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–+ servings

Southern Cornbread Dressing

Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour 15 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 35 minutes

Equipment

Ingredients  

Cornbread

  • 1 cup cornmeal
  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • ½ teaspoon baking soda
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1 teaspoon sugar
  • 1 cup milk
  • 2 large eggs
  • 8 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

Southern Cornbread Dressing

  • 2-3 tablespoons butter
  • 2 cups onions, diced
  • 2 cups celery, diced
  • 3 cups cornbread, crumbled
  • 2 cups bread, crumbled
  • 1 tablespoon rubbed sage
  • 1 teaspoon poultry seasoning
  • 2 teasponn kosher salt
  • ½ teaspoon black pepper
  • 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
  • 2 to 2 ½ cups chicken or turkey broth

Instructions 

Cornbread

  • Preheat oven to 400°F. Butter the baking pan or cast-iron skillet and set aside.
  • In a medium mixing bowl add the flour, cornmeal, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and sugar. Whisk to combine well.
  • Make a well in the center of your dry ingredients and add the melted butter, milk, and egg. Stir just until the mixture comes together. There will be a few lumps remaining.
  • Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 20-25 minutes until the top is a deep golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Cornbread can be made in advance.
  • Allow cornbread to cool and then crumble.

Southern Cornbread Dressing

  • Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter the baking pan and set aside.
  • In a large skillet over medium heat melt the butter and then add the celery and onion. Sauté for about 5 to 6 minutes or until celery and onions are tender.
  • Stir together crumbled cornbread and bread in a large bowl. Stir in the poultry seasoning, sage, salt, black pepper, and celery-onion mixture. Stir until well blended.
  • Add the eggs and broth then work the mixture until you get a well-combined but lumpy dressing. Add an additional cup of broth as needed. The dressing should be wet but not standing liquid.
  • Transfer the dressing to a greased baking dish. Bake for 45-60 minutes or until dressing is browned and cooked through.

Notes

 
1. Store-bought cornbread or your favorite cornbread recipe can be substituted for our cornbread recipe.
2. Avoid using sweetened cornbread.
3. Ground dried or fresh sage can be substituted for rubbed sage.  For each teaspoon of rubbed sage substitute approximately 1/2 teaspoon of ground sage since ground sage is more concentrated. For fresh sage use 1 tablespoon of fresh for every teaspoon of rubbed.
4. Any stale sandwich bread will work -white bread, wheat bread, or sourdough but avoid seeded or flavored bread
5. Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.  The nutritional value is only for the cornbread dressing and does not include any additions or substitutions.  The nutritional value will vary based on the type of cornbread and bread used for this recipe.
6. Be sure to check out the Key Ingredients along with the Recipe Tips and Notes sections found in the post, for more tips, make-ahead tips, options, substitutions, and variations for this recipe! You will also find step-by-step photos there.