Cornbread Sausage Dressing

5 from 7 votes

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This Cornbread Dressing is to DIE for! Homemade Cornbread (or store bought) mixed together with sausage, onions, carrots and celery and baked to perfection. Make it ahead or day of, tastes great either way. It is the perfect addition to your Thanksgiving table!

cornbread dressing on white plate

Cornbread Dressing- My Favorite Thanksgiving Side!

Growing up, I strongly disliked all bread stuffing/dressing with a passion. My Mom always made wild rice stuffing and I grew accustomed to it. Actually, scratch that. It was the norm and so so delicious!

So, I went on a quest this year. Surely I could make some kind of turkey stuffing or dressing with a bread product that could be comparable to my beloved rice stuffing. Well, my friends, I’ve done it. I made a Cornbread Dressing that I LOVE.

This Cornbread Dressing is sweet, salty, has texture, and most importantly great flavor! AND, get this: it’s super easy to do too! Easy to make ahead or make day of. It’s a fabulous addition to turkey, gravy, mashed potatoes and everything else you’re serving on Thanksgiving.

cornbread dressing in large mixing bowl

Main Ingredients Needed for Cornbread Dressing

Nothing crazy or hard to find ingredients on this list. A lot of staples and basic ingredients needed. For specific increments and directions, be sure to scroll down to the bottom of this post to the printable recipe card.

  • Italian Sausage – I used a mild sausage but feel free to make this dish a little spicier!
  • Onion, Carrots, and Celery – three flavor-packed veggies to fill out this dressing recipe.
  • Cornbread – use store-bought or make some homemade cornbread.
  • Poultry, Salt, and Pepper – seasonings to bring out flavors and add some savory notes.
  • Chicken Stock – for flavor and for moisture.
  • Eggs – eggs hold the dressing together while it bakes and helps retain moisture.
cornbread dressing in baking dish

How to Make Cornbread Dressing

Very simple, basic directions here! If you’re wanting to keep this easy, be sure to buy pre-made cornbread in the deli/bakery section at your local grocery store. Marie Calendar also makes a great boxed version as well which works wonderfully.

  1. Cook Italian Sausage in olive oil, breaking it apart while it browns.
  2. Add in onion, celery and carrots into the skillet and saute until tender, about 7 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
  3. Remove pan from heat and add to large mixing bowl. Crumble cornbread over top.
  4. Add in poultry seasoning, salt, pepper and half the chicken broth.
  5. Stir in whisked eggs.
  6. Add in remaining chicken broth (or as much as you think it needs to get it moist). Spoon dressing into buttered baking or casserole dish.
  7. Cover with foil and bake at 350 degrees F for 30 minutes.

That’s it! Beautiful cornbread dressing that would be a delicious addition to any Thanksgiving meal.

knife cutting cornbread

Make it Ahead!

The beauty of this recipe is you can totally make it ahead and have it ready and waiting in your fridge.

Simply make the recipe according to the instructions listed in the recipe card up until it is time to bake. Store the unbaked cornbread dressing covered with foil in its buttered baking dish in the fridge for up to three days before you want to serve. To bake, simply pop it into a preheated oven and cook 30-40 minutes or until heated through with golden browned edges.

Before you bake it, double check that it doesn’t seem too dry. If you think it could use a little moisture, sprinkle over a little extra chicken stock before baking.

cooked italian sausage with veggies in pan

Variations

Go ahead and customize this cornbread dressing recipe with these suggestions:

  • Cornbread Stuffing: this is technically a dressing recipe since it is cooked outside of the turkey. However, feel free to stuff this dish into a bird for extra flavor and moisture!
  • Protein: you can replace the protein with a spicy Italian sausage, bacon or even some spicy chorizo. Yum!
  • Veggies: switch up the veggies to match whatever protein you are using. Some good substitutes would be zucchini, butternut squash, peas or even apples, pears or craisins would be good, too!
baked cornbread dressing recipe in baking dish

Complete Your Thanksgiving Spread with these Recipes

If you’re still finalizing your Thanksgiving menu, here are some of my tried and true classic recipes that my family loves that we think you will love, too!

Main

Sides

Dessert

Love Cornbread Dressing? Try some other variations:

That’s it! Delicious and moist Cornbread Dressing perfect for any Thanksgiving table.

