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This will be the best cornbread stuffing you’ll ever have! Once you try this easy cornbread stuffing, you’ll never make it any other way! Your holiday guests will devour every last crumb!
You just won’t be able to stop eating this mouthwatering cornbread dressing. Spoon after spoon after spoon of it goes in the mouth, until there is no more stuffingleft. It’s always like that. Yes it is!
Fresh cornbread crumbs are combinedwith butter-cooked onions, celery, garlic and carrots, seasoned with Italian herbs, mixed with the chicken broth in a baking dish and baked to perfection. This cornbread stuffing smells amazing, tastes mouthwatering and there is just something so addictive about it, I just can’t put my finger on it! This is my go-to stuffing for every Thanksgiving, to go along my famous Thanksgiving turkey in a brown paper bag :)
For this cornbread dressing, you can use either homemade or store-bought cornbread. If you want to make cornbread from scratch, I have amazing easy cornbread recipe you can follow!
I always make this cornbread stuffing in a baking dish, baked outside of the bird. If you want to bake it inside the bird, it will certainly work too!
There are 3 reasons why I prefer to bake the stuffing outside of the bird. One is food safety – when a large bird is baked with the stuffing inside it, often the bird is cooked through, while the stuffing inside is not fully brought to safe temp, and there is really no easy way to tell when that stuffing is safe to eat. The second reason is that baking the stuffing outside of the bird allows you to make a larger portion of stuffing :) More stuffing will fit into a baking dish than inside of the bird, so everyone will be able to getmore stuffing! And the last reason is that dressingin a baking dish can be made ahead, making your holidays so much easier. Just make the stuffing the day before Thanksgiving, refrigerate it and then warm in an oven or microwave right before serving!
This cornbread stuffing is extremely easy to make, even the most inexperienced cooks can follow this simple recipe! The easy instructions below break down the stuffing-making process into very easy-to-follow steps.
How To Make Cornbread Stuffing Step By Step
Step 1: Crumble The Cornbread
Crumble the cornbread with your hands. Don’t worry about lack of uniform crumb size :) The cornbread crumble should look something like this:
Step 2:CookVegetables In Butter
Melt the butter ina frying pan or pot, add chopped onions, celery, carrots and garlic and cook, covered, for 15 minutes, until they are soft.
Step 3: Mix Ingredients For The Stuffing
In a large baking dish, combine the cornbread crumbs, cooked vegetables, chicken broth and Italian herb seasoning. Add salt and pepper to taste.
When ready to bake, smooth the top with the back of the spoon:
Step 4:Bake The Cornbread Stuffing
Put the cornbread stuffing in a pre-heated 375F oven and bake for 35 minutes.
Remove from the oven, fluff with a fork and serve!
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Easy Cornbread Stuffing Recipe
This is the best cornbread stuffing recipe ever! Super easy to make and so delicious, you'll never make your cornbread dressing any other way!
Prep Time15 minutes mins
Cook Time35 minutes mins
Total Time50 minutes mins
Course: Side Dish
Cuisine: American
Servings: 10 servings
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 375F.
Melt the butter on a non-stick frying pan over medium heat.
Add the onion, celery, garlic and carrot and mix. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, for 15 minutes.
Put the crumbled cornbread and cooked onion mixture in a non-stick 9x13 baking dish, and stir to combine.
Add the chicken broth to the cornbread mixture and stir to combine.
Add salt and pepper to taste, and stir to combine.
Smooth the top of the cornbread mixture with the back of a spoon.
Put the cornbread stuffing mixture in the oven and bake for 35 minutes.
Remove the cornbread stuffing from the oven, fluff with the fork and serve.
Notes
This cornbread stuffing can be made ahead and re-heated in the oven or microwave before serving.
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FAQs
So stuffing is cooked inside the bird. Dressing is cooked outside the bird, usually in a casserole dish.
Is it better to make stuffing the day before Thanksgiving? ›
Absolutely. Most Thanksgiving stuffing recipes can be made at least partially in advance since: A) They're easily assembled a day or two ahead of Thanksgiving Day; and B) They're often baked using a two-step process (once covered with foil to cook through, then uncovered to achieve a crispy top).
