You are going to fall in love with this cornbread sausage stuffing recipe, along with all of your guests! The homemade cornbread and flavors of the Italian sausage take this dressing to the next level! You can even cut down on time by making the cornbread a day early. It pairs so well with all the other turkey day favorites!
In my opinion, Thanksgiving stuffing can define the holiday meal and it’s a dish I look forward to every season. If I’m being honest, in the past I actually doctored up a box Stovetop and no one noticed – but I added several ingredients including cranberries! This year I am using my famous buttermilk cornbread recipe to make this a from scratch recipe! Once you taste it, you will not want to wait until next year to make it again!
Along with this cornbread stuffing recipe our holiday menu lineup looks like this: orange glazed ham, creamy mashed potatoes, my favorite brussels sprouts recipe, a few other sides being brought in by family, a pumpkin bread pudding, and a classic Granny Smith Apple Pie. This is really a snapshot because I’m sure we will be busting at the seams with desserts and have enough food to feed an army, but you get the idea!
Why You’ll Love This Cornbread Sausage Stuffing Recipe
- Comforting, filling, and insanely flavorful.
- Easy to make.
- Can use leftover cornbread.
- A nice twist on a traditional holiday recipe.
What Ingredients do I Need for Cornbread Sausage Stuffing?
- buttermilk cornbread
- Italian sausage – I am using milk, if you want it spicier go with hot sausage
- unsalted butter
- yellow onion
- celery
- minced garlic – garlic powder can also be used if desired.
- chicken broth – could also swap for veggie broth if needed
- whole milk
- eggs
- sea salt
- freshly ground black pepper
- thyme
- ground sage
- Fresh parsley for garnish
Before You Start: You will need to have a batch of cornbread ready to dry out or have it a little stale before making the dressing.
How to Make Easy Sausage and Cornbread Stuffing
PREP: Preheat the oven and cut the cornbread into 1-inch cubes onto a baking sheet. Toast for one hour, remove the pan and allow the bread to cool. Brown the sausage in a large skillet and transfer to a large bowl.
MAKE THE STUFFING: In the same skillet, add some butter to the leftover fat. Add the onions and celery, cook until tender. Stir in the garlic and cook for a couple more minutes. Transfer the veggies to the bowl with the sausage. Add the cornbread. Whisk together the wet ingredients with the spices in a separate bowl and pour over the top. Gently stir.
BAKE: Add the sausage cornbread stuffing to a baking dish, top with butter, and bake for 40 minutes. Garnish with parsley and serve.
- Don’t drain the grease off the sausage, it’s full of flavor and really adds to the dish without changing the texture!
- If you want to dry your cornbread out ahead of time, you can let it sit out on a sheet for 2-3 days, or toast it prior to making the stuffing.
- Cornbread comes apart easier than white bread. You can add the mixture to the dish, then pour the broth over and toss to keep it intact as much as possible.
- You will need 10 cups of bread cubes for the recipe. I like making this homemade cornbread recipe, but you can use store-bought if desired.
Fun Fact
During the Thanksgiving holiday, it is estimated that over $96 million is spent on store-bought stuffing!
Keep leftovers in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Freeze for 1 month.
Yes! Because there are more wet ingredients used and cornbread is soft anyway, you want it to be dry so you don’t end up with mushy dressing.
More Holiday Recipes To Try
Cornbread Sausage Stuffing
Ingredients
- 1 recipe buttermilk cornbread
- 1 lb. mild Italian sausage
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter divided
- 1 medium yellow onion diced (about 1 cup)
- 3 stalks of celery diced (about 1 cup)
- 2 teaspoons minced garlic
- 2 cups chicken broth
- ½ cup whole milk
- 2 large eggs beaten
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- ½ teaspoon ground thyme
- ½ teaspoon ground sage
- Fresh parsley for garnish if desired
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 250°F. Cut the cornbread into 1-inch cubes and spread in a single layer on an ungreased baking sheet. Bake until dried and light brown, about 1 hour. Set aside to cool
- In a medium skillet, cook ground sausage until no pink remains. Transfer to an extra large mixing bowl.
- In the skillet, add 2 tablespoons of butter to the leftover fat. Add the onions and celery and saute over medium heat until the vegetables are tender and the onion is translucent. Add the minced garlic and saute 1-2 minutes more. Transfer the vegetable mixture to the mixing bowl with the sausage.
- Add the cooled cornbread cubes to the sausage and vegetable mixture. Toss gently to combine the ingredients.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the chicken broth, eggs, milk, salt, pepper, thyme, and sage.
- Pour the broth/egg mixture over the cornbread mixture in the mixing bowl. Gently toss the ingredients together.
- Transfer the stuffing mixture to a greased 9×13 baking dish. Cut the remaining 4 tablespoons of butter into pieces and spread them over the top of the stuffing.
- Bake for 40 minutes, until the stuffing is cooked through and the top is golden brown.
- Garnish with freshly chopped parsley, or herbs, before serving.
Nutrition
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