Cornbread Stuffing
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Add a little Southern flair to your Thanksgiving feast with this golden, savory cornbread stuffing that’s loaded with rich sausage and fragrant herbs.
This Southern-style cornbread dressing has a rich, almost spoon bread-like consistency with a perfectly toasty, golden top. It’s a bit more time-intensive than my traditional stuffing recipe since it starts with homemade cornbread (no shortcuts here—store-bought cornbread is too sweet and just doesn’t work). But the good news is that you can spread the prep over a few days. The cornbread itself is intentionally dry and plain, so don’t worry if it tastes a little bland—once combined with sausage, eggs, and butter, it transforms into something wonderfully flavorful and rich. For Thanksgiving, I recommend baking the stuffing in a separate dish from the turkey for the best results.
What You’ll Need To Make Cornbread Stuffing
- Eggs – Used in both the cornbread recipe and stuffing to bind and give structure.
- Whole milk – Adds moisture and richness to both the cornbread and the stuffing.
- All-purpose flour – Provides structure and a tender crumb in the cornbread.
- Yellow cornmeal – The key ingredient that gives the cornbread its signature texture and flavor.
- Sugar – Adds a touch of sweetness to the cornbread to balance the savory stuffing.
- Baking powder – Leavens the cornbread, making it light and fluffy.
- Salt – Enhances the flavors in both the cornbread and the stuffing.
- Unsalted butter – Adds richness to the cornbread, used to sauté the vegetables, and keeps the stuffing moist.
- Pork sausage (hot or mild/sweet) – Adds savory richness and, if using hot sausage, a bit of spice to the stuffing. You could also use chicken or turkey sausage.
- Yellow onions – Adds sweetness and depth of flavor to the stuffing.
- Celery – Provides crunch and flavor to the stuffing.Garlic cloves – Adds aromatic, savory flavor to the stuffing.
- Fresh herbs (thyme, rosemary, and sage) – Infuses the stuffing with fragrant, earthy flavor.
- Low-sodium chicken broth – Keeps the stuffing moist and adds a savory, rich flavor.
- Jump to the printable recipe for precise measurements
Step-by-Step Instructions
Begin by making the cornbread. In a medium bowl, whisk the eggs.
Add the milk and whisk until evenly combined. Set aside.
In a large bowl, combine the flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder, and salt.
Whisk well.
Add the milk mixture and the melted butter to the dry ingredients.
Whisk until smooth.
Transfer the batter into the prepared baking pan and smooth the top.
Bake in a 350°F-oven until lightly golden around the edges and set, about 30 minutes. Cool in the pan on a wire rack until cool enough to handle, 20 to 30 minutes. (Cornbread can be prepared up to 2 days in advance.)
Cut the cornbread into 1-inch squares. Place the cut cornbread on a rimmed baking sheet and bake in a 250°F-oven until lightly toasted, about 1 hour.
Cool the cornbread on the baking sheet, about 15 minutes.
To make the stuffing: Place the sausage in a large nonstick pan over medium-high heat.
Cook, stirring and breaking it apart with a wooden spoon, until no longer pink, about 5 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the sausage to the largest bowl you have (it needs to fit all the cornbread), leaving the fat in the pan.
Reduce the heat to medium and add the onions, celery, and 3 tablespoons of the butter to the pan.
Cook until the vegetables are softened, 6 to 8 minutes. Add the garlic and cook 1 minute more.
Off the heat, mix in the herbs then add the vegetable mixture to the bowl with the sausage and mix to combine.
In another bowl, whisk the eggs. Add the milk, broth, and salt.
Add the dried cornbread cubes to the sausage and vegetable mixture and pour the egg mixture over top. Fold the mixture a few times with a large rubber spatula, being careful not to break up the cornbread too much. Let the mixture sit, folding carefully a few times, until the cornbread is saturated, about 10 minutes.
Transfer the soaked cornbread mixture to a greased baking dish, and make sure that the sausage and vegetables are evenly distributed. Try to arrange some of the larger pieces of cornbread on top; it looks prettier. Dot the top of the stuffing with the remaining 3 tablespoons of butter.
Bake until golden brown and crisp, about 35 minutes. Serve warm.
Make-Ahead Instructions
The cornbread can be prepared up to two days ahead of time. Cut it into cubes and let it dry out on the countertop overnight instead of toasting it in the oven. If you’d like the assemble the stuffing in advance, prepare it up until the point of baking, cover it with plastic wrap, and refrigerate up to a day ahead of time. When ready to serve, bake as directed, allowing a few extra minutes in the oven.
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Ingredients
For the Cornbread
- 3 large eggs
- 1 cup whole milk
- 1¾ cups all-purpose flour, spooned into measuring cup and leveled-off
- 1¼ cups yellow cornmeal
- 3 tablespoons sugar
- 1½ tablespoons baking powder
- 1½ teaspoons salt
- ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted
For the Stuffing
- 1 lb bulk hot or sweet pork sausage
- 2 medium yellow onions, diced
- 3 ribs celery, diced
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
- 5 cloves garlic, chopped
- ¼ cup finely chopped fresh herb blend (I use equal parts thyme, rosemary and sage)
- 4 large eggs
- 1 cup whole milk
- 2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
- ½ teaspoon salt
Instructions
For the Cornbread
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C) and set an oven rack in the middle position. Butter and flour a 9 x 13-in (23 x 33-cm) baking pan or spray with a nonstick cooking spray with flour, such as Baker's Joy.
