she said) or pork chops with green peas and mashed potatoes.
“I just cook whatever comes to mind and whatever I’m in the mood for,” she said. “I can cook any of it!”
When Parton wasn’t cooking, she loved going through fast-food drive-thrus. Taco Bell was a favorite.
Before my first interview with Parton, I had unearthed a quote where she talked about enjoying Taco Bell with Dean. So when we got to chat, I asked for her usual order.
“Well, I like soft-shell tacos. I like the others, but they fall apart so bad, especially if you’re riding around,” she said. “And I get an order of rice and beans, and I get mild sauce. But they used to make a little Mexican pizza, which is also good.”
“They took it away, actually, and the fans are still really angry,” I told her. “Do you think they should bring it back?”
“I think they should!” Parton said. “I think they should!”
Three months later, Taco Bell announced the Mexican Pizza was coming back, and Parton participated in a musical to celebrate its return.
I still consider this union one of my greatest contributions to the world.
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