Cornbread Stuffing Recipe (Savory)

This cornbread stuffing is a flavor-packed side dish for Thanksgiving, Christmas, or any other occasion.

This traditional side dish is sweet, salty, and soft, and it’s easy to make gluten-free.

Why Is This Recipe So Delicious?

• Actually, this is more of a cornbread dressing than a cornbread stuffing. What is the distinction? While “stuffing” is packed inside the turkey (or other bird of choice) and roasted, “dressing” is prepared separately and served as a side dish. However, some people use the terms interchangeably. Whatever you call it, this dish is delicious.
• Cornbread is dense, rich, and buttery before being crumbled with buttery sautéed onions and celery, as well as deep, earthy sage and thyme. Thanksgiving flavors abound in this stuffing!
• This dish can be prepared ahead of time! Prepare the cornbread stuffing up to the point of baking in step 4, then cover with plastic wrap and chill for up to 12 hours. Bring it to room temperature before baking, or bake it cold – the bake time may need to be increased by a few minutes if it’s cold. The cornbread can be made 1 to 3 days ahead of time.

Important Ingredients

I know, I know, cornbread mix. In many kitchens, using a mix is considered sacrilege. However, the holidays may be hectic, and choosing a combination can make the day a bit simpler.

If you like, you can use a from-scratch cornbread recipe in your cornbread stuffing.

For a gluten-free cornbread dressing, you may use a gluten-free cornmeal mix (or a homemade recipe, like my gluten-free cornbread with honey). One batch should suffice; you’ll need about 4 cups of cornbread crumbles.

Eggs — The eggs, together with the chicken stock, bind the cornbread stuffing together, keeping it moist and fluffy.

If you’re vegan, leave out the eggs entirely and replace the chicken stock with veggie stock. Without the eggs, the texture will be slightly different, but still tasty.

Chef’s Advice

• Cornbread stuffing with dried cranberries would be delicious. Overall, this meal is very flavorful, and the sweetness of the cranberries would complement those rich flavors wonderfully.
• You have complete control over the amount of chicken stock you use, which has an impact on the texture of the meal. Use the entire 2 cups of cornbread filling for a denser, mushier result (or close to it). Stick closer to 1 cup for a lighter dressing.

Cornbread Stuffing

This cornbread stuffing is a flavor-packed side dish for Thanksgiving, Christmas, or any other occasion. This traditional side dish is sweet, salty, and soft, and it’s easy to make gluten-free.

Ingredients

• 1 16-ounce package dry cornbread mix prepared according to package instructions, then cooled and crumbled
• ¼ cup butter
• 3 ribs celery chopped
• 1 medium onion chopped
• 2 large eggs beaten
• 2 cups chicken stock divided
• ½ teaspoon dried sage
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• salt to taste
• pepper to taste

Equipment

• 9×13 baking dish
• Large skillet
• Large bowl

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Set aside a 9×13 baking dish greased with butter or cooking spray.
2. Melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Once the butter has melted, add the onion and celery and cook until tender, about 5 minutes. In a large mixing basin, combine the softened celery and onions.
3. Combine celery and onions, crumbled cornbread, eggs, 1 cup chicken stock, sage, thyme, salt, and pepper in a large mixing dish. Mix thoroughly, adding extra chicken stock if necessary.
4. Fill a baking dish halfway with the cornbread stuffing mixture. Place the baking dish in the oven after spreading the stuffing mixture into a uniform layer. Preheat oven to 350°F and bake for 30–35 minutes, or until top is golden brown. Remove from the oven and serve immediately.

Notes

• Make it gluten-free by using a gluten-free cornmeal mix (store-bought or homemade) or my gluten-free cornbread recipe. This cornbread stuffing just requires one batch of my gluten-free cornbread.
• Use dairy-free butter to make it dairy-free.
• Use veggie stock instead of chicken stock to make it vegetarian.
• Make it vegan by substituting vegetable stock for chicken stock, using vegan butter, and omitting the eggs entirely.

This recipe serves around 12 people. Your desired portion sizes will determine the number of servings.

The nutritional values provided are for one serving using the ingredients specified and are approximate. The exact macros will vary depending on the brands and types of ingredients utilized.

Prepare the recipe as directed to get the weight of one serving. Weigh the final recipe, then divide the weight (excluding the weight of the container in which the food is stored) by 12. The weight of one serving will be the result.

Nutrition Information

Serving: 1serving, Calories: 224kcal, Carbohydrates: 29g, Protein: 5g, Fat: 10g, Saturated Fat: 4g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 4g, Trans Fat: 1g, Cholesterol: 43mg, Sodium: 420mg, Potassium: 137mg, Fiber: 3g, Sugar: 9g, Vitamin A: 256IU, Vitamin C: 1mg, Calcium: 36mg, Iron: 1mg, Net Carbs: 26g