Cornbread Stuffing Recipe

ham mashed potatoes green beans and stuffing on a white plate

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5 from 1 vote

This Cornbread Dressing is a flavor-packed holiday side dish that's simple to prepare and delicious to enjoy!

Prep Time20

Cook Time40

Total Time1

Course: Side Dish

Cuisine: American

Servings:

Author: Melissa Griffiths

Ingredients

10 cups toasted cornbread cubes (*see note below)
1 pound ground sausage
2 cups chopped onion white or yellow
2 cups chopped celery
2 sweet apples cored and chopped (no need to peel)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 teaspoons dried poultry seasoning
1 1/2 cups chicken or turkey stock

Instructions

In a large skillet or Dutch oven, over medium-high heat, start to brown the sausage. It's okay to let it brown up nicely on the bottom of the pan—the brown bits are flavor!
When the sausage is mostly cooked through, add the onions, celery, and apple.
Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions are tender, about 5 minutes.
Add the salt and pepper, and stir to combine.
Place the dried cornbread cubes in a large mixing bowl.
Add the sausage mixture to the bowl.
Sprinkle the poultry seasoning over the sausage, drizzle with the chicken broth, and stir again gently to combine. Over-stirring will break of the cornbread too much—be gentle.
Place the cornbread mixture in the bottom of a large baking dish that has been greased well (a 9×13 or 11x15-inch will work great).
Cover tightly with foil, and bake at 400 degrees F for 25 minutes. Remove the foil, and bake uncovered for an additional 10 to 15 minutes or until golden brown.
Serve hot.

Notes

*To make toasted cornbread cubes: Make a double-batch of my famous cornbread recipe, doubling everything EXCEPT the sugar. Just use 2/3 of a cup for the whole batch. Bake in a greased 9x13 inch pan for about 40 minutes, or until baked through in the center. Let the cornbread cool for an hour or so (or overnight), and then cut the whole plan into 2-inch cubes. Place the cubes on a baking sheet in a single layer, and bake at 325 degrees F for about an hour, or until the bread crumbs are dried out a bit and browned. This can be done up to a day in advance. Just let the cornbread cool in the pan, and wrap it with a little plastic wrap. Don't transfer it to a bowl unless it's the one you are going to make the stuffing in. The cornbread will fall apart if moved around.
I used normal breakfast sausage from our pig. It's a lot like traditional Jimmy Dean pork sausage. Feel free to use what you like.
Cornbread stuffing does not stick together like traditional dressing or stuffing recipes. It's more crumbly like cornbread. But if you want it to stick together more, beat 4 eggs together in a small bowl and drizzle the beaten eggs over the cornbread mixture once it is in the baking dish. This gives you a cornbread stuffing that sticks together more. I prefer it without the eggs, but it all depends on the texture that you like.
The main difference between stuffing and dressing is how they are prepared. Stuffing is used to stuff another food, usually the turkey, before cooking it, while dressing is cooked in a regular dish or pan outside of the turkey. But many people use them interchangeably and I won't be offended if you do, too!

Nutrition

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