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 is the Best recipe ever. Seasoned perfectly.
Can I make and put in fridge for a few hours before baking?
Yes
How much butter for the dressing? 1st ingredient shows 8 tbsp but last ingredient shows 2tbsp. Is it 10 total or just the 2tbsp to cook the celery and onion?
Nevermind! I just needed to keep reading
You use the other butter to cook the onions and celery in. The last 2 are for the top
This southern cornbread stuffing is the best I have ever had, I make this stuffing all the time, but it has never been this delicious. I did add chopped turkey gizzard and neck. This recipe is a keeper. Thank you so much.
The great recipe,
This is my go to recipe for the Holidays. Thank you!
Thanks for the southern dressing recipe. Three onions is waaayyy too much. I dropped it to two and it was still way too many onions. I also had to use a lot more chicken stock to make this moist enough, but I did use more toasted bread and cornbread (and it was still too many onions).
Reminds me of my Mother’s dressing recipe. She also sucked up a turkey baster full of stock and squirted it over the pan of dressing before she baked it, made it extra moist and tasty!
Recipe was VERY easy to prepare & product was exactly what I’m used to eating as a child. Absolutely delicious.
I make this every year, I buy regular white or yellow corn meal and follow the recipe for cornbread off the box, minus the sugar. the cornbread mix to me is too sweet so i just make my own. I also use lots of celery and bell pepper, its delish!!
sugar does not belong in cornbread.
I’ve lived all over the country. In the south, cornbread is usually sweet because that is how THEY prefer it. It’s okay, for some people it is often difficult to understand the world is bigger than our little corner of it.
Totally agree I myself don’t use sugar but it’s what ever you prefer 🦃🦃🦃
Sugar is not used in Mississippi dressing. Perish the thought. My Grandmother, my mama never used it and never did my husbands grandmother or mother. He has delta roots and I’m around Jackson roots, now on Coast. No sugar anywhere. Wanted to clear that up.
All depends on the person’s taste. 😂
Thanks for this recipe. I really enjoyed it! I only used one onion and it was perfect. I would also use half the butter if I make it again.