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Southern Cornbread Dressing

Crumbled day-old cornbread with onion, celery, sage and broth, baked until set and golden. The dressing on many Southern tables, made here with no wheat bread at all.

⏱ 2 hr 40 min (30 min prep, 1 hr 10 min cooking, 1 hr waiting) 🍽 Serves 12 · about ¾ cup make aheadfreezer friendly gluten free

Part of our Thanksgiving dinner: menu, timeline and shopping list β†’

πŸ“… Add to my plan

ContainsMilk, Eggs. Check the labels on what you buy; brands differ.

Ingredients

Make 12 servings

  • Cornbread (bake a day ahead)

  • 2 cup Yellow cornmeal, plain, not a mix
  • 1 tsp Baking powder
  • Β½ tsp Baking soda
  • 1 tsp Table salt
  • 2 cup Buttermilk
  • 2 Eggs, large
  • 4 tbsp Butter, unsalted, melted

  • Dressing

  • 6 tbsp Butter, unsalted, plus more for the dish
  • 2 Yellow onion, chopped
  • 4 stalk Celery, chopped
  • 2 tbsp Ground sage, chopped, or 2 teaspoons dried
  • 1 tsp Dried thyme
  • Β½ tsp Ground black pepper
  • 3Β½ cup Turkey broth or stock, or chicken broth; up to 4 cups
  • 2 Eggs, large, beaten

Make it yourself

Out of buttermilk? Make it β†’ Make the butter yourself β†’ Make the turkey stock yourself β†’

In the planner, Make it on the shopping list swaps the store item for these ingredients and puts the work on your prep day.

Nutrition

Nutrition coming: the USDA numbers for these ingredients are being added.

Steps

You’ll need: 10-inch cast-iron skillet or 9-inch square pan (for the cornbread), large skillet, very large bowl, 9 Γ— 13-inch baking dish, food thermometer.

  1. Make the cornbread: heat the oven to 425Β°F with the skillet inside. Whisk the cornmeal, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Whisk in the buttermilk and 2 eggs, then 3 tablespoons of the melted butter.
  2. Swirl the last tablespoon of butter in the hot skillet, pour in the batter, and bake 20 to 25 minutes, until golden and a toothpick comes out clean. Cool, then crumble it into the big bowl and leave it out, loosely covered, for a few hours or overnight to dry.
  3. Melt 6 tablespoons butter in the large skillet and cook the onions and celery until soft, about 10 minutes. Stir in the sage, thyme and pepper. Add to the cornbread.
  4. Heat the oven to 375Β°F and butter the baking dish. Whisk the 2 eggs into 3Β½ cups broth and pour it over the cornbread, stirring gently. It should look like thick, wet oatmeal; add more broth if it’s dry. Taste a little of the broth mixture for salt before the eggs go in, if you like, and season.
  5. Spread in the dish and bake uncovered 40 to 45 minutes, until set, golden at the edges, and 165Β°F in the center on a food thermometer.

🌑 Safe temperaturesStuffing and dressing 165°F. Check the thickest part with a food thermometer (USDA). More on food safety.

Make aheadBake the cornbread 1 to 2 days ahead (or freeze it for weeks) and cook the vegetables the day before. Mix with the broth and eggs just before baking.
❄️ FreezerFreeze the cornbread, crumbled, up to 3 months. Freeze baked leftover dressing up to 1 month; reheat to 165Β°F.
β†Ί LeftoversRefrigerate within 2 hours; use within 3 to 4 days (USDA). Reheat to 165Β°F.
πŸ§’ With kidsKids can whisk the cornbread batter and crumble the cooled cornbread.
Gluten-free swapIt is gluten-free as written with plain cornmeal and gluten-free broth; check the labels.
Sausage swapBrown Β½ lb breakfast sausage to 160Β°F and stir it in.

Goes well with

πŸ§‚ Dry-Brined Roast TurkeyπŸ”₯ Smoked TurkeyπŸ₯£ Turkey Gravy from the Drippings

Good to know

Baking soda vs. baking powder Table salt vs. kosher salt vs. sea salt Cooking Fats Compared Salted vs. unsalted butter Fresh vs. dried herbs Stock vs. broth Food Safety Basics

An original Teddy Rook Book recipe, written for our Thanksgiving dinner; safety steps follow USDA. Nutrition is estimated from USDA FoodData Central and changes with brands and portions.