Southern Cornbread Dressing
Southern Cornbread Dressing is a Thanksgiving staple - the combination of sweet cornbread and savory sausage is so delicious. The celery and onions add such a wonderful crunch and the creamy soup brings it all together.
Servings: 12
Calories: 388kcal
Equipment
- a 13x9 baking dish
Ingredients
- 1 large pan of cornbread I use this recipe
- 1 pound sausage
- 1 large red onion diced
- 3 - 4 celery stalks diced (this should be about 2 cups)
- ½ cup butter 1 stick
Gravy Mix
- 2 cups chicken broth chicken stock or turkey stock will also work
- 1 10.5 ounce can cream of chicken soup
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon dried sage
- ¼ teaspoon dried thyme
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- ⅛ teaspoon dried rosemary
- 1 pinch nutmeg
- 1 pinch marjoram
Instructions
- The first step is to make cornbread - I like to use this recipe - and then let it cool.
- Once the cornbread is ready, cook the Italian Sausage. Once it is cooked, drain off the grease and set it off to the side.
- Cook the onion and celery in the butter until the onions are translucent and the celery is soft - about 5 minutes.
- Once the cornbread is cooled off enough to handle, crumble it into a large bowl. Add the drained sausage and cooked celery and onions to the same bowl, along with any butter left in the pan and gently toss it all together.
- Pour the mixture into a 13 x 9 baking dish and spread it out.
- In a separate, smaller bowl, whisk together spices, cream of chicken soup, and broth.
- Pour the soup mixture over the cornbread - trying to cover as much as you can. Do not stir.
- Bake the cornbread dressing at 350°F for 30 - 35 minutes, uncovered.
- When the dressing is done, remove it from the oven and let it cool. Serve immediately and enjoy!
Notes
🔢 Recipe Yield
This recipe should make 12 servings, but if you have big eaters, you might end up with 8 - 10. 🥫 Storage/Shelf Life/Reheating
Once cooled, store leftovers in the refrigerator. Reheat in the toaster oven, microwave, or in the oven. I like to use the oven over the microwave because it makes the cornbread chunks nice and crispy. It is hard to explain but it is so good! 📋 Tips
Why is my cornbread dressing mushy?
If your cornbread dressing comes out mushy, it is either because it was overmixed and the cornbread just turned to crumbles - or if there was not enough cornbread to mix with the gravy. Too much liquid will cause a soggy mess! What is the difference between cornbread stuffing and cornbread dressing?
I think the difference used to be that one was "stuffed" in the turkey and one is baked in a pan. Most people don't stuff their turkeys these days, so I don't think there is a huge difference other than how you break up the cornbread. I think stuffing might have more uniformly sized pieces vs. dressing's crumbles - but that might be the only difference. Why do Southerners call it dressing?
Based on my research, I honestly have no idea other than again, stuffing is stuffed in the bird and the dressing is cooked on the side, therefore "dressing" up the table. I think it is just a "tomato, tom-ah-to" or "you all, y'all" dialect thing. It's a Southern Thing wrote a funny article about this! How do you know when the dressing is done?
Dressing is done when the gravy is no longer liquid - it kind of melds into the bread and forms a thicker delicious crust. The cornbread will also be nice and toasty on the edges. What kind of sausage do you use in cornbread dressing?
I love using Italian sausage - it seems kind of weird but the flavors complement the sweet cornbread and the chicken gravy flavors really well!
This recipe should make 12 servings, but if you have big eaters, you might end up with 8 - 10. 🥫 Storage/Shelf Life/Reheating
Once cooled, store leftovers in the refrigerator. Reheat in the toaster oven, microwave, or in the oven. I like to use the oven over the microwave because it makes the cornbread chunks nice and crispy. It is hard to explain but it is so good! 📋 Tips
- Don't overmix - cornbread chunks will get broken up and the end result will be soggy dressing.
- Pour the "gravy" over the dressing to prevent overmixing. Sure, this will leave a few bites "undressed" but then you will have this delicious toasty cornbread mixed with the gravy drenched bites - it is really delicious.
- Serve leftovers for lunch - this cornbread dressing is delicious even as a standalone meal. It would be a really easy lunch prepare on Sunday then have for a few days.
Why is my cornbread dressing mushy?
If your cornbread dressing comes out mushy, it is either because it was overmixed and the cornbread just turned to crumbles - or if there was not enough cornbread to mix with the gravy. Too much liquid will cause a soggy mess! What is the difference between cornbread stuffing and cornbread dressing?
I think the difference used to be that one was "stuffed" in the turkey and one is baked in a pan. Most people don't stuff their turkeys these days, so I don't think there is a huge difference other than how you break up the cornbread. I think stuffing might have more uniformly sized pieces vs. dressing's crumbles - but that might be the only difference. Why do Southerners call it dressing?
Based on my research, I honestly have no idea other than again, stuffing is stuffed in the bird and the dressing is cooked on the side, therefore "dressing" up the table. I think it is just a "tomato, tom-ah-to" or "you all, y'all" dialect thing. It's a Southern Thing wrote a funny article about this! How do you know when the dressing is done?
Dressing is done when the gravy is no longer liquid - it kind of melds into the bread and forms a thicker delicious crust. The cornbread will also be nice and toasty on the edges. What kind of sausage do you use in cornbread dressing?
I love using Italian sausage - it seems kind of weird but the flavors complement the sweet cornbread and the chicken gravy flavors really well!
Nutrition
Serving: 0.5cup | Calories: 388kcal | Carbohydrates: 34g | Protein: 10g | Fat: 24g | Saturated Fat: 10g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 9g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 82mg | Sodium: 910mg | Potassium: 229mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 10g | Vitamin A: 384IU | Vitamin C: 4mg | Calcium: 94mg | Iron: 2mg