Cornbread Dressing: the delicious recipe for an easy Southern side dish

For a hearty side dish that's packed with flavor, you'll love Southern cornbread dressing. This easy-to-make dish is perfectly moist, ultra-comforting, and ideal for holidays like Thanksgiving and Christmas. However, cornbread dressing is so delicious and simple to prepare, it's great to serve with any family meal.

With a savory flavor that's enhanced with celery, sage, seasonings, and broth, cornbread dressing is the ideal side dish with roasted meats and poultry – especially with some homemade gravy drizzled over the top!

How to Make Cornbread Dressing

Are you ready to make cornbread dressing? Great! First up, prepare the cornbread. Combine all the cornbread ingredients in a large bowl then transfer the batter to a greased baking dish. Bake the bread for 20 to 25 minutes. Take it out of the oven, let it cool slightly, then crumble the cornbread. Heat oil or butter in a pan then lightly saute the celery and onions until they soften. Stir in the herbs and spices – the sage, salt, pepper, and poultry seasonings, then set off to the side.

Mix the crumbled toast and cornbread in a large bowl, then whisk in the milk and eggs. Finally, stir in the chicken broth. This is what will help give you ultra-moist, tender cornbread dressing. Add in the onion mixture then scoop everything into a baking dish and bake the dressing for 30 minutes.

Tips for Making the Best Southern Cornbread Dressing

– Make your cornbread ahead of time. Slightly stale cornbread works best for cornbread dressing. If you make the cornbread on the same day you plan on preparing the dressing, toast it for 30 minutes at a low temperature to dry it out.

– There are loads of different delicious add-ins you can throw into your cornbread dressing. Dried fruit, nuts, fresh herbs (like rosemary, thyme, and chives), and fresh fruit like apples and pears will take your cornbread dressing to the next level.

– You can also jazz up your dressing by adding in chopped boiled eggs, shredded chicken, pulled pork, shrimp, or ground beef.

– For a richer cornbread dressing, use cream of chicken (or cream of mushroom) soup instead of broth.

– Bake your Southern cornbread dressing uncovered – this will help it set and make the top crispy and brown.

How to Store Cornbread Dressing

Cover and place leftover cornbread dressing in the fridge. Enjoy within 3 to 4 days.

Instructions

Preheat your oven to 400°F. Grease a 9-inch baking pan with butter.

Whisk the cornmeal, flour, buttermilk, eggs, and oil in a large bowl. Transfer the batter to the prepared pan. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes. Remove from the oven, cool completely, then crumble the cornbread.

Melt butter in a pan. Stir in celery and onions and cook until they become soft but not brown. Stir in sage, poultry seasoning, salt, and pepper.

In a bowl, whisk milk and eggs together. Add in the crumbled cornbread and toast. Stir in chicken broth. Mix in the onion mixture. If necessary, pour in more broth.

Pour into the baking pan. Sprinkle diced butter over the top of the dressing. Lower the temperature to 350°F and bake for 30 minutes or until top browns.

Notes

You can make the cornbread for your casserole up to 2 days ahead of time.