The printable recipe card is below, enjoy!

cornbread dressing on white plate
cornbread dressing on white plate
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5 from 7 votes

Cornbread Sausage Dressing

Cornbread Dressing is to DIE for! It is the perfect bread stuffing addition to your Thanksgiving spread!
servings 8 servings
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 50 minutes

Ingredients

Instructions

  • Heat up a large skillet over medium to medium-high heat. Chop carrot, onion, and celery.
    chopped onion, celery and carrot on cutting board
  • Add olive oil to hot pan and swirl to coat. Add Italian Sausage and break it apart while it browns. Sausage is cooked when no pink is left.
    cooked italian sausage in skillet
  • Toss the veggies into the skillet with cooked Italian sausage and saute until tender, about 7 minutes. {If there isn’t enough grease in the pan from the sausage, pour in a little oil.} Season with salt and pepper.
    cooked italian sausage with veggies in pan
  • Remove pan from heat and add to large mixing bowl. Crumble cornbread over top.
    cornbread and veggies in large bowl
  • Add in poultry seasoning, salt, pepper and half the chicken broth.
    pouring chicken broth into cornbread dressing
  • Crack eggs into small bowl. Whisk together and add to the cornbread mixture. Stir well.
    pouring beaten egg into cornbread dressing ingredients
  • Add in remaining chicken broth (or as much as you think it needs to get it moist). Spoon dressing into buttered baking or casserole dish.
    cornbread dressing in large mixing bowl
  • Cover with foil and bake at 350 degrees F for 30 minutes.
    baked cornbread dressing in oval baking dish

Video

Nutrition

Calories: 243kcal | Carbohydrates: 6g | Protein: 10g | Fat: 20g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Cholesterol: 45mg | Sodium: 489mg | Potassium: 289mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 2724IU | Vitamin C: 4mg | Calcium: 27mg | Iron: 1mg
Course: Side Dish
Cuisine: American
Keyword: cornbread dressing
5 from 7 votes

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Recipe Rating




49 Responses
  1. KZR

    5 stars
    Great recipe – I don’t change anything. Family favorite. Requires some prep but it’s a special treat for my teenage boys and husband. Or anyone else who happens to come eat. 10/10.

    1. KZR

      Forgot to mention, I use boxed cornbread. The store-made too sweet for us and boxed easy enough to bake while prepping other ingredients.

  2. Nikki M in Tx

    Very similar to what I’ve made for 50+ years. So glad someone else adds carrots
    Have used chorizo sausage & cilantro in place of parsley, when do so make jalapeño cranberry relish & season turkey with cumin jalapeño infused butter rubbed under skin & melted & injected into meat. ( Leftover turkey makes great enchiladas),

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  10. Francine McCabe

    Ok I’d like to make your cornbread stuffing recipe but haven’t found a good recipe for cornbread. Do you have one??
    Thanks!

    1. Lauren

      This is a great recipe: http://www.kevinandamanda.com/sweet-honey-jalapeno-cornbread-muffins/ OR, try using a boxed cornbread recipe.

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  12. Harry Fiddy Fosdick

    5 stars
    Love Sausage stuffing! Pinned on pinterest, liked on facebook, I should be the winner! I’m a 50 yr old single male gourmand!

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  15. Carla Griffin

    5 stars
    I’m right proud of you, Lauren! A Canadian girl cookin cornbread dressing! I cook pretty much the same dressing, but I don’t do the sausage. Lot of folks down here do, tho.

  16. cooklori

    5 stars
    The stuffing that you made is pretty much the equivalent of the way we make it in the South always with cornbread… minus the sausage. However, the sausage addition sounds good. It is always better the next day. Have a great one! Thanks.

  17. Anna

    (Only commenting again because my previous comments are saying it’s 5:29AM, but it’s only 12:32AM EST, still in before the cut-off!!)

  18. Megan H

    P.S. Best of luck in your Turkey Trot! I run our local Turkey Trot every year and love it…it would be neat if they offered a longer distance than 5K 🙂 I’ll keep hoping for a 7-miler like yours!

  19. Baking Serendipity

    Stuffing is my husband’s favorite food, but I’ve never made it with cornbread before. I’ll definitely have to give this a try 🙂 PS: I follow you on Twitter!

  20. Tracy

    This looks incredible, Lauren! My friend made a sausage stuffing last year that I just loved, but I haven’t been able to get the recipe out of her, haha. I’ll have to make yours!!

  21. carly {carlyklock}

    I think we might have to break up. I LIVE for bread stuffing. I wish people made it year-round. This spin looks pretty yummy, too – I love sweet/savory combos!

  22. Malissa W

    5 stars
    Wow! A 7-mile Turkey Trot? That puts my annual Turkey 5K to shame. I agree a good trot is needed to offset the calories – although now I may have to shop around for a new Turkey Trot – Currently I do the Fast and Furriest 5k on the boardwalk in Ocean City, NJ.
    Sausage stuffing is by far my favorite! I am new to your blog and love it!

  23. Chris @ TheKeenanCookBook

    I LIKE this idea! I love sausage stuffing, as thats what Mom always makes, but I love the idea of cornbread. I’m hosting Thanksgiving again this year and, while I need to run this past Rachel, I think we are going to go with this idea. I love it. 🙂

  24. Rachel @ The Avid Appetite

    I’m fairly certain that stuffing is my favorite Thanksgiving food. And sausage is a must! My husband doesn’t eat pork, so we do turkey sausage, but it’s still delicious just the same 🙂 Love your cornbread version!

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