Southern Cornbread Dressing (otherwise known as Cornbread Stuffing) is a delicious take on a classic Thanksgiving side dish. This recipe is made with stale Buttermilk Cornbread then flavored with herbs, spices, and bacon!
What Makes This The Best Cornbread Dressing (Southern Style)
If your family loves Thanksgiving stuffing, try giving it a Southern twist!
In addition to its delicious taste, I love this Cornbread dressing recipe because you can make it with stale leftover cornbread.
Make a batch of my Buttermilk Cornbread and enjoy it with a steaming bowl of Crockpot Beef Stew a day or two before Thanksgiving. By the time you’re ready to start cooking, it should be perfect!
Southern Cornbread Dressing Recipe Ingredients
This delicious dressing is made with stale Buttermilk Cornbread that’s been cut into cubes. The bread is tossed in a blend of:
- olive oil
- sauteed onion
- celery
- thyme
- sage
- garlic paste
- Chopped bacon is added for a smoky, rich flavor.
A blend of chicken stock, milk, eggs, and black pepper is poured over the cornbread mixture. This adds moisture, melds all the ingredients together, and keeps them from falling apart after baking.
Corn Bread Dressing Variations
- Use store-bought cornbread: In a rush? You can use store-bought cornbread.
- Use box mix: Another time-saving substitute would be to use a boxed cornbread mix like Jiffy. However, the flavor and texture of my Southern Cornbread recipe are far superior!
- Salt and pepper to taste: Be careful if you decide to add any additional salt since it’s already in the butter and bacon.
- Vegetarian: You can omit the bacon for a vegetarian option.
- Sausage: A great alternative to bacon is using a cup of ground sausage. Make sure it’s pre-cooked before adding it to the skillet.
How To Make Southern Cornbread Dressing
Step 1: Preheat the oven and add the onion, celery, thyme, and sage to a large skillet with olive oil and cook until tender. Then add in the cooked bacon and garlic paste and cook for an additional minute.
Step 2: Add the bacon and vegetable mixture to a large bowl with the cubed cornbread, chives, and salt and toss to combine.
Step 3: In a separate large bowl, beat together the chicken stock, milk, eggs, and black pepper, followed separately by the butter, then pour it into the bowl with the rest of the ingredients and gently stir to combine.
Step 4: Transfer the mixture to a greased baking dish and bake for 25 to 30 minutes until the top is lightly crunchy and it doesn’t jiggle.
How to serve Corn Bread Dressing
Here are some recipes I love serving this delicious recipe alongside:
How to store Southern Cornbread Dressing
Make Ahead: To prep this dish in advance, prepare the recipe right up until step 5, then cover and store in the refrigerator for up to 2 days.
Right before baking, add the remaining wet ingredients and add to the baking dish and bake.
Leftovers: If you have some corn bread dressing left over from your meal, simply store it in a covered container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Reheat in the microwave.
Best Cornbread Dressing Recipe FAQs
Both are essentially the same thing. The big difference is that stuffing is traditionally cooked inside the turkey, while dressing is cooked in its own pan.
Leave it out on the counter; it should dry out in a day or two.
Since dry cornbread soaks up more moisture, it has to be stale.
You can cut the bread into cubes, place them on a parchment-lined baking sheet, and bake for 30 minutes at 250 degrees F. This will help dry them out and allow them to soak up the wet ingredients in the recipe.
Eggs are very important because they bind everything together. Otherwise, you’ll just be serving up piles of crumbled cornbread!
You’ll want enough to soak into the bread and keep everything moist. This recipe calls for about a cup (½ cup milk and ½ cup chicken stock). The melted butter and eggs also help do the job.
More Thanksgiving Side Dish Recipes:
- Sausage Dressing – A more traditional dressing recipe, this one is made with French bread and ground sausage.
- Roasted Delicata Squash – If you’re looking for an easy veggie side dish to add to the table, this is it!
- Bourbon Orange Cranberry Sauce – Give this sweet and tart side a boozy twist.
- Mashed Potatoes – The BEST recipe for buttery, creamy potatoes!
- Sweet Potato Casserole – This is guaranteed to be a hit for diners of all ages!
Let’s Connect!
If you’ve tried this recipe, please let me know how you liked it in the comments below and leave a review. I love hearing from you!
Don’t forget to tag me – @sugarandsoulco – on Instagram and Pinterest with your photos or join our Sugar & Soul Show-offs Community and share them there, where you can join our recipe challenges!
Best Cornbread Dressing
Ingredients
- 1 batch Buttermilk Cornbread stale
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 yellow onion finely diced
- 3 celery stalks finely diced
- fresh thyme
- fresh sage finely chopped
- 2 tablespoons garlic paste
- 6 slices bacon cooked and chopped
- fresh chives finely chopped
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup chicken stock
- ½ cup whole milk
- 2 large eggs beaten
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- ½ cup salted butter melted
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and grease a 10×10-inch casserole dish with nonstick spray; set aside.
- Cut the cornbread up into 1-inch cubes and place in a large bowl; set aside.
- Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat and add in the diced onion, celery, thyme, and sage and cook for about 10 minutes, stirring frequently.
- Add in the garlic paste and chopped bacon and cook for 1 additional minute, stirring frequently so the garlic doesn't burn.
- Add the vegetable and bacon mixture to the bowl with the diced cornbread, then add in the chives, and salt and toss to combine.
- In a separate large bowl, beat together the chicken stock, milk, eggs, and black pepper. Pour the mixture into the bowl with the cornbread along with the melted butter and gently toss to coat.
- Transfer the mixture to the prepared baking dish and then bake for 25 to 30 minutes.
Video
Notes
- I highly recommend using the cornbread recipe that’s linked in the card for the best flavor and texture, but any 8×8-inch cornbread recipe will do.
- I like to bake my cornbread two days in advance and let it sit out for a couple of days to get stale. If you do not prepare it in advance, you can cube it up after the first bake and then place the pieces on a parchment-lined baking sheet and bake at 250 degrees F for 40 to 50 minutes.
- All chicken stock or all milk may be used in this recipe.
- Bacon can be omitted.
Nutrition
Did You Make This Recipe?
Don’t forget to share it with me on Instagram @sugarandsoulco and follow on Tiktok @sugarandsoulco and Pinterest @sugarandsoulco for more!
Adapted from Delish.
Comments & Reviews
Jackie says
Hi
Approximately how much of the FRES thyme, sage and chives should added in this recipe.