Friends, I hope you’re ready for the quintessential side dish for any Thanksgiving meal! Yes, I’m talking about this classic, southern Cornbread Dressing recipe. It’s made with simple ingredients like homemade cornbread, herbs, and sautéed vegetables. And it makes a huge batch so it’s perfect for large family gatherings during the holidays. I’m a huge fan of cornbread dressing so I make sure mine is seasoned well and cooked until perfectly golden brown. Trust me, this cornbread dressing is a must-have for your next holiday meal!
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Cornbread Dressing vs. Stuffing
Although cornbread dressing and stuffing are often used interchangeably, there is a slight difference. In the past, stuffing was a bread mixture that was stuffed inside the cavity of a turkey and cooked with the turkey. Nowadays, due to food safety concerns, stuffing is usually made separately from the turkey. Cornbread dressing is a side dish that has always been made in a separate casserole dish. Homemade cornbread is also the main ingredient in cornbread dressing. Depending on which region of the country you’re from you might be use to one or the other. But I was born and raised in the South, so for the record I’m team cornbread dressing!😉
Ingredients For Cornbread Dressing
It doesn’t take much to make this cornbread dressing recipe. Here’s everything that you’ll need:
- Cornbread: The key ingredient for making the best dressing is of course a good batch of homemade cornbread. And yes, you’ll want homemade cornbread for this recipe, none of the box stuff. We used our popular Easy Homemade Cornbread recipe for this dressing.
- White Bread or Herb Stuffing: To give the dressing more texture we mixed in some homemade breadcrumbs made with white bread. If you happen to catch a good sale on “Pepperidge Farm Herb Seasoned Stuffing” you can use this in place of the white bread. You will need 3 cups total.
- Aromatics: Onion, bell pepper, and celery, also called the “holy trinity” in the culinary world, gives the dressing a ton of extra flavor.
- Chicken Broth: Make sure to use a good quality chicken broth to give the dressing the best flavor. We use Better than Bouillon to make our broth.
- Eggs: Eggs help bind the dressing together.
- Seasoning: A simple mix of poultry seasoning, sage, onion power, salt and black pepper seasons the cornbread dressing perfectly!
Recipe Tips and Variations!
- Make the cornbread a day or two in advance to save some time and to help the cornbread dry out a bit. Stale bread and cornbread will absorb the moisture from the dressing a lot better. If you forget to make your cornbread ahead of time just make it the same day as the dressing and toast it in the oven for a few minutes. This is what I did for this recipe.
- When crumbling the cornbread and white bread, make sure to use a variety of large and small crumbles.
- For maximum flavor, make your own homemade chicken broth or use the leftover broth from your roasted turkey instead of store bought broth. This is what really takes your cornbread dressing to the next level! But if you are using store bought broth, make sure to use a good quality broth for the best flavor. We use Better than Bouillon to make our broth.
- Give the dressing a quick taste test right before you add the eggs so you can decide if you want to add a bit more seasoning.
- Don’t overcook the dressing. You want to bake it until it’s lightly golden brown on the top and still moist in the center.
Storing Leftovers
Store any leftover dressing in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. Reheat in the microwave or in the oven at 350°F until warmed through. The dressing may start to dry out a little bit as it refrigerates, so I like to add a splash of water or broth to the dressing when reheating it.
Serving Suggestions
Of course turkey and dressing are a classic pair for Thanksgiving, and you can’t forget the cranberry sauce! It also pairs really well with other side dishes like green bean casserole, candied yams, and Brussels sprouts. Luckily cornbread dressing is not just for the Thanksgiving holiday. I also love making this recipe for Easter to serve with Baked Ham and Glazed Carrots or anytime throughout the year when I get a craving for homemade dressing. It really is perfect to enjoy all year long!
Cornbread Dressing
Servings 12 (1 cup each)Ingredients
- 1 batch homemade cornbread ($1.77)
- 6 slices white bread ($0.75)
- 1 Tbsp olive oil ($0.12)
- 1/2 cup salted butter ($1.12)
- 1 yellow onion, diced ($0.40)
- 1 green bell pepper, diced ($1.00)
- 3 ribs of celery, diced ($0.55)
- 3/4 tsp salt, divided ($0.05)
- 2 1/2 tsp poultry seasoning, divided ($0.25)
- 1/2 tsp dried sage ($0.05)
- 1/2 tsp onion powder ($0.05)
- 1/2 tsp freshly cracked black pepper ($0.03)
- 4.5 cups chicken broth ($0.85)
- 2 large eggs, beaten ($0.60)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Crumble the cornbread by hand into small pieces and place on a baking sheet. Next, tear or crumble the white bread into small pieces. Place the crumbled white bread on the same baking sheet.
