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Serve this traditional Southern cornbread dressing alongside a Thanksgiving turkey, a Christmas or Easter ham, or a cozy roasted chicken. It’s a simple, savory combination of cornbread, biscuits (or bread), sausage, and fresh herbs.
Table of Contents
- The Difference Between Cornbread Stuffing and Dressing
- The Best Cornbread to Use
- How to Avoid Wet Cornbread Dressing
- Ingredients for an Old Fashioned Southern Cornbread Dressing Recipe
- How to Make Southern Cornbread Dressing
- Serving Suggestions
- Preparation and Storage Tips for this Southern Dressing Recipe
- Recipe Variations
- Tips for the Best Cornbread Dressing Recipe
- Southern Cornbread Dressing Recipe
As soon as the temperatures drop and we’re treated to that first glimpse of cooler fall air, I instantly add dressing and cranberry sauce back into our mealtime rotation. Whether it’s in the form of chicken and stuffing casserole on a busy weeknight, a store-bought box of Pepperidge Farm stuffing mix with a roasted turkey breast for a cozy Sunday supper, or a pan of shortcut sausage dressing with pan fried pork chops, Southern dressing is one of those delicious dishes that should be fully enjoyed all season long!
The Difference Between Cornbread Stuffing and Dressing
While they might have the same ingredients, the difference between cornbread stuffing and cornbread dressing is in the cooking method. Stuffing is baked in the cavity of a turkey or chicken, while dressing is cooked in its own separate pan.
I prefer to bake my dressing in a casserole dish, rather than stuffing it inside a turkey. When you stuff a turkey, it takes the turkey longer to cook through. The stuffing must reach an internal temperature of 165°F for food safety concerns, which can often result in dry breast meat as the turkey has to stay in the oven longer.
Cooking the turkey and dressing separately ensures that they both reach a safe temperature without either component overcooking.
The Best Cornbread to Use
You’ll need an 8-inch cast iron skillet or 8-inch square baking pan full of cornbread to use in this recipe. That’s equivalent to about 8 cups cubed. I use this cast iron cornbread; however, any similar recipe will work. You can also use a store-bought tray of prepared cornbread from the bakery, or use a box of cornbread mix.
How to Avoid Wet Cornbread Dressing
In order to avoid wet cornbread dressing, you need to use day-old (stale) cornbread. If it’s not dry enough, the cornbread will just get soggy and mushy when it combines with the broth and eggs. To achieve this perfectly dried out cornbread, let the cubed cornbread sit in open, zip-top bags or bowls on the counter for at least 24 hours.
If you don’t have time to wait for your cornbread to dry out on its own, you can toast fresh cornbread in the oven. To do so, arrange the cubed cornbread on rimmed baking sheets. Bake in a 275°F oven for about 30-40 minutes, tossing occasionally. Let the cornbread cool and dry before using in the recipe.
Ingredients for an Old Fashioned Southern Cornbread Dressing Recipe
This is just a quick overview of the ingredients that you’ll need for a pan of the best Southern cornbread dressing. As always, specific measurements are included in the printable recipe box at the bottom of the post.
- Ground pork sausage: I use a Jimmy Dean country mild pork roll, but any similar variety is fine. You can also try sweet Italian sausage, spicy Italian sausage, hot pork sausage, sage sausage, or maple sausage. The meat adds satisfying protein and so much flavor!
- Butter: to sauté the veggies and add rich flavor to the dressing.
- Celery and onion: fresh vegetables that add great texture and savory flavor to the dish.
- Thyme, rosemary, sage, and parsley: fresh herbs are always my preference, but dried herbs will also work fine.
- Cornbread: I use homemade cornbread for this recipe; however, store-bought cornbread or a cornbread mix will also be fine. Cube or crumbled the stale cornbread.
