If you’re longing for a “hometown” family atmosphere, our golden Southern Cornbread Dressing will take you there. The holidays wouldn’t be complete without this sure-fire crowd-pleaser, but you don’t have to wait for the holidays to visit any time you want a little extra comfort.
Filling hot bread with a dollop of soft, flavorful cornbread dressing to fill your home with the scent of sage and good memories is always a welcome idea. Make a batch of your favorite cornbread or use the classic Southern dish Cornbread His Crumble recipe.
Brittany Connally, Food Stylist: Karen Rankin, Props Stylist: Christina Brockman
Southern Favorite: Cornbread Dressing
Cornbread dressing is a staple on most Southern Thanksgiving dinner tables. For those of us who don’t like eating bread stuffing, we use classic cornbread (our recipe or someone else’s) to create a sweet, nutty dish studded with lots of tender vegetables and warming herbs. I enjoy making stuffed food.
But don’t let me tell you that cornbread dressing is a Thanksgiving-only dish. If you’re trying to be frugal, there’s nothing more satisfying and less expensive than baking your own cornbread. Or make a casserole with leftovers enriched with some eggs and sautéed vegetables, cheaper ingredients. Perhaps that’s why Southerners came to prefer cornbread dressing over bread stuffing.
There are as many different versions of cornbread dressing as there are cooks.
Ingredients for Southern Cornbread Dressing
For the Cornbread Crumble you will need:
Self-rising white cornmeal mix: Save time and get that familiar cornbread flavor. Eggs, buttermilk, and melted butter: Give cornbread great texture and flavor.
Once the cornbread is baked, cooled, and crumbled, make the dressing. Here’s what you need for that:
Butter: Use for rich flavor and sautéing vegetables. Celery and sweet onions: Add texture and vegetable flavor to dishes. Fresh Sage: The main flavor component. It may seem like a lot, but it’s not. Soft bread crumbs: Made by pulsing fresh white bread in a food processor. Fresh eggs: Use as a binder in casseroles. Chicken stock: Adds chicken flavor to cornbread dressing even if you don’t use it on the turkey.
How to make Southern Cornbread Dressing
While there are many other dishes to prepare for Thanksgiving, you’ll be happy to know that cornbread dressing is one of the easiest. Cornbread can be made in advance. In fact, dry cornbread is perfect for this recipe. The rest will come together quickly and bake while you work on the other sides.
Here’s a quick guide on how to make cornbread dressing. The complete recipe is below with step-by-step instructions.
Step 1. Make cornbread crumbles. Once completely cool, break up the bread and let it dry out a little while you assemble the rest of the dish. (If you use your own cornbread recipe, make sure you have 12 cups of crumble or the proportions in this recipe will be off.) Step 2. In a 9×13-inch casserole dish and Lightly grease an 8-inch square dish. A baking dish for baking the dressing. Step 3. Preheat the oven to 400°F. Step 4. Melt the butter in a large sauté pan and sauté the celery and onion. Let the fresh sage soften and sweeten before stirring, then stir-fry for a minute to release the flavorful oils in the leaves. Step 5. In a large bowl, mix together the cornbread crumbles, fresh breadcrumbs, and eggs, then stir in the chicken stock and pepper, then add the sautéed celery mixture. Step 6. Spread the mixture into the prepared mold. Step 7. Bake for 45-55 minutes until set and golden brown. Then serve the Southern Cornbread Dressing, enjoy it, and get compliments.
What is the difference between dressing and stuffing?
The dressing is Southern. The dressing is baked in a casserole dish, while the stuffing, as the name suggests, refers to stuffing it inside the turkey.
Food safety experts recommend against baking stuffing inside the bird, especially if that stuffing contains raw eggs. For larger birds, temperatures in the breast and thighs often reach 165°F even when the stuffing is still raw, posing a risk of food poisoning.
Baking Southern Cornbread Dressing on a plate gives it the attention it deserves. Once set and golden brown, it will have the perfect texture.
Make-ahead Cornbread Dressing
If you want to start early, make the dressing up to step 5. Then wrap the baking dish in plastic wrap and store in the refrigerator overnight. While the dressing is sitting out, the bread and cornbread will continue to absorb moisture, so the dressing may become a little thicker than normal. But it will still be delicious.
Let the dressing sit at room temperature for about 30 minutes, then bake as directed.
Alternatively, you can freeze the dressing after step 5 and store it in the freezer for up to 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight and let sit at room temperature for 30 minutes before baking.
How to store cornbread dressing
Cover the baking dish with plastic wrap and store leftover dressing in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Reheat in the oven or microwave.
This recipe makes two types of dressing. Unless there are a lot of people at the dinner table, there’s a good chance there will be leftovers. Of course, they’re delicious the next day, but you can also make them into fun dishes, such as using the dressing to fry hushpuppy-style balls, or using the dressing as a patty and frying it in a pan with an egg on top.
Editorial contribution by Robin Asbell.
