Our classic dressing is packed with cornbread flavor. As a shortcut, 14 cups of your favorite store-bought cornbread, crumbled, will do.
Classic Southern Cornbread Dressing
Serves: 10-12 servings
Ingredients
- ½ cup unsalted butter
- 3 cups chopped yellow onion
- 2 cups chopped celery
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tablespoons fresh chopped sage
- 1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
- 2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
- 5 large eggs
- 1½ teaspoons kosher salt
- Peppery Cornbread (recipe follows), coarsely crumbled
- Garnish: fried sage leaves (see Notes)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325°. In a 12-inch cast-iron skillet, melt butter over medium heat. Add onion, celery, and garlic; cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, 5 to 8 minutes. Remove from heat. Add sage and thyme.
- In a large bowl, whisk together broth, eggs, and salt until well combined. Gently stir in crumbled Peppery Cornbread and onion mixture. Spoon mixture back into skillet. Loosely cover with foil.
- Bake for 20 minutes. Uncover and bake until top is lightly browned and an instant-read thermometer inserted in center registers 165°, about 15 minutes more. Let stand for 15 minutes before serving. Garnish with fried sage, if desired.
Notes
To fry fresh sage leaves, heat a small amount of oil in an 8-inch cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat. Pat sage dry with paper towels; add to hot oil, and cook until crisp, about 1 minute. Drain on paper towels. Sprinkle with salt.
Peppery Cornbread
Serves: 1 (12-inch) loaf
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 3 cups plain yellow cornmeal
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 3 cups whole buttermilk
- ½ cup unsalted butter, melted
- 3 large eggs
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425°. Pour oil into a 12-inch cast-iron skillet. Place skillet in oven until hot, about 10 minutes.
- In a large bowl, whisk together cornmeal, flour, sugar, salt, baking powder, baking soda, and pepper. In a medium bowl, whisk together buttermilk, melted butter, and eggs. Make a well in center of dry ingredients; whisk in buttermilk mixture until well combined. Carefully spread batter into hot skillet. (Batter should sizzle.)
- Bake until golden brown and a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean, about 20 minutes. Turn out cornbread onto a wire rack. Let cool completely.
