Old Fashioned Southern Cornbread Dressing Recipe
Bring some southern comfort to your holidays with my grandma's old fashioned cornbread dressing recipe, packed with homemade cornbread, sausage and plenty of sage!
Servings: 10 servings
Calories: 322kcal
Ingredients
- 8 ounces salted butter
- 16 ounces sage sausage removed from casing and crumbled into small pieces
- ¼ teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 yellow onion diced
- 2 celery ribs diced
- 5 fresh sage leaves chopped
- ½ teaspoon dried rubbed sage
- 1 tablespoon garlic chopped
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper freshly ground
- 5 heaping cups stale savory cornbread recipe in notes
- 1⅓ cup saltine crackers or 3 slices of stale toast
- 2 large eggs beaten
- 3 cups turkey broth
- 1 tablespoon salted butter for buttering pan
- 5 fried sage leaves optional
Instructions
- In a large pan, melt 1 stick of butter over medium heat. Add sausage and cook until crispy and browned, about 5 minutes, allowing the butter to absorb all the flavor.8 ounces salted butter, 16 ounces sage sausage
- Add diced onion and celery to the sausage in the pan, sautéing until the onion is golden brown, around 4-5 minutes. Add garlic, sage, black pepper, and smoked paprika. Cook for 2 more minutes until fragrant.¼ teaspoon smoked paprika, 1 yellow onion, 2 celery ribs, 5 fresh sage leaves, 1 tablespoon garlic, ½ teaspoon kosher salt, ½ teaspoon black pepper, ½ teaspoon dried rubbed sage
- In a large mixing bowl, crumble the cornbread and crackers (keep them sizable to avoid mushy dressing).5 heaping cups stale savory cornbread, 1⅓ cup saltine crackers
- Gently fold in the sausage mixture, making sure to scrape all the flavorful butter from the pan.
- Mix in the beaten eggs. Add the broth a little at a time to reach your preferred consistency, I like around 3 cups of broth. (For a wetter, more custard-y dressing, use more broth)2 large eggs, 3 cups turkey broth
- Butter a 9x13 inch casserole dish generously and transfer the dressing mixture into it. Don’t smooth the top—leave it rough for extra crispy bits.1 tablespoon salted butter
- Bake at 375°F (190°C) for 35-40 minutes, until the top is golden and crispy. Garnish with fried sage leaves for an extra touch of fancy (optional). Enjoy!5 fried sage leaves
Notes
Savory Cornbread Recipe
- 2 cups fine ground cornmeal
- ¾ cup all purpose flour
- 2 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 cups buttermilk, room temperature
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- ¼ cup vegetable oil, + 2 tablespoon oil for the pan
- Preheat your oven to 450 °F. Pour two tablespoons of oil into a 10-inch cast-iron skillet and place it in the oven for ten minutes.
- While the skillet heats up, combine the cornmeal, flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a large mixing bowl, whisking them together. Set aside.
- In a small mixing bowl, whisk together the eggs, buttermilk, and vegetable oil.
- Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix until the dry ingredients are just incorporated. Do not overmix.
- Carefully take the hot skillet out of the oven with oven mitts. Tilt the pan slightly and swirl the vegetable oil around to coat the bottom and up the sides. Then, pour the batter into the skillet.
- Bake for about 20-22 minutes, or until the top of the cornbread turns golden brown and begins to pull away from the edges of the pan. A toothpick inserted in the center should come out clean.
- Let cool (and for this recipe, let it stale in the fridge in a zip top bag).
Nutrition
Serving: 1 serving | Calories: 322kcal | Carbohydrates: 9g | Protein: 7g | Fat: 29g | Saturated Fat: 15g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 9g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 107mg | Sodium: 818mg | Potassium: 140mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 702IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 24mg | Iron: 1mg