This easy Southern Cornbread Dressing recipe is always present at our Thanksgiving dinner! It’s one of those classic side dishes that if you grew up eating it, you totally notice if it were missing.
You can make homemade cornbread from scratch or use your favorite store bought variety, then combine with cooked Italian sausage, sautéed onions, and lots of fresh sage and oregano (though thyme or parsley would be delicious, too!).
Toss with a mixture of heavy cream (don’t fight us on this one, it’s Thanksgiving!), chicken stock, and a few eggs, then bake until golden brown and the edges become a bit crispy. It’s perfect alongside a roast turkey, garlic mashed potatoes, and a big, generous spoonful of turkey gravy. My mouth is watering just thinking about it!
So what are you waiting for?! Let’s make the best ever cornbread dressing with sausage!
Ingredients For Cornbread Dressing
- Cornbread: You can use store-bought or homemade cornbread or corn muffins. If they’re a few days old, even better! The firmer texture will better absorb the liquid without falling apart.
- Italian sausage: If you can buy the sausage loose (instead of in casings), it generally has a better texture. We’re using a garlic herb pork sausage, but chicken or turkey sausage (any flavor — sweet or spicy) will work! Chorizo sausage would be wonderful too!
- Olive oil: The sausage needs a little additional fat to brown in.
- Vidalia or sweet onion:
- Fresh herbs: sage and oregano (or thyme)
- Chicken stock: Use low-sodium chicken stock or broth (can substitute with vegetable broth) to control the salt in the dish.
- Heavy cream: To keep the cornbread sausage stuffing moist!
- Eggs: A binder for the other ingredients
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper: To season the dish.
Are you a fan of celery? Feel free to add 1-2 stalks of roughly chopped celery to the pan while sautéing the chopped onion. Celery is one of my least favorite ingredients, so I only add it when I think it really brings something to the dish.
How To Make Cornbread Dressing
- Cube the cornbread. Preheat an oven, then cut cornbread pieces into large cubes.
- Brown the sausage. Remove the casings form your favorite Italian sausage, then cook in a large skillet with a bit of oil.
- Sauté the onion. Add chopped onion, season with Kosher salt, then cook for a few minutes. Add chopped sage and oregano, then stir well. Transfer to the mixing bowl with cornbread cubes.
- Mix wet ingredients. In a 2 cup measuring cup, whisk together chicken stock, some heavy cream, a couple of eggs,Kosher salt, and black pepper.
- Gently toss cornbread dressing. Pour the wet ingredients onto the cornbread mixture, then very gently toss together to evenly coat being careful not to break the cornbread up too much.
- Bake the dressing. Transfer the cornbread to a 9×13 casserole or baking dish that’s been coated with cooking spray, then spread into an even layer. Bake for 30 minutes or until the top is browned and crispy. Serve immediately.
Alternatively, you can bake this straight in a large cast iron skillet! Serve it family-style right out of the pan!
The Difference Between Stuffing And Dressing
Simply put, a Thanksgiving stuffing is baked inside of the cavity of a bird (turkey or chicken), while dressing is baked on the outside (eg, in a casserole dish or other serve ware).
Store Bought Versus Homemade Cornbread
We love homemade cornbread, but it is totally, 100% fine to use store-bought here! You can grab your favorite boxed cornbread mix or even buy prepared from the store (we adore Whole Foods cornbread — it comes cut into large pieces over by the hot soup section! — as well as their prepared cornbread muffins) and slice into large cubes. Cuts down tremendously on the prep time, and when you’re already preparing a large (and time consuming) Thanksgiving feast, we all take all the help and shortcuts we can get.
Make Ahead, Storage, and Freezing!
- Make ahead: Cornbread dressing can be assembled up to 2 days in advance, then wrapped tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerated until ready to make.
- Freezing before baking: Assemble completely before baking, then wrap tightly in aluminum foil and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight for before baking.
- Storage: Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container for up to 1 week.
If you love this easy Thanksgiving side dish, be sure to check out our Cauliflower Gratin!