- In a medium bowl, whisk the eggs. Add the milk and whisk until evenly combined. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Add the milk mixture and the melted butter to the dry ingredients and whisk until smooth. Transfer the batter to the prepared baking pan and smooth the top. Bake until lightly golden around the edges and set, about 30 minutes. Cool in the pan on a wire rack until cool enough to handle, 20 to 30 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 250°F (120°C) and set the oven rack in the middle position. Cut the cornbread into 1-in (2.5-cm) squares. Place the cut cornbread on a rimmed baking sheet and bake until lightly toasted, about 1 hour. Cool the cornbread on the baking sheet, about 15 minutes.
For the Stuffing
- Place the sausage in a large nonstick pan over medium-high heat. Cook, stirring and breaking it apart with a wooden spoon, until no longer pink, about 5 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the sausage to the largest bowl you have (it needs to fit all the cornbread), leaving the fat in the pan. Reduce the heat to medium and add the onions, celery, and 3 tablespoons of the butter to the pan. Cook until the vegetables are softened, 6 to 8 minutes. Add the garlic and cook 1 minute more. Off the heat, mix in the herbs. Add the vegetable mixture to the bowl with the sausage and mix to combine.
- In another bowl, whisk the eggs. Add the milk, broth, and salt.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C) and set an oven rack in the middle position. Grease a 9 x 13-in (23 x 33-cm) baking pan with butter or nonstick cooking spray.
- Add the dried cornbread cubes to the sausage and vegetable mixture. Pour the egg mixture over top. Fold the mixture a few times with a large rubber spatula, being careful not to break up the cornbread too much. Let the mixture sit, folding carefully a few times, until the cornbread is saturated, about 10 minutes.
- Transfer the soaked cornbread mixture to the prepared pan, making sure the sausage and vegetables are evenly distributed. Try to arrange some of the larger pieces of cornbread on top; it looks prettier. Dot the top of the stuffing with the remaining 3 tablespoons of butter. Bake until golden brown and crisp, about 35 minutes. Serve warm.
Notes
Nutrition Information
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
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Comments
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Our host got sick for Thanksgiving and I was given the job of stuffing on short notice. I’ve never made stuffing and was a bit worried! I made this and it was a huge hit. I ended up using 3 Jiffy cornbread boxes and the directions for those baked for 40 minutes and then followed the recipe after that. Everyone said the stuffing was the highlight of the meal. This has been requested for next year. Thanks for sharing!
Can I omit the sausage ? If so, should I make any adjustments to the recipe?
Thank you
Michelle
Hi Michelle, Unfortunately, this recipe really relies on the sausage for flavor and fat. I’d look for a different recipe. Sorry!
Is the pork sausage called for in this recipe Italian sausage or the breakfast type sausage made by Jimmy Dean and other makers of pork products? I have never added sausage to my dressing and want to buy the right product. Thanks!
Italian sausage – hope you enjoy! 🙂
Hi Jen,
Would you recommend adding apples or cranberries to this recipe?
Sure, you could add some apples and (dried) cranberries to this. Please LMK how it turns out if you try it!
I am vegetarian (mostly) … can I make this stuffing without the meat? Should I add more herbs, celery etc…?
Thank you.
Hi Marilyne, I wouldn’t recommend this without the sausage as it contributes so much of the flavor – sorry! If you’d prefer to go meatless, you may want to take a peek at this Challah and Wild Mushroom Stuffing. Hope that helps!
Could you use this recipe or any of your other stuffing recipes to stuff mushrooms?
Sure, Barbara, that should work. I’d love to hear how they turn out!
My mother is a New Englander and hates cornbread dressing. I made this anyway and to her surprise she loved the flavor! I added an extra half cup plus of chicken broth as we prefer a more moist dressing. Definitely a five star!
Can I use pork sausage? I’m making this on Thursday!
Yes definitely.
Hi Jenn, Awesome recipe, used bulk turkey sausage and it was still great. Only change that I made. Will make again and make the cornbread ahead of time. Thanks Jenn. This one is the bomb!!!! Turned out perfect.
I made this for Thanksgiving this year. It was a hit!! I will definitely be making this delicious recipe more often. Thank you for the recipe.
Hi Jen, Happy Thanksgiving! This cornbread stuffing recipe is terrific! I substituted King Arthur GLUTEN FREE All Purpose Baking Mix instead of AP flour and otherwise followed your directions to a “T”. I was a little nervous since I had never made this recipe but it was FABULOUS and I can always count it on you for perfection! I also made your Sweet Potato Casserole with Pecan Streusel (substituting Gluten free KA Flour as needed) and Creamy Make Ahead Mashed Potatoes….all received rave reviews. I love your recipes and have such confidence in achieving 5 star results. Thank you!
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Can I omit the egg in this recipe? I prefer a more traditional/dry stuffing but am intrigued with the in ingredients of this recipe and want to try it!
I don’t recommend leaving out the eggs, Shannon — sorry!