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There's nothing quite like that first bite of an Old-Fashioned Cornbread Dressing at your Thanksgiving feast. Savory, with a hint of sweetness, and completely full of flavor, it's a Southern recipe tradition, and one the whole table is hoping will turn out beautifully for the holiday feast.
If you're in charge of the coveted side dish this year, you can't go wrong with this perfectly moist dressing, made with sauteed onions and celery, amped up with fresh herbs like sage, thyme, and parsley. It's everything your guests will expect in a traditional cornbread dressing...and more.
Today, along with this classic Thanksgiving recipe, we'll also discover the difference between stuffing and dressing, a simple way to spruce up this old classic, make-ahead and reheating tips, and even how to freeze it up to two months in advance!
OLD-FASHIONED CORNBREAD DRESSING | A FAMILY RECIPE
This recipe was inspired by my Grandma Campbell's Thanksgiving dressing. It is a dish that feels like family and reminds me of home. What better purpose could food serve? I'm sure regardless of where you're from, you've likely heard that cornbread is somewhat of a staple in the South. Old-Fashioned Cornbread Dressing at Thanksgiving is no exception, and this one is a long-established, fan-favorite tradition.
The main difference between my version and Grandma's is this: Homemade cornbread and fresh herbs.
If you don't have time for homemade cornbread on Thanksgiving day, I get it and you could easily sub in the store-bought/pre-packaged stuff, no problem. However, the fresh herbs make all the difference in the world, and if you've ever cooked with them before, you know first-hand the beauty they add to any given dish when used.
STUFFING VS. DRESSING
Stuffing and dressing differ in the way they are cooked, however, they are both made up of the same elements. They each consist of bread, broth to moisten, vegetable add-ins of your choosing (most commonlycelery, onions, and herbs), as well as eggs to bind it all together.
So what is stuffing? The word stuffing indicates that the mixture has been stuffed inside of the turkey carcass (or chicken) and cooked with the bird. A dressing is treated more like a casserole in which the mixture is mixed up, then transferred to a large casserole dish to be baked in the oven all on its lonesome...not inside of a bird.
I prefer the golden crust that develops cooking the mixture this way, giving it a lovely variation in texture.
HOW TO MAKE OLD-FASHIONED CORNBREAD DRESSING
Southern, Old-Fashioned Cornbread Dressing is easy to make, and it begins with a batch of cornbread, which can be made up 2 days in advance. The cornbread adds just a hint of sweetness to the casserole and brings a lovely balance to the dish overall. Its subtle sweetness is also absolute perfection alongside all the other savory items found at a Thanksgiving feast.
After the cornbread is baked, the rest is really just a matter of softening up celery and onion on the stovetop, chopping herbs, and bringing it all together for a bake in the oven!
RECIPE QUICKVIEW
- Make a batch of cornbread (homemade or store-bought).
- Cut white bread into cubes -- crust removed.
- Sauté celery and onions in butter.
- Mix all ingredients together in a large mixing bowl.
- Cover with foil and bake 45 minutes.
- Uncover and bake 25 minutes more.
The first thing you'll do to make your Old-Fashioned Cornbread Dressing is remove the crust from a loaf of white bread.
White bakery bread makes a huge difference in the quality of this dressing however, you do want to make sure that you purchase that bread at least 2 to 3 days in advance so that it has time to lose a bit of its moisture content. If you use soft, moist white bread your dressing could end up a little on the soggy side.
Once you have the crust removed from your bread, you will cut it into small half-inch cubes. Transfer those cubes to a large mixing bowl, and move on to the cornbread.
For this recipe, I like to make my company cornbread a day or two in advance. We will eat half of the cornbread at dinner time, and save the other half for our Old-Fashioned Cornbread Dressing on Thanksgiving!
If you do not want to make cornbread from scratch, you can simply use two boxes of prepared and baked jiffy (or box mix) cornbread.
Crumble the cornbread into the bowl along with the cubed white bread and set aside.
Now, you'll move on to the celery and onion. Finely chop up two yellow onions and four stalks of celery and add to a large sauté pan outfitted with 8 tablespoons of melted butter over medium heat.
Cook the vegetables, stirring often, for about 15 minutes or until they have completely softened. Then, set the veggies aside and allow them to cool slightly.
Once vegetables are cooled a bit, you can transfer them to the mixing bowl housing the white bread and cornbread. At this point, you will also add in the unsalted or low-sodium chicken broth, three beaten eggs, fresh minced parsley, fresh minced sage, fresh minced thyme, Kosher salt, and black pepper.
