Southern Cornbread Dressing is deliciously moist and wonderfully seasoned with sage, onions, and celery. It’s a classic that makes it to the Thanksgiving table year after year.
Thanksgiving is quickly approaching and it’s time to start planning that Thanksgiving menu. This year I want the food to be extra good and special since this is the first year my son has been away at college. I miss him dearly and I know he misses my home cooking. (Note: This post was originally published November 10, 2015. But my son is still coming home for Thanksgiving 😊)
You cook for your boys mamas, and they’ll always want to come home to see you. 🙂
The Thanksgiving side dish that my kids look forward to the most is the dressing.
What Is Dressing?
Dressing is what southerners call stuffing. Typically dressing is made with cornbread. Variations on cornbread dressing are many and varied. Depending on the region of the south, ingredients like pecans, sausage, crawfish, or oysters can be added.
Thanksgiving Dressing Recipe
Probably the most looked forward to part of Thanksgiving dinner, besides dessert, is the dressing and it’s not uncommon for us to have more than one kind. I personally really love this Andouille Sausage and Cornbread Stuffing.
This Southern Cornbread Dressing is a more traditional southern dressing made with crumbled cornbread along with lots of onion, celery, and sage. It’s savory, moist, and delicious.
How Far In Advance To Make The Cornbread
You should make the cornbread a day or two in advance. You want the conrbread to be somewhat dry and stale. This will allow it to absorb more liquid and flavor.
Recipe Tip
Since we typically fry our Thanksgiving turkey, I solely use canned broth to make dressing, but if you have turkey drippings, you could add them to the dressing and it will taste even better.
Along with cornbread dressing we love to have Cheesy Green Bean Casserole, mashed potatoes, and Broccoli Casserole for Thanksgiving dinner. And this year I think I’ll add Savory Sweet Potato Casserole to the list. You can never have too many casseroles! I also always make these Yeast Rolls and Southern Sweet Potato Pie.
Equipment Needed
- Cast Iron Pan– You will need a 9 to 10-inch cast iron pan for baking the cornbread. A 9-inch cake pan or baking dish can be used instead.
- Baking Dish– a 9×13-inch baking dish is a good size.
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Watch the video below to see how easy it is to make Southern Cornbread Dressing.
Southern Cornbread Dressing
Equipment
- 9 to 10-inch cast iron pan
Ingredients
Cornbread
- 1 cup self-rising cornmeal, I use Martha White
- 1/2 cup self-rising flour, I use White Lily
- 3/4 cup buttermilk
- 2 eggs
- 2 tablespoons Vegetable oil
Dressing
- 8 tablespoons butter, (1 stick)
- 3 medium onion, chopped
- 4 stalks celery, chopped
- 1 1/2 teaspoons dried sage
- 1 teaspoon poultry seasoning
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- 3 pieces toast, crumbled
- 1/2 cup milk
- 3 eggs, lightly beaten
- 2 to 2 1/2 cups chicken stock or broth
- 2 tablespoons butter
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
- In a medium bowl, stir together all ingredients for cornbread. Pour into a lightly greased 9-inch cast iron pan or a 9-inch baking pan. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes. Before using, crumble into small pieces.
- Heat butter over medium heat in a large pan. Add celery and onion and cook until soft.
- Add sage, poultry seasoning, salt, and pepper to onion mixture.
- In a large bowl combine crumbled cornbread and toast.
- Whisk together milk and eggs and add to bowl. Stir in 2 cups of chicken broth.
- Stir in onion mixture. Mixture should be very moist. Add more broth if necessary.
- Transfer to a greased baking dish. Cut butter into small slivers and scatter on top of dressing.
- Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes, or until it turns light brown on top.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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This dressing sounds very close to mine. I am terrible with measuring, though! I add a dash of this and a shake of that. Lol. I like to add boiled chicken and boiled eggs to mine, too!
Happy Thanksgiving!
That sounds wonderful Tracy. Happy Thanksgiving to you too!
Sounds very close to my family’s recipe but instead of toast we use Pepperidge Farms dressing mix mixed in with day old cornbread and a mixture of broth and drippings. My family also adds the meat from the turkey wings.
Does it matter what size baking dish for the dressing? This is my 1st time trying to make it so I have no idea! Please help!
It really doesn’t matter that much what size baking dish as long as it fits. You could even make it in 2 smaller baking dishes.
This stuffing looks so perfect, Christin! I rarely get the stuffing job because it’s my mother-in-law’s every year, but when I make some, I’m trying this!
This dressing sounds amazing, Christin! I love the addition of cornbread in here. This definitely takes stuffing to a whole new level!
This stuffing looks fantastic!! I’ve never had or made dressing before with cornbread. Sounds fantastic! I need to make this!
This looks delicious, Christin! I am publishing a dressing recipe next week…I put biscuits in mine in addition to cornbread! 🙂
Aaaw, you must be so happy to see your son soon. I hope my son comes home often if he goes away for school. I know I still LOVE going home for my mom’s food 🙂 This dressing looks incredible!!
I will never forget how happy I was to come home for food that first Thanksgiving! Your son has got to be so excited! And this dressing looks delicious!
Would you believe that I’ve never tried stuffing? I guess it’s just not too popular around here! Your version looks lovely though!!! xx
This stuffing looks unreal!
In reference to the question regarding the use of toast in the dressing recipes: I agree that our grandmothers did not use toast in their dressing, they most likely used leftover biscuit as there was always homemade biscuits for breakfast in southern kitchens with a few left over and these were oh so good even cold. Back in the days of the traditional southern cooks there was not anything wasted and they were so creative to use what they had, making fabulous meals for their families.
My mother always added some kind of bread to cornbread – dry bread, toast, biscuits, hot dog or hamburger buns or whatever she had. Does improve texture.