From-Scratch Cornbread Dressing Recipe

If you're like us here at Tasting Table, then you probably often dream about Thanksgiving dinner. While the turkey and ham are great main courses, the meal is really all about the side dishes. Most families serve potatoes, cranberry sauce, green bean casserole, and of course, dressing (or stuffing). But if you want a little Southern twist on the classic dressing, this from-scratch cornbread dressing should do the trick! It's a little bit sweet, a little bit salty, and a whole lot of tasty. 

Recipe developer and wellness coach Miriam Hahn come up with this fun twist on traditional stuffing that would make a great side at your next dinner party. "This recipe is such a good traditional basic! I love that is 100% home made and tastes so fresh. For those that love a good cornbread stuffing, this is the one!" she raves. When most people think of dressing, they think of the holidays and this is great for that, but there are also plenty of other occasions that you can serve this tasty side at. "This recipe screams holidays but it does work well any time you are doing a formal, traditional dinner and are craving stuffing," Hahn shares. 

Ready to start? Head to the store and pick up all-purpose flour, yellow cornmeal, sugar, salt, baking powder, butter, eggs, milk, cooking spray, celery, shallots, chicken broth, sage, poultry seasoning, salt, pepper, beaten eggs, and fresh parsley or other fresh herbs.

You will need an oven to cook the cornbread, so go ahead and crank the temperature to 400 F. While it gets hot, grab a mixing bowl and start the prep work. Toss in the flour, cornmeal, sugar, salt, and baking powder. Use a whisk to combine the ingredients well.

Make a little well in the center of your dry ingredients and add ⅓ cup of melted butter, the milk, and an egg. Mix well until blended.

Then, pour the batter into a baking dish and bake for about 20 to 25 minutes, until the top gets a nice golden brown color. You can also check doneness by inserting a toothpick and making sure that it comes out clean.

After you remove the cornbread from the oven, set it on your counter and let it cool for at least an hour. Once it finishes cooling, crumble it up and add the crumbles to a plastic bag, leaving it unzipped on the counter for 24 hours.

Once the cornbread sits for a day-long period, preheat the oven to 400 F once again.

Grab a frying pan and place it on your burner. Add the remaining butter and once it melts, toss in the celery and the shallots. Saute everything together for about 5 minutes.

Then, place the crumbled cornbread in a large bowl and add the chicken broth. Mix well to combine. "You can use vegetable broth instead of chicken broth. A veggie bouillion cube works fine too," Hahn shares. "You can also substitute Earth Balance butter and soy milk if you want to make this dairy free." 

Add the poultry seasoning, sage, salt, and pepper to season the cornbread. Then, you can stir in the celery and shallots. "The special ingredient is shallots. They are a little more mild than standard onions and have a hint of caramelized sweetness that adds a lot to this dish," Hahn shares. Next, beat two eggs and add them to the same bowl as the other ingredients.

Pour the cornbread into a 9x13-inch baking dish and cover. Cook for about 30 minutes, and remove the cover for the last 15 minutes, so the top gets browned.

Once you remove it from the oven, you can serve it as you wish. "I like serving this with fresh herbs like parsley, thyme or even basil. It is very good with gravy also," Hahn suggests. And one more note — be sure to save any leftovers that you may have! "Leftovers are great for 3-5 days," Hahn shares.