The easiest tool for this job is your hands. With clean hands, gently mix the ingredients until everything is evenly mixed.
Transfer the dressing to a 9 x 13" greased casserole dish and cover it with aluminum foil.
Bake at 350°F for 45 minutes, then uncover and continue to bake for 25 minutes more. Your Old-Fashioned Cornbread Dressing has finished baking when it no longer jiggles in the center and the top is golden brown.
HOW TO MAKE OLD-FASHIONED CORNBREAD DRESSING IN ADVANCE
You can go about making your Old-Fashioned Cornbread Dressing ahead of time in many different ways. Here are a few time-savers for making it ahead:
- Make the cornbread up to 2 days in advance, or make and freeze it up to 2 months in advance!
- Cut white bread into cubes up to 2 days in advance.
- Saute celery and onion 1 day in advance.
- Chop herbs 1 day in advance.
HOW TO FREEZE DRESSING
You can also fully assemble and bake it up to 2 days in advance, or freeze it for up to 2 months in advance! If freezing, be sure to store it in a snug, airtight, freezer-safe container. Place in the refrigerator to thaw overnight before baking.
HOW TO REHEAT IT WHOLE
Place the cold casserole, covered with aluminum foil, in the oven and begin preheating to 325°. Bake, covered, for 50 minutes to 1 hour, until the casserole is completely warmed through.
Position your Old-Fashioned Cornbread Dressing smack-dab in between a couple of slices ofperfectly roasted turkey and the creamiest mashed potatoes, hit it with a teensy bit of gravyand you cannot go wrong. It also looks particularly lovely right there next to a serving of homemade green bean casserole. Yes, please.
It is a beloved tradition, passed down from generation to generation, and I can't imagine a Thanksgiving turkey without it. Once you've given this recipe a go, I promise, you'll feel the same way. Please, enjoy.
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Print Recipe
4.63 from 29 votes
Southern Old-Fashioned Cornbread Dressing
This Old-Fashioned Cornbread Dressing is made with fresh herbs like sage, thyme, and parsley! Plus, it always bakes up moist and delicious!
Prep Time30 minutes mins
Cook Time1 hour hr 35 minutes mins
Total Time2 hours hrs 5 minutes mins
Course: Side Dish
Cuisine: American
Keyword: Cornbread Dressing, Old-Fashioned Dressing, Southern Dressing
Servings: 16 Servings
Calories: 161kcal
Author: Kelly Anthony
Ingredients
- 1 pound Day-Old White Bread purchased from your bakery
- Half a batch of day-oldTAK's Co. Cornbread or 1 ½ pound cornbread (about 2 boxes of prepared Jiffy cornbread)
- 8 tablespoons Unsalted Butter
- 2 Yellow Onions finely diced
- 4 Stalks of Celery finely diced
- 4 cups Unsalted Chicken Broth
- 3 Eggs beaten
- ¼ cup Minced Flat-Leafed Parsley
- 1 tablespoon Minced Sage
- 1 tablespoon Minced Thyme
- 2 teaspoons Kosher Salt
- 1 teaspoon Black Pepper
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350° and have ready a greased 9x13” casserole dish.
Remove crust from the loaf of white bread, cut into ¼" cubes and place in a large mixing bowl. Crumble the cornbread (you should have eight cups)and add it to the mixing bowl as well. Set aside until ready to use.
Melt butter in a large sauté pan over mediumheat. Add onions and celery to the pan and sauté for 15 minutes or until the vegetables have softened. Set aside and allow to cool slightly.
In the large mixing bowl, add the remaining ingredients along with the sautéed vegetables. Using your hands, gently mix ingredients until evenly distributed. Transfer to baking dish, even out the top and cover with aluminum foil. Bake for 45 minutes. Uncover and bake for 20-25 minutes more, until the center no longer jiggles and the top is golden brown.
Video
Notes
You can prepare the dressing a day in advance up until the point of baking. Cover and refrigerate, then set out at room temperature 1 hour before you intend to bake it to remove any chill. Resume with the recipe as directed.
Makes 16-18 Servings.
Nutrition
Calories: 161kcal | Carbohydrates: 17g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 8g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Cholesterol: 46mg | Sodium: 417mg | Potassium: 165mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 450IU | Vitamin C: 4.4mg | Calcium: 111mg | Iron: 1.8mg
