This dressing is what dreams are made of. It’s moist, fluffy, and flavorful while crispy and golden on top. Thanks to the cornbread, there’s a touch of sweetness that pairs wonderfully with the savory aromatics. It’s so delicious, you’ll want to eat it straight out of the pan. Want to make another easy side dish for the holidays? Try my roasted carrots recipe, roasted potatoes recipe, or garlic bread recipe.
What You Need to Make This Recipe
Cornbread — I recommend making my homemade cornbread recipe. It takes around 30 minutes to bake, and you can easily make it a day or two ahead of time, as slightly stale bread makes for the best dressing. Bread — I prefer to use white or sourdough sandwich bread that’s a day old or slightly dried out. It’s a great way to use up bread that is still delicious but not at its prime for eating fresh. Butter — make sure you use unsalted butter. This recipe calls for ten tablespoons of butter, so you do not want the dressing to taste too salty. Aromatics — you might not think onion and celery add a lot of flavors, but they do! Do not skip out on them. Sage — I use dried sage for the cornbread dressing, but you can use a different herb of your choice. Chicken stock — the liquid adds a ton of moisture to the dressing. Using chicken stock instead of water adds much more flavor. Eggs — not only do the eggs help bind together the dressing, but they also add richness and moisture.
How to Make Cornbread Dressing
- In a medium skillet, melt 4 tablespoons of butter over medium-high heat. Add the onion, celery, and sage. Cook until tender.
- Add the remaining 6 tablespoons of butter and stir until melted.
- In a large mixing bowl, crumble the cornbread and bread slices into large chunks.
- Transfer the onion mixture to the bowl with the cornbread. Add the chicken stock, beaten eggs, salt, and pepper.
- Stir the cornbread mixture just until just combined.
- Spoon the mixture into a greased 9×13-inch baking dish. Bake for 45 minutes or until golden brown and the dressing has set. Let cool for a few minutes before serving.
Pro Tips for Making This Recipe
You could substitute 2 teaspoons of fresh sage for the 1 teaspoon of dried sage.Stale bread is perfect for dressing as fresh bread tends to become soggy in the cooking process.I like to crumble the cornbread and tear the bread as you get extra texture to the dressing.Not a fan of dried sage? You can try dried thyme, dried rosemary, or dried parsley.Other things you can add to the dressing include dried fruit, chopped nuts, cooked protein, or vegetables.Careful not to overcook the cornbread dressing as it’ll lead to a dry dressing.If you think the top of your dressing has browned too quickly, cover it with foil so it can continue to bake without burning.
If you’ve tried this Cornbread Dressing recipe, then don’t forget to rate the recipe and let me know how you got on in the comments below, I love hearing from you!
