Homemade Cornbread Dressing Recipe

This tasty Southern-style inspired cornbread dressing is the perfect side dish for your Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner table.

There are many variations of cornbread stuffing in the South but one thing is certain, and that is that it starts with good homemade cornbread, which is dried out of course. From there, there are endless possibilities to enhance the flavor of this coveted holiday side dish.

Ingredients for this recipe:

• 1 cornbread recipe
• 6 dinner rolls or biscuits, cut into 1” cubes
• 1 stick unsalted butter
• 2 peeled and small diced small to medium-size yellow onions
• 3 small-diced celery stalks
• 1 ½ tablespoon poultry seasoning
• 2 cups chicken velouté
• 3 cups chicken stock
• 4 whisked large eggs
• salt and pepper to taste

Serves 12

prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 70 minutes

Procedures:

1. Preheat the oven to 300°.
2. Crumble the cornbread using your fingers until it breaks apart into very small pieces. Transfer to a cookie sheet tray lined with parchment paper along with the cubed rolls and spread out.
3. Bake in the oven at 300° for 30 minutes to help dry it out.
4. In the meantime, add the butter to a large frying pan over low to medium heat and sweat the onions and celery for about 10 to 12 minutes while occasionally stirring. It’s ok if they get a little brown. Set aside once done.
5. When the bread is done drying out a bit, add it to a large bowl along with the cooked vegetables, poultry seasoning, velouté, chicken stock, salt, and pepper, and gently mix until combined. Be sure to taste it to see if you need any more salt and pepper.
6. Pour in the whisked eggs and again gently mix them together until it is combined.
7. Transfer the mixture to a 13x9 casserole dish, cover it, and bake at 350° for 25 minutes.
8. Uncover the dish and bake for a further 15 to 20 minutes or until the top is lightly browned.
9. Serve.

Chef Notes:
Make-Ahead: You can make this recipe up to 1 hour ahead of time, just keep it covered and warm at low temperatures in the oven until ready to serve.

How to Store: Cover and keep in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. You can cover and freeze it for up to 3 months. Thaw it in the refrigerator for 1 day before reheating.

How to Reheat: Add the desired amount of dressing to a casserole dish or pan, drizzle on ¼ to 1/3 cup of chicken stock, and cover with foil. Bake in the oven at 350° for 15 to 20 minutes or until warmed.

You can use any stale or dried bread to help fill in with the cornbread.

If you do not have any access to dried bread, biscuits, or rolls, just 3 cups of breadcrumbs.

You can substitute the velouté for a can of cream of chicken soup.