Tips For The Best Cornbread Dressing
- Use fresh herbs! There is a time and a place for dried herbs, but you will love the flavor (and smell!) of fresh sage and oregano. Add a little sprinkling of oregano leaves on the finished dish (or crispy fried sage, if you have time — yum!).
- Use a sausage you love. The ingredients in this cornbread dressing recipe are limited, meaning that you want to use high quality to bring out the best flavor. While the type of cornbread you use won’t change the flavor much, make sure to grab a sausage that you know and love. The flavor comes through in each bite!
- Don’t over bake! Nobody wants a dry stuffing or dressing, so check for doneness at 30 minutes (or sooner if your oven runs hot!). You’ll know the dressing is ready when the tops are a light golden brown and the dressing holds its shape together.
- Got leftovers?! Make a batch of our homemade cornbread dressing waffles! Throw an egg on top and voila! An easy, elegant breakfast or brunch, perfect for any holiday weekend!
If your family loves a good, homemade Southern cornbread dressing as much as we do, this one is an absolute must make! It’s a little sweet, a little spicy, and tastes like fall. Bet you’ll want it on repeat every Thanksgiving!
If you make this Easy Cornbread Dressing Recipe, please let us know by leaving a review and rating below!
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More Thanksgiving recipes to try:
- Mashed Potatoes with Sour Cream
- Crispy Roasted Brussel Sprouts
- Mashed Butternut Squash with Bourbon and Sage
- Prosciutto-Wrapped Turkey Tenderloin
- Focaccia Stuffing with Chorizo, Butternut Squash, and Goat Cheese
- Roasted Turkey Breast with White Wine Gravy
Cornbread Dressing Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 lbs cornbread about 8 cups
- 3 pork sausage about ¾ lb, casings removed
- 1 Tbsp olive oil or other oil
- 1 large Vidalia onion roughly chopped
- 3 Tbsp fresh sage finely chopped
- 2 Tbsp fresh oregano or thyme, finely chopped
- ¾ cup low-sodium chicken stock
- ⅔ cup heavy cream
- 2 large eggs lightly beaten
- 2 ½ tsp Kosher salt divided
- ½ tsp freshly ground black pepper divided
Instructions
- Cube the cornbread. Preheat an oven to 375 F. Cut the cornbread into large cubes about 1 ½ -2" in size. Place in a large mixing bowl.
- Brown the sausage. Heat 1 Tbsp olive oil over medium-high heat in a large skillet. Add Italian sausage, then cook, breaking up with a wooden spoon, until browned on all sides, about 5-7 minutes.
- Sauté the onion. Add chopped onion, season with ½ tsp Kosher salt, then cook 4-6 minutes, or until light golden brown. Add 3 Tbsp chopped sage and 2 Tbsp chopped oregano, then stir well. Transfer to the mixing bowl with cornbread cubes.
- Mix wet ingredients. In a 2 cup measuring cup, whisk together ¾ cup chicken broth, ⅔ cup heavy cream, 2 eggs, 2 tsp Kosher salt, and ¼ tsp black pepper.
- Gently toss cornbread dressing. Pour the wet ingredients onto the cornbread mixture, then very gently toss together to evenly coat being careful not to break the cornbread up too much.=
- Bake the dressing. Transfer the cornbread to a 9×13 casserole or baking dish that's been coated with cooking spray, then spread into an even layer. Bake for 30 minutes or until the top is browned and crispy. Serve immediately.
Notes
- Instead of a 9×13 casserole dish, you can bake this straight in a large cast iron skillet! Serve it family-style right out of the pan!
- Make ahead: Cornbread dressing can be assembled up to 2 days in advance, then wrapped tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerated until ready to make.
- Freezing before baking: Assemble completely before baking, then wrap tightly in aluminum foil and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight for before baking.
- Storage: Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container for up to 1 week.
Hi! Any tips for making this ahead? Thanks!
Hi Emmma! You can assemble the entire dish ahead of time (up to 2 days in advance), then tightly wrap with plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to cook. I’ll add these notes to the recipe card and blog post! xo, Ari