Holiday Cornbread Dressing

There’s always room for some cornbread dressing with your holiday turkey. I like mine to have some gravy seep into it on the outside. Made with cornbread, onions, celery, butter and broth. Enough broth to moisten the center as the top gets crispy and brown. With some sage and poultry seasoning it tastes like the classic we’ve all come to love during the holidays.

Simple ingredients are what you’ll find in this recipe. Its a huge pan of cornbread dressing to share at your table and there’s plenty to go around. Just make sure to add enough broth. The dressing will look very wet before you bake it. Because those dry pieces of cornbread will drink up that broth.

Why I Love This Recipe

If you enjoy a softer middle with a crispy edge on your cornbread dressing this is the recipe for you. The cornbread will give your dressing some texture and the butter, broth and seasonings will add flavor to the entire pan. Serve with some turkey gravy on top and its amazing. But it doesn’t really need it.

Mostly measure and mix. Once you have everything stirred together in a large bowl. It only takes a minute to place it in your pan and move on to the rest of your meal. You can dry out your bread and chop your veggies ahead of time to save some time on thanksgiving.

Ingredients

Cornbread that is dried out. Dry bread crumbs, celery, onion, poultry seasoning, sage, salt, pepper. Butter, margarine, eggs and turkey or chicken broth.

Dry Cornbread

You want to use cornbread that has been dried out. If its fresh and moist it can get mushy when you add the broth to it. So take your cornbread the night before and crumble it. Leave the pieces out to air dry. If its still a bit moist when youre ready to prepare it. You can place in the oven for a few minutes.

Bread Crumbs

Using bread crumbs will help bind the dressing together and take away from the strong cornbread taste. I recommend using plain bread crumbs because you will be adding seasonings to the recipe. You can use any type of bread you have on hand to create your bread crumbs. Dry them out in the oven and crumble.

Broth

Whatever broth you choose will give your dressing flavor. So use a chicken or turkey broth that you know you enjoy. If you have homemade broth you can use that. But I don’t think you need to go that far to make this recipe. Add the broth a little at a time and see how it looks. You want it to be nice and soupy. Make sure there are no dry spots of bread.

Directions

Make sure to have your largest mixing bowl ready. You will have a lot of dry ingredients to toss together. And you want to avoid crumbs falling on your counter.

Prepare Your Pan

Preheat your oven to 325 degrees F. Take a large pan and spray with non stick cooking spray. Get it on the sides and the bottom of your pan.

Combine Dry Ingredients

Take your bowl and add the cornbread that was crumbled. Add the bread crumbs, celery and onion. Sprinkle the poultry seasoning, sage, salt and pepper. Mix all of it together. You want your veggies and seasonings distributed throughout the cornbread.

Add Wet Ingredients

Add the melted butter, melted margarine and lightly beaten eggs. Using a large spoon stir the ingredients together. Make sure you reach the bottom of the bowl and mix it well.

Add Broth

Slowly pour the turkey or chicken broth into your cornbread mixture. Stir as you go you will notice the bread begins to soak it up right away. If it seems to be dry after adding all of the broth continue to add broth until its nice and wet.

Bake

Place your dressing in your pan and smooth the top. Cover with foil and bake for 35 minutes. Remove the foil and allow to bake for another 10 minutes or until the top is crispy and the center is cooked. May need more time depending on how thick your pan is.

Tips

• I like to saute the onion and celery in some of the butter before adding to the cornbread. This will give your onion and celery a softer taste. If you don’t mind having crunchy onion and celery in your cornbread skip this step.
• Watch the top of your cornbread dressing. When you remove the foil you may want to put it back on if your top is browning. This will allow your center to cook without burning the top.
• Taste your cornbread and veggie mixture before adding the raw eggs. Its a good idea to taste for the sage and pepper. Also if you are using a seasoned broth be careful when adding salt.

How to Store Cornbread Dressing

• Store: Cover and store in refrigerator for 4 days. Or transfer to an airtight container.
• Freeze: Once cooked allow to cool and place in a airtight freezer container. Can be frozen for up to 2 months.
• Reheat: Sprinkle some chicken broth on top. Cover and place in oven at 350 degrees until warm. This will keep the edges from drying out.

Serve With

• Turkey Giblet gravy poured on top. Let some seep into your dressing.
• Alongside roasted turkey and mashed potatoes.
• Some cranberry sauce on the side.
• Sandwich on turkey the next day.

FAQs

Can I prepare cornbread dressing ahead of time?

Absolutely! Prepare the cornbread dressing and cover tightly and refrigerate overnight. The bread will continue to soak up the broth while in the fridge. You may need to add more broth before baking. If your pan is cold it may take longer to cook.

Why is my cornbread dressing dry?

Its possible that you didn’t add enough broth or baked it too long. Remember you are using dry cornbread and dry bread crumbs. Which will soak up a lot of liquid. So make sure the mixture is nice and wet. Also cover the dressing when baking to keep it from drying out.