Cornbread Dressing Recipe
Buttery and moist with a crispy, golden crust, this Cornbread Dressing Recipe is the perfect addition to any holiday dinner table. Super easy to make with homemade sweet cornbread, Italian sausage, celery, onion, and fresh herbs.
Servings: 8 servings
Ingredients
- 12 cups sweet cornbread chopped into 1-inch cubes (see notes)
- 16 ounces mild Italian sausage or breakfast sausage, ground (see notes)
- 2 ribs celery diced
- 1 white onion diced
- 4 tablespoon butter
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 2 tablespoon fresh parsley chopped
- 1 tablespoon fresh sage chopped
- 1 tablespoon fresh thyme chopped
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 2½ cups chicken broth or chicken stock
- 3 large eggs brought to room temperature and whisked together
Instructions
- One to two days before: Prepare and bake enough cornbread to give approximately 12 cups of cubed cornbread. I always double the recipe and make a double batch.
- Preheat oven to 300℉ and grease a large 9x13-inch baking or casserole dish.
- Layer the corn bread cubes onto a large baking sheet and bake for 20-30 minutes or until they are crusty and dried out. Remove the baking sheet from the oven and increase the oven temperature to 350 degrees f.
- In a large skillet set over medium-high heat, brown the sausage, breaking it apart into smaller pieces as it cooks.
- Once browned, stir in the diced celery and onion. Sauté until the vegetables are tender and the sausage is fully cooked, about 8 minutes.
- Stir in the butter, garlic, parsley, sage, thyme, salt, and black pepper, and cook for another minute.
- Increase the heat to high and stir in the chicken broth. Bring to a boil before reducing the heat to medium-low heat. Simmer for 5 minutes.
- Remove the pan from the heat and allow it to cool for one minute before stirring in the whisked eggs.
- Reserve ½ cup of the cornbread cubes and gently toss the rest into a large bowl with the sausage. Mix well until combined.
- Spread the dressing out into the prepared baking dish. Top with the reserved ½ cup of cornbread cubes. Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 40 minutes, then remove the foil and bake for an additional 5-10 minutes or until the top turns golden brown.
- Remove from the oven and allow it to cool for 10-15 minutes before serving.
Notes
- Cornbread: I like to make this recipe using my sweet homemade cornbread. If you prefer a less sweet, southern-style cornbread, try making it with my easy cornbread recipe. Both recipes include buttermilk so you get that rich, buttery, tender cornbread we've all come to love. You may also make it with boxed cornbread, such as Jiffy.
- Sausage: The addition of sausage is completely optional. If you prefer a more traditional southern cornbread dressing, feel free to omit the sausage from the recipe.
Nutrition
Calories: 678kcal | Carbohydrates: 72g | Protein: 20g | Fat: 36g | Saturated Fat: 15g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 13g | Trans Fat: 0.4g | Cholesterol: 209mg | Sodium: 1307mg | Potassium: 551mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 32g | Vitamin A: 777IU | Vitamin C: 5mg | Calcium: 158mg | Iron: 4mg
