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Whether you call it Cornbread Dressing, or Cornbread Stuffing, this recipe is perfect for adding to your baked turkey or serving it as a Thanksgiving side! The key to making the most flavorful stuffing is adding lots of veggies and herbs. Don’t be shy with the butter! Learn how to make Cornbread Dressing from scratch, and you’ll never look to a box again!
Make a homemade Gluten Free Cornbread for this recipe! You will also love these Sausage Stuffing Balls made with cornbread.
Contents
A Perfect Turkey Stuffing!
Growing up, my grandma always made a cornbread dressing to stuff her turkey. It was a family favorite, so I have continued the tradition.
Cornbread gives the dressing a sweetness, that’s perfectly complemented by a heavy hand of sage and green bell peppers.
This stuffing recipe is easy to make ahead of time! You can use your favorite cornbread, but I keep it gluten free by using this Moist and Fluffy Gluten Free Cornbread recipe.
This cornbread dressing is perfect for stuffing your turkey (learn how to cook a turkey with a dry brine), but if you worry about salmonella from stuffing your bird, it’s also delicious baked on the side! I typically make enough to stuff some in the bird (it’s so delicious soaked up in the turkey drippings!), and some baked separately as well.
What You’ll Need
- Gluten Free Cornbread (you can also use cornbread croutons to save time!)
- Butter
- Onions
- Celery
- Green Bell Peppers (I highly suggest not leaving this out!)
- Poultry Seasoning
- Fresh Sage and Rosemary
- Sea Salt and Black Pepper
- Chicken Stock, or Turkey Drippings
How to Make Cornbread Dressing (or Stuffing!)
Step 1: Cut cornbread into chunks, and lay it out on a baking tray to dry out. Either leaving it out on the counter overnight or baking it at 250º for 1 hour will dry it out.
Step 2: Into a skillet, melt butter over medium heat. Add the vegetables, herbs, poultry seasoning, and salt. Sauté until very soft. If baking inside a turkey, the vegetables don’t have to be cooked as long (about 7 minutes). If baking it in a casserole dish, the vegetables need to be very soft, so sauté them close to 20 minutes.
Step 3: As the vegetables are softening, add chicken broth 1/2 cup at a time. Allow the broth to reduce. If you have turkey drippings available, you can use that instead of the chicken broth.
Step 4: Add the cornbread, and sauté to break up and mix in to the vegetables and herbs. Season with additional salt, if desired.
Cornbread Stuffing for Turkeys or Roasted Chickens
If you plan on stuffing your turkey with cornbread dressing, keep these tips in mind.
- The vegetables don’t have to be sautéed as long. They will cook for hours along with your bird and become soft.
- Don’t overstuff your turkey. Overstuffing the turkey or under baking it could lead to salmonella in your stuffing. Be sure to use a meat thermometer and check the temperature of both the turkey (or chicken) and stuffing is at least 165º F.
- If you’re unsure the stuffing is fully cooked, put it in a casserole dish and bake it at 400º F for 20 minutes prior to serving it.
After removing the innards from your turkey, add stuffing loosely to the cavity of the bird.
Leftover stuffing can be added to a casserole dish, and warmed alongside the turkey.
Baking Cornbread Dressing in a Casserole Dish
Want to skip stuffing the turkey, and enjoy the dressing as a side dish? That’s fine!
Be sure to use enough chicken broth to fully soften the cornbread.
Add the cornbread dressing to a casserole dish. Bake it uncovered (to give it a crisp topping and edges) at 400º F for 30 minutes.
How to Store Leftovers and FAQ
How to Store Leftover Cornbread Dressing
Wrap leftovers tightly, and refrigerate the leftovers for up to 4 days. Fully reheat the leftover stuffing, especially if it’s been used to stuff a turkey, prior to serving.
Can I Freeze Cornbread Stuffing?
Yes! Cornbread stuffing is a great thing to make ahead of a holiday, and freeze until ready to use. The vegetables are cooked until they are very soft, so freezing them doesn’t change the texture, like more crisp vegetables.
Wrap cornbread stuffing in an air tight container and freeze up to 3 months, until ready to use.
How to Make Cornbread for Dressing
Use your favorite cornbread recipe or store bought cornbread for this recipe. The cornbread needs dried out, so it can absorb the flavors of the chicken broth, turkey drippings, and herbs, so cut it in chunks and allow it to dry out overnight. It can also be cut in chunks and dried out in the oven (on a low temperature), to save time.
Make Sausage Cornbread Stuffing
Love sausage in your stuffing? Use this recipe for Sausage Stuffing Balls, which includes apples and sausage, and use it to stuff your turkey, bake it in a casserole dish, or make stuffing balls, as shown in the post.
