Cornbread Dressing with Sausage and Apples

Delicious Cornbread Dressing recipe made with the addition of spicy Italian sausage and apples. Dressing always comes out the best when using homemade cornbread and packing it with your favorite flavors. This side dish will be a great addition to any holiday menu.

Try our recipe of the classic cornbread dressing or you can make the classic stuffing recipe as well.

I love this fun twist on a classic Southern Cornbread Dressing. Addition of sausage gives is a touch of spice and a meaty, savory flavor addition. Many recipes use breakfast sausage but personally, I prefer to use Italian sausage. There is something about breakfast sausage flavor that remind me of breakfast food and particularly biscuits and gravy.

For the best flavor balance and pop, I recommend using spicy Italian sausage. The heat in the sausage created the best compliment to sweetness on cornbread and apples. Even though I use green apples, which have slightly sour taste, there is still sweetness in them. It’s a fun combination of flavors in a savory dish. 

Of course, every year my family begs for traditional Thanksgiving dinner with the turkey, mashed potatoes, green bean casserole, sweet potato casserole, and the classic stuffing. They want all the classic sides every single year but I’m thinking of a little rebellion this year. I really want to make them cornbread version of a stuffing and this sausage cornbread dressing is the way to go. 

How To Make Cornbread

Preheat the oven to 400° and generously rub butter all over the bottom and sides of a 10-inch cast iron skillet or a 9×9 baking dish.

In one bowl, combine all the dry ingredients and whisk. In another bowl, combine all the wet ingredients and whisk until smooth. Slowly pour in wet ingredients into dry ingredients while whisking and whisk until evenly incorporated. 

Spread cornbread batter evenly in the skillet and bake at for 20-22 minutes. (Until the toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.)

Let cornbread cool for about 10 minutes in the skillet and then turn it over onto the cutting board. 

How To Make The Dressing

Preheat a large skillet over medium heat and add butter. Once butter is melted, add diced onion and celery and sauté for until it starts to soften. Add diced apples and cook for a few minutes, until apples and veggies are soft. 

Take everything out of the cooking pan and set aside. Add ground sausage to the pan and break it apart as much as you can. Let sausage cook until done, breaking clumps apart as it cooks. Once sausage is cooked, add veggies and apple mixture back into the pan and mix everything together. 

Set oven to 375° and rub a 9×13 baking dish with butter all over the bottom and up the sides. 

Crumble cooked cornbread in a large mixing bowl. Add sautéed sausage and vegetables, sage, thyme, and parsley. Whisk eggs, salt, pepper, garlic powder, stock, and melted butter in another bowl and pour it all over the cornbread mixture. Mix everything together well and spread it evenly in the prepared baking dish. 

Bake cornbread dressing for 30-35 minutes, until the top is golden brown and the middle is set.

Make Ahead Tips:

Cornbread dressing is very easy to make ahead of time and simply bake the next day. You can even make cornbread a couple of days before and then prep cornbread dressing a day before. 

Prepare everything up to the step of baking and instead of baking it, wrap the pan tightly with plastic wrap. Place the pan into the refrigerator overnight.

To bake it the next day, set the dish on the counter while the oven is preheating and then bake for about 30-35 minutes. 

More Comforting Sides To Serve On Holidays:

Broccoli Cheese Casserole

Cheesy Scalloped Potatoes

Cauliflower Casserole

Green Bean Casserole