Southern Cornbread Dressing
Embrace the heart of Southern Tradition with my heirloom Cornbread Dressing- a beloved recipe passed down for generations. Every bite offers a time-honored taste of home.
How to make this Southern Cornbread Dressing:
There are no shortcuts with this recipe. That being said- it is a very simple recipe- no oysters or ground chestnuts. Just simple ingredients that make a huge impact with their flavors.
First, Bake the cornbread from scratch- use my recipe here.
While still warm, crumble the cornbread in a big bowl – pour in some melted butter and hot chicken broth. Then sauté up a bunch of chopped onions, flat leaf parsley, add in dried fennel seeds, sage, poultry seasonings and salt and pepper- then more butter. Feel free to use vegetable broth.
Mix the onion mixture into the HOT cornbread.
Start tasting- add more salt, add more pepper. Taste can vary widely based on humidity, the onions, etc. Spoon into a buttered casserole dish- bake. The best part is, you can just cover with foil and bake before your holiday dinner. Let it sit on the counter for 30 minutes, then bake. It’s actually even better if you let it rest overnight- the butter and seasonings have a chance to fully combine and saturate the dish.
You will be eating it for days (because it is SO good) so be sure to use lots of butter so it does not dry out.
Remember- no shortcuts!
Ingredients in Southern Cornbread Dressing:
- Martha White Self-Rising Corn Meal Mix
- chicken broth or stock
- eggs
- buttermilk
- butter
- yellow or white onions
- flatleaf parsley
- dried sage
- poultry seasonings
- fennel seeds
- garlic powder
- salt and pepper
Equipment needs for this recipe:
- a large mixing bowl
- 9″ x 13″ baking dish
- whisk
- silicone scraper
- large metal mixing spoon
- measuring cups and spoons
- large 12″ skillet
- small saucepan
- aluminum foil
Variations to this Southern Cornbread Dressing:
- Add in celery or leeks to the onions for even more flavor
- Use fresh sage
- Add vegetable broth and olive oil for a vegetarian friendly dish
- Stir in cooked sage sausage for an extra savory dressing
My favorites side dishes to serve with Southern Cornbread Dressing:
Where to find/order ingredients:
- Martha White Buttermilk Corn Meal Mix- Publix, Wal-Mart, Amazon
- If you cannot find Martha White Buttermilk Corn Meal Mix- Krusteaz is a good alternative.
- Poultry Seasonings-
- Fennel and Dried/ Rubbed Sage
- How to make your own chicken stock- read my post HERE
Pro-tips for a great Dressing:
- Try not to crowd the pan when sautéing the onions or they will steam. You want them translucent, not too brown, but not “steamed”. Cook in batches, if necessary.
- Use a very large bowl to combine the dressing. Here is my recommended bowl for this task: Made by Choice, this silicone bottomed stainless steel 13qt. mixing bowl is perfect for large baking or cooking tasks and only costs $17.00. Although smaller, This 6-piece lidded set (2qt, 3.5 qt, 5qt) from Nordicware is also one of my favorite mixing bowls sets.
- Pour hot butter and broth onto the cornbread while it is still hot. Mix with a large spoon until crumbly.
- Pour the butter and chicken broth (hot) in batches and not all at once.
- Do not use dried bread cubes- do not buy pre-made/ ready made cornbread. Do not add sugar.
- Avoid the dressing having uniform pieces of cornbread or over-mixing the cornbread- you want some big chunks, some smaller pieces and everything in between- when it browns, those crispy edges are what folks will fight over.
- To store leftovers- cover the baking dish with foil and keep the fridge for up to 5 days. Reheat at 325, covered for 30 minutes or until internal temp reaches 165 degrees.
- To Freeze- cook dressing completely. Store in doubled up zip-top bags with all the air removed for up to 3 months.
About Cornbread:
Read my post about cornbread in Eastern North Carolina HERE.
We eat a lot of corn bread at my house. Pans of it. I whip up muffins to go with my chili, corn chowder, shrimp and grits or chicken & rice. It is the base of my family stuffing recipe. I almost always have a bag of Martha White corn meal mix in my pantry and a small jug of buttermilk in the fridge.
This recipe is about as simple as it gets: eggs, butter, corn meal mix and buttermilk. You just need a hot oven and a well greased pan. When I was first married, I used to buy those little boxes of Jiffy cornbread, but over years, I have found it to be too sweet and too dry. I based this recipe off of the incredible buttery Dillard House cornbread recipe. If you have never been to the Dillard House in North Georgia- add it to your list. They prepare southern food at its best- okra, squash casserole, ham, fried chicken and serve it family style.
Ingredients
- 1 unit double batch of Meggen's favorite cornbread recipe
- 4-5 cups white onions chopped
- 1 cup flat-leaf parsley chopped fine
- 2 TBSP heaping TBSP fennel seeds
- 1 lb unsalted butter melted, divided
- 2 cups chicken broth or stock hot- add more if stuffing is too dry
- 1 TBSP poultry seasonings (heaping TBSP)
- 2 tsp kosher salt
- 1 tsp ground pepper
- 2 tsp dried sage
- 2 tsp garlic powder
Instructions
- Bake the Southern cornbread recipe in a well buttered large baking dish according to my instructions. While cornbread is baking- prep the onion, parsley and measure your ingredients. Begin sautéing the onions and melt butter while the cornbread is baking.
- Remove cornbread from baking dish while still warm. Place the chunks of cornbread into a large bowl. Wash the baking dish and butter well to use again. Set aside.
- Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees.
- Pour 2 sticks (1 cup) of melted butter onto the hot crumbled cornbread. Stir in 1 cup of hot broth. With a large spoon, tear the cornbread up until it crumbles into pieces. Add more butter u0026 broth if it seems dry. Do not u0022over wetu0022 the bread mixture. Set aside.
- In a large pan over medium high heat sauté the onions in 1/4 cup of melted butter. Once translucent, add in the parsley, fennel seeds and seasonings. Add in salt and pepper to taste.
- Fold the onions into the cornbread mixture combining throughly. Add in more hot butter u0026 broth if needed. Add salt and pepper to taste.
- The stuffing/dressing should be moist but not u0022wetu0022.
- Place the dressing into the prepared baking dish. Cover tightly with foil. You can refrigerate up to 24 hours before serving.
- Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes. Remove the foil. Bake an additional 10-15 minutes until the top is golden brown and the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees. Serve the dressing hot.
- If heating the dressing/stuffing from the fridge, set the dish out on the counter for 30 minutes before baking. Bake an additional 10 minutes.