- Biscuits or Bread: adding stale cubed biscuits or cubed bread to the dressing gives the dish a better texture and more flavor. Cornbread can be quite crumbly on its own, while the biscuits or bread cubes hold their shape better in the dressing. For really great flavor, use cheddar biscuits with chives and bacon.
- Chicken broth: brings the dressing together and keeps the ingredients moist. You can sub with chicken stock for even more flavor.
- Eggs: act as a binder, holding the mixture together in clumps so that it’s less crumbly.
- Kosher salt and ground black pepper: to enhance the other ingredients.
How to Make Southern Cornbread Dressing
This convenient, make-ahead side dish comes together quite easily once all of the ingredients are prepped and ready to go. I’ve included detailed directions in the recipe card below, but here’s the quick overview:
- Cook the sausage, vegetables, and herbs with butter in a skillet.
- Stir together the cooked sausage mixture, the cubed cornbread and biscuits, the broth, the eggs, and the seasoning.
- Transfer to a greased 9 x 13-inch baking dish.
- Bake until golden brown and set, about 30-40 minutes.
Serving Suggestions
While dressing is most commonly served as a Thanksgiving side dish or paired with a Christmas or Easter ham, there’s no reason that you can’t enjoy it year-round. It’s easy enough to prep in advance and enjoy for a regular Sunday supper! Here are some cozy entrees that pair well with this old fashioned Southern cornbread dressing recipe:
- Chicken (like Fried Chicken, Cider Dijon Roasted Chicken, Pecan-Crusted Chicken, Rosemary Oven Roasted Chicken, Crispy Roast Chicken with Vegetables, and Roasted Chicken Thighs with Garlic and Herbs)
- Pork (like Dutch Oven Pork Roast with Gravy, Pork Sirloin Roast, Pineapple Glazed Ham, Bourbon-Glazed Ham, Baked Ham with Apricot Glaze, Garlic and Rosemary Baked Pork Tenderloin, Coca-Cola Pork Chops, Oven Roasted Pork Loin with Applesauce Glaze, and Cajun Pork Chops)
- Turkey (like Smoked Turkey Breast, Maple-Glazed Roasted Turkey Breast, Crock Pot Turkey Tenderloin, and Slow Cooker Turkey Breast)
Preparation and Storage Tips for this Southern Dressing Recipe
- Make Ahead: This dressing can be made the night before or a day ahead of time. Assemble as directed, but do not bake the dressing. Cover and refrigerate the dish for up to 24 hours. When ready to bake, bring the dish to room temperature on the counter for at least 30 minutes. Then bake (covered) for at least 30 minutes (or longer if the dish is still chilled when you pop it in the oven). You can remove the cover during the final 10-15 minutes to achieve a crispy top.
- How to Freeze: Freeze the dressing before or after baking. If you’d like to prepare your dressing far in advance, you can assemble the dish as directed, cover tightly with foil, and freeze for up to 2 months. The day before Thanksgiving, allow the dressing to thaw in the refrigerator overnight. Once thawed, bake according to the recipe instructions.
- Storage: Leftovers will keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
- How to Reheat: Add a little bit of extra broth to prevent it from drying out, if necessary. Cover and warm in a 350°F oven until heated through (about 20 minutes). You can also reheat individual portions in the microwave for about 30-60 seconds.
Recipe Variations
- I use Jimmy Dean country mild pork roll, but any similar variety is fine. You can also try sweet Italian sausage, spicy Italian sausage, hot pork sausage, sage sausage, or maple sausage.
- Instead of baking your own skillet of cornbread from scratch, purchase a baked tray of cornbread in your grocer’s bakery, or use a boxed cornbread mix.
- If you like a crunchy addition to the dressing, try adding about ¾ cup of chopped pecans or walnuts.
- Add sliced fresh mushrooms to the skillet with the onion and celery.
- Use dried herbs instead of the fresh herbs, or sub with poultry seasoning (which is a nice combination of thyme, sage, black pepper, marjoram, rosemary, and nutmeg).