Is stuffing better with or without eggs? ›
It's all about personal preference. If you want a sturdier dressing, eggs can help do that. I don't use eggs in this recipe, though, because I like a lighter, more crumbly texture in my dressing.
What's the difference between stuffing and dressing for Thanksgiving? ›
The primary difference between stuffing and dressing is that stuffing is cooked inside a bird and dressing is made on the side. As with many food traditions in the U.S., regional loyalties to stuffing vs dressing abound.
Why is my cornbread dressing gummy? ›
Lastly, adding too much liquid (such as broth) can also result in a gummy texture. Adjust the amount of liquid called for in your recipe and consider altering the cooking time if necessary. How to know when cornbread dressing is done cooking?
What is the best way to dry out cornbread for stuffing? ›
How To Dry Out Cornbread In Your Oven
- Preheat your oven to a low 275 degrees.
- Cut the cornbread into squares.
- Toast in the oven for 30-45 minutes until dry, tossing throughout.
- Let the cornbread dry completely before using it in your dressing recipe.
If you don't plan on stuffing the bird, but preparing the dressing as a side dish, you can prepare uncooked stuffing ahead of time as long as you freeze the stuffing immediately after mixing the wet and dry ingredients. USDA recommends that you never refrigerate uncooked stuffing.
How soggy should stuffing be before baking? ›
The stuffing should be moist but not wet. If there is a puddle of broth at the bottom of the bowl, you've added too much. Add more bread to soak up the excess moisture. If the mix is still dry and crumbly, add more liquid and toss gently until it starts to clump together.
Should I leave bread out overnight for stuffing? ›
If you use soft, fresh bread, you'll ultimately wind up with a soggy, mushy stuffing. So, how do you dry bread for stuffing? There are two ways to go about it. If you've planned your Thanksgiving dinner ahead of time, you can cut your bread into cubes and leave them out to become stale overnight.
What does adding an egg do to stuffing? ›
Eggs: Two lightly beaten eggs help hold the dressing together and add moisture.
Turkey stuffing was popularized in the early days of Thanksgiving, as it is written in many 16th-century Boston area documents. Stuffing most often uses dried bread, herbs, and vegetables that are reconstituted with liquid, stuffed into the turkey cavity, and baked until it is firm and finished cooking.
What is the best kind of bread for stuffing? ›
You can use any kind; store-bought white bread works well and would probably be my #1 suggestion for stuffing. You could also try using cut up dinner rolls, sourdough bread (actually this would be my personal first pick), challah, or anything else you want to experiment with.
Is stuffing a Christmas thing? ›
There is no particular reason why stuffing is eaten at Christmas, other than it is a traditional accompaniment to turkey, the most popular Christmas meat.
What is the difference between stuffing and dressing black folks? ›
The stuffing mixture may be cooked separately and served as a side dish, in which case it may still be called 'stuffing', or in some regions, such as the Southern US, 'dressing'. This is from Wiki. Basically, everyone except a tiny percentage of Black people with family in Alabama calls it stuffing.
What is the most popular Thanksgiving side dish? ›
The most popular Thanksgiving side in the U.S. is mashed potatoes, which reigns supreme in 9 states. The second most popular side is rolls, being favored by Utah, Florida, North Carolina, and West Virginia. 74% of Americans expect to be eating at least 4 side dishes on Thanksgiving.
Why is it called dressing instead of stuffing? ›
The term dressing, per the History Channel, originated around the 1850s, when the Victorians deemed stuffing too crude for the dish to be named. This happened around the same time that the term “dark meat” began to refer to chicken legs and thighs.
Do Southerners say stuffing or dressing? ›
Some people insist that it should be called dressing when it hasn't actually been stuffed inside a bird. But many people insist on one term or the other regardless of how it's prepared or what's in it. The term dressing is most commonly used in the South, but it's popular in pockets throughout the US.
What is cornbread dressing made of? ›
Add sautéed onion and celery to the crumbled cornbread. Stir in chicken stock, eggs, sage, salt, and pepper until well combined. Pour dressing into the prepared baking dish.
What is the difference between stuffing dressing and filling? ›
Both stuffing and filling have the same results, as the bird cooks, juices impart a deep, rich flavor to the bread mixture inside. On the other hand, dressing is the same bread mixture, but it's cooked in a separate vessel outside of the bird.