Other Thanksgiving Side Dish Recipes
- Cornbread Sausage Stuffing Balls
- Healthy Sweet Potato Casserole
- Perfect Baked Sweet Potatoes
- Cauliflower Mash
- Holiday Spinach Salad with Bacon Dressing
If you make this recipe, be sure to share it with me! Find me on Facebook or Instagram and be sure to tag #SunkissedKitchen @SunkissedKitch
Cornbread Dressing – Southern Cornbread Stuffing
This is my grandma's stuffing recipe, and the whole family makes it now. Sweet cornbread and lots of flavorful veggies and herbs add all the classic flavors to your Thanksgiving meal. Stuff this in a chicken or turkey, or just bake on the side. I use myGluten Free Cornbreadrecipe, but feel free to sub any cornbread you like to make.
5 from 1 vote
Print Pin Rate
Course: Side Dish
Cuisine: American
Prep Time: 20 minutes minutes
Cook Time: 45 minutes minutes
Total Time: 1 hour hour 5 minutes minutes
Servings: 8 people
Calories: 69kcal
Author: Michelle Miller
Ingredients
- 1 Gluten free Cornbread
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 onion diced
- 1 green bell pepper diced
- 2 cups celery diced
- 1 1/2 teaspoons sea salt
- 1 teaspoon poultry seasoning
- black pepper to taste
- 2 tablespoons sage fresh, chopped fine
- 2 tablespoons rosemary fresh, chopped fine
- 2 cups chicken broth or vegetable broth, possibly more
Instructions
Cut cornbread into large chunks. Spread out on a baking tray. Allow the cornbread to dry out overnight. Alternately, bake the cornbread chunks at 250º for 30 minutes-1 hour to dry out faster.
In a large frying pan, add butter, chopped onion, bell pepper and celery. Sauté over medium heat, stirring occasionally, for 15-20 minutes, until veggies are very tender. Season with sea salt, black pepper, poultry seasoning, and add chopped sage and rosemary.
As the vegetables are cooking, add chicken stock 1/2 cup at a time, allowing it to reduce before adding more.
Add the cornbread chunks to the vegetables, and bread up with a spatula as it combines. Add more chicken stock or turkey drippings, if necessary, to soften the cornbread.
Add to a casserole dish. Bake at 400º F uncovered for 30 minutes.
Refer to notes if using to stuff a turkey.
Video
Notes
If you plan on stuffing your turkey with cornbread dressing, keep these tips in mind.
- The vegetables don’t have to be sautéed as long.They will cook for hours along with your bird and become soft.
- Don’t overstuff your turkey.Overstuffing the turkey or under baking it could lead to salmonellain your stuffing.Be sure to use a meat thermometer and check the temperature of both the turkey (or chicken) and stuffing is at least 165º F.
- If you’re unsure the stuffing is fully cooked,put it in a casserole dish and bake it at 400º F for 20 minutes prior to serving it.
After removing the innards from your turkey, add stuffing loosely to the cavity of the bird.
Leftover stuffing can be added to a casserole dish, and warmed alongside the turkey.
HOW TO STORE LEFTOVER CORNBREAD DRESSING
Wrap leftovers tightly, and refrigerate the leftovers for up to 4 days. Fully reheat the leftover stuffing, especially if it’s been used to stuff a turkey, prior to serving.
CAN I FREEZE CORNBREAD STUFFING?
Yes! Cornbread stuffing is a great thing to make ahead of a holiday, and freeze until ready to use. The vegetables are cooked until they are very soft, so freezing them doesn’t change the texture, like more crisp vegetables.
Wrap cornbread stuffing in an air tight container and freeze up to 3 months, until ready to use.
HOW TO MAKE CORNBREAD FOR DRESSING
Use your favorite cornbread recipe or store bought cornbread for this recipe. The cornbread needs dried out, so it can absorb the flavors of the chicken broth, turkey drippings, and herbs, so cut it in chunks and allow it to dry out overnight. It can also be cut in chunks and dried out in the oven (on a low temperature), to save time.
MAKE SAUSAGE CORNBREAD STUFFING
Love sausage in your stuffing? Use this recipe forSausage Stuffing Balls, which includes apples and sausage, and use it to stuff your turkey, bake it in a casserole dish, or make stuffing balls, as shown in the post.
Nutrition
Calories: 69kcal | Carbohydrates: 8g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 4g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 13mg | Sodium: 743mg | Potassium: 145mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 321IU | Vitamin C: 14mg | Calcium: 45mg | Iron: 1mg
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