- Toss the crumbled white bread with olive oil, ½ tsp of poultry seasoning, and ¼ tsp salt. Place the baking sheet in the oven and bake the crumbled bread for 15 minutes until lightly toasted. Once the bread has dried out, remove the pan from the oven and set aside.
- While the breadcrumbs are toasting, sauté the vegetables. Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the diced onion, diced bell pepper, and diced celery. Stir and sauté for about 5 minutes or until the vegetables have softened.
- Add the toasted cornbread and breadcrumbs to a large bowl. Add the sautéed vegetables and butter to the same bowl. Now add ½ tsp salt, 2 tsp poultry seasoning, dried sage, onion powder, and black pepper to the bowl.
- Next, slowly pour the chicken broth into the bowl. Start by pouring half of the broth then give the dressing a stir. Pour the rest of the broth in the bowl and stir to combine.
- Now add the beaten eggs to the bowl and stir to combine.
- Pour the cornbread dressing mixture into a greased 9×13-inch baking dish. Bake in the preheated oven for 50 minutes or until golden brown on top. Serve warm and enjoy!
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Notes
Nutrition
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How to Make Cornbread Dressing – Step by Step Photos
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Crumble 1 batch of homemade cornbread by hand into small pieces and place on a baking sheet. Next, tear or crumble 6 slices of white bread into small pieces. Place the crumbled white bread on the same baking sheet. Toss the crumbled white bread with 1 Tbsp olive oil, ½ tsp of poultry seasoning, and ¼ tsp salt. Place the baking sheet in the oven and bake the crumbled bread for 15 minutes until lightly toasted. Once the cornbread and breadcrumbs have dried out, remove the sheetpan from the oven and set aside.
While the breadcrumbs are toasting, sauté the vegetables. Melt 1/2 cup salted butter (1 stick) in a large skillet over medium heat. Add 1 diced yellow onion, 1 diced green bell pepper, and 3 ribs of celery, diced.
Stir and sauté for about 5 minutes or until the vegetables have softened.
Add the toasted cornbread and breadcrumbs to a large bowl.
Add the sautéed vegetables and butter to the same bowl. Now add ½ tsp salt, 2 tsp poultry seasoning, 1/2 tsp dried sage, 1/2 tsp onion powder, and 1/2 tsp freshly cracked black pepper to the bowl. Next, slowly pour 4 1/2 cups chicken broth into the bowl. Start by pouring half of the broth then give the cornbread dressing a stir. Pour the rest of the broth in the bowl and stir to combine.
Now add 2 large beaten eggs to the bowl and stir to combine.
Pour the cornbread dressing mixture into a buttered 9×13-inch baking dish. Bake in the preheated oven for 50 minutes or until golden brown on top.
Bake in the preheated oven for 50 minutes or until golden brown on top. Serve warm and enjoy!
Can I omit the bread?
You really want that crunchy toasted bread element to keep it from being too mushy!
I am curious about the use of bell pepper in the cornbread dressing. I grew up with my grandmother and her recipe which is pretty much the same as yours but had never heard of adding bell pepper until a few years ago when I had it in a Czech community. Is this a regional thing?
Possibly! This is not my personal recipe but it’s spot on to my southern grandmas (from kentucky) who also used bell pepper in her recipe!
The eggs are a binder for all the ingredients.
To be true southern cornbread dressing, it also needs chopped boiled egg whites! I have been looking for a recipe that is close to what my aunt made 40 plus years ago and this might be the best one yet. Going to give it a try!
As a southerner with very southern grandparents, wtf? Never heard or seen egg whites in a southern dressing. Or any dressing, for that matter.
My mother (Texas) also put chopped boiled egg whites in her dressing AND in her giblet gravy.
My grandmother and mother both put boiled eggs in theirs too! They’re from Alabama. It’s great
Looks great, I just have two questions.
1. Is the first step something I can skip if I make the cornbread days before and buy stuffing/dressing?
2. Is this a recipe I can make the day before and reheat or mostly prepare and then finish the day of? I’m trying to avoid getting overwhelmed on Thanksgiving.
You should be able to mix everything up the day before and stick the wet batter/mix in the fridge overnight uncooked, then bake the next day. Dressing is structurally similar to bread pudding or strata, and you can definitely mix everything up the day before with those. In fact, if your bread is properly dried out, it’s better that way!