Grandma’s Southern-Style Cornbread Dressing
This buttery stuffing has been passed down in my family for three generations (and we still fight over who gets seconds!).
Serves10 to 12
Makes10 to 12 servings
Everything I know about cornbread dressing — and Thanksgiving — I learned from my mother, which she in turn learned from her mother. It is a long line of resourceful Southern cooks, and I trust them with this important meal completely. The secret? It’s all about the butter! My very wise nanna once said, “Whatever the amount of butter called for in a dressing recipe, double it, triple it, heck, even quadruple it!”
One more thing: Nanna’s cooking lesson stuck with me as a little girl, long before I ever understood anything about calories, fat, diabetes, and heart disease. And while I don’t double up on the butter every day, Thanksgiving is definitely not the time to be cutting out the good stuff. And besides, nanna lived to be a 103 and ate fried chicken until the very end. I’d say she was a very wise woman indeed.
Why You’ll Love It
- We’ve perfected my family’s recipe. It’s a true American classic that has been passed down through the generations, and is the result of many years of tweaking, testing, and perfecting.
- This is truly as Southern as it gets. With two sticks of butter, five cups of chicken stock, and five eggs, I can promise you it’s the moistest, most delicious cornbread dressing you’ll ever taste. In fact, I guarantee it.
Key Ingredients in Southern-Style Cornbread Dressing
- Cornbread: This homemade cornbread is made with yellow cornmeal and buttermilk.
- Herb-seasoned stuffing: Use a boxed stuffing, such as Pepperidge Farm.
- Aromatics: Sweet onion and celery add classic flavors to the dressing.
- Stock: You can use store-bought or homemade chicken stock or turkey stock.
- Eggs: Eggs help bind the dressing.
How to Make Southern-Style Cornbread Dressing
- Make the cornbread. In a large mixing bowl, combine the cornmeal, flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. In a separate bowl, whisk the eggs, melted butter, and buttermilk. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir until just incorporated, pour the batter into the preheated skillet, and bake. Cool completely.
- Combine the cornbread and and stuffing mix. Crumble the cornbread into small pieces. Place the crumbled cornbread and stuffing mix in an extra large mixing bowl and toss to combine.
- Sauté the aromatics. Cook the onion and celery in unsalted butter until soft, then add it to the cornbread mixture.
- Mix liquid ingredients. Whisk melted butter, stock, eggs, and sage together.
- Combine dressing ingredients. Add the egg mixture to the cornbread mixture, mix until thoroughly incorporated, and season generously with kosher salt and black pepper.
- Bake. Pour into a greased 9×13-inch casserole dish, then bake, uncovered, until the dressing is set and golden brown.
Helpful Swaps
Pepperidge Farm stuffing may not be available to everyone or you may prefer not to use it; buttermilk biscuits (homemade or store bought) make a good substitute.
Make-Ahead and Storage Tips
- Make ahead: The cornbread can be baked up to 2 days in advance. Store at room temperature in an airtight container.
- Storage: Leftovers can be refrigerated in an airtight container up to 4 days.
What to Serve with Southern-Style Cornbread Dressing
Southern-Style Cornbread Dressing Recipe
This buttery stuffing has been passed down in my family for three generations (and we still fight over who gets seconds!).
Makes 10 to 12 servings
Serves 10 to 12
Nutritional Info
Ingredients
For the buttermilk cornbread:
- 1 cup
yellow cornmeal
- 1 cup
all-purpose flour
- 3 tablespoons
granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon
baking powder
- 1 1/2 teaspoons
kosher salt
- 2
large eggs, lightly beaten
- 1 stick
(1/2 cup) unsalted butter, melted
- 1 cup
whole buttermilk
For the cornbread dressing:
- 1 (14 ounce) bag
herb-seasoned stuffing, such as Pepperidge Farm
- 2 sticks
(1 cup) unsalted butter, divided
- 2 cups
finely chopped sweet onion
- 1 1/2 cups
finely chopped celery
- 5 cups
chicken or turkey stock
- 5
large eggs, lightly beaten
- 2 teaspoons
dried sage
Kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper
Instructions
Make the cornbread:
Grease a 10-inch cast iron skillet and place on center rack in the oven. Preheat oven to 425°F.
In a large mixing bowl, combine 1 cup yellow cornmeal, 1 cup all-purpose flour, 3 tablespoons granulated sugar, 1 tablespoon baking powder, and 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt. In a separate bowl, whisk 2 large eggs, 1/2 cup melted butter, and 1 cup whole buttermilk. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir until just incorporated.
Pour the batter into the preheated skillet and smooth the top. Bake until cornbread is golden yellow, 16 to 19 minutes. Immediately remove the cornbread from the skillet and allow to cool.
Make the dressing:
For the cornbread dressing, preheat oven to 350°F.
Crumble the cornbread into small pieces (makes about 5 cups). Combine the crumbled cornbread and 1 (14 ounce) bag stuffing mix in an extra large mixing bowl (or stock pot) and toss to combine.
Melt 1 stick butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add 2 cups finely chopped sweet onion and 1 1/2 cups finely chopped celery and sauté, stirring frequently, until soft and translucent, 10 to12 minutes. Add the onion and celery to the cornbread mixture.
Melt the remaining stick of butter. In a large mixing bowl, combine the butter, 5 cups chicken or turkey stock, 5 large eggs, and 2 teaspoons dried sage, and whisk to combine. Add to the cornbread mixture and mix until thoroughly incorporated. Season generously with kosher salt and black pepper.
Pour into a greased 9x13-inch casserole dish. Bake, uncovered, until the dressing is set and golden brown, about 45 minutes to 50 minutes.
Recipe Notes
Make ahead: The cornbread can be baked up to 2 days in advance. Store at room temperature in an airtight container.
Storage: Leftovers can be refrigerated in an airtight container up to 4 days.