- Instead of baking the dressing in a casserole dish, you can stuff it inside the cavity of your turkey. If adding it to the turkey, allow the dressing to cool completely and then stuff it in the turkey right before the turkey goes into the oven. This will help prevent the growth of harmful bacteria. It’s also important to roast the turkey until the stuffing reaches an internal temperature of 165°F to avoid food-borne illness.
Tips for the Best Cornbread Dressing Recipe
- Adding cubed day-old biscuits or crusty bread to the dressing gives the dish more flavor and yields a better texture. I like to use these 3-ingredient buttermilk biscuits or these cheddar biscuits with chives and bacon; however, you can also use canned or store-bought biscuits, or just cube some leftover stale bread. Approximately 2 biscuits equals 2 cups cubed.
- You’ll need a total of about 10 cups of dried, cubed bread (about 8 cups of cornbread and about 2 cups of biscuits or bread). If you have less than 8 cups of cornbread, no problem — just use a little bit more than 2 cups of bread or biscuits to make up the difference. Dressing is meant to be a humble, rustic way to take advantage of the leftovers that you have on hand!
- If you prefer a softer, more moist dressing, cover the dish with foil for most of the baking time. Remove the cover during the final 10 minutes to allow it to toast and brown on top.
- If the dressing looks too dry at any point, just drizzle with a little bit of extra broth.
More Thanksgiving Sides to Try
Looking for more inspiration? Check out all of our Thanksgiving recipes!
Southern Cornbread Dressing
Ingredients
- 1 lb. ground pork sausage
- ¼ cup butter
- 1 cup diced celery
- 1 cup diced sweet onion
- 1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme (or ¼ teaspoon dried thyme)
- 1 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary (or ¼ teaspoon dried rosemary)
- 1 teaspoon chopped fresh sage (or ¼ teaspoon dried sage)
- 1 (8 inch) cast iron skillet or baking dish of day-old cornbread, cubed (about 8 cups total) (I use this cornbread recipe, but any will work)
- 2 cups day-old cubed biscuits or crusty bread (we like these 3-ingredient buttermilk biscuits)
- 3 cups chicken broth, plus more if needed
- 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a 9 x 13-inch baking dish or spray with nonstick cooking spray. Brown the sausage in a large skillet over medium-high heat until no longer pink, using a wooden spoon to break up the meat; drain off fat. Add butter, celery, and onion to the skillet with the sausage; cook until tender. Stir in the thyme, rosemary, and sage; cook for 1 more minute.
- In a large bowl, stir together the sausage mixture, cornbread, cubed bread or biscuits, broth, eggs, parsley, salt, and pepper. You can add a little bit of extra broth, if necessary, so that the mixture is very moist. Remember, the cornbread and biscuits will absorb the liquid and it will continue to dry out in the oven as well. Transfer the stuffing mixture to the prepared baking dish.
- Bake until lightly browned and set, about 30-40 minutes. If the stuffing starts to look too dry or too dark on top, tent loosely with foil and continue baking until done.
Notes
- Adding cubed day-old biscuits or crusty bread to the dressing gives the dish more flavor and yields a better texture. I like to use these 3-ingredient buttermilk biscuits or these cheddar biscuits with chives and bacon; however, you can also use canned or store-bought biscuits, or just cube some leftover stale bread. Approximately 2 biscuits equals 2 cups cubed.
- You’ll need a total of about 10 cups of dried, cubed bread (about 8 cups of cornbread and about 2 cups of biscuits or bread). If you have less than 8 cups of cornbread, no problem — just use a little bit more than 2 cups of bread or biscuits to make up the difference. Dressing is meant to be a humble, rustic way to take advantage of the leftovers that you have on hand!
- If you prefer a softer, more moist dressing, cover the dish with foil for most of the baking time. Remove the cover during the final 10 minutes to allow it to toast and brown on top.
- If the dressing looks too dry at any point, just drizzle with a little bit of extra broth.
