Southern Cornbread Dressing Recipe

I use my buttermilk cornbread recipe to make the dressing but I adjust it slightly. Cornbread in an effortless recipe so all you need is two mixing bowls, a whisk, and a 10-inch cast iron skillet. (If you don’t have a skillet, use a 9×9 baking dish.) 

In one bowl, combine all the dry ingredients and whisk to combine. 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. 

Generously rub the skillet with butter all over the bottom and up the sides. Spread cornbread batter evenly in the skillet and bake at 400°F 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. 

While cornbread is baking, sauté onions, celery and garlic. Set oven to 375°F and rub a 9×13 baking dish with butter all over the bottom and up the sides. 

Dice onions and celery and mince garlic. Preheat a cooking pan over medium heat and add butter. Sauté onions and celery until soft and add minced garlic. Sauté everything for a few more minutes and turn off the heat. 

Crumble cooked cornbread in a large mixing bowl. (I like to leave some pieces larger and some smaller for the best dressing texture.) Add sautéed vegetables, salt, garlic powder, pepper, sage, and parsley.

Whisk eggs, 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 25-30 minutes, until the top is golden brown and the middle is set.

Make Ahead Tips

You can make cornbread ahead of time OR prep the whole dish ahead of time and bake the next day. 

If you choose to make just cornbread ahead of time, cook it completely, let it cool for about 10 minutes in the skillet, and then turn it over onto the cutting board. Cool it completely on the cutting board and wrap it air-tight. Use the cornbread the next day to make the dressing. 

Cornbread dressing can also be prepped ahead of time, and refrigerated overnight before baking. Prepare everything up to the step of baking and wrap the baking pan tightly with plastic wrap. Refrigerate it overnight.

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

Stuffing vs Dressing

There is a bit of a debate about the stuffing vs dressing, mostly pertaining to what you call it. One school of thought on this debate is that the reference is regional. In the south, it is called a “dressing,” while up north, it is referred to as “stuffing.” 

Another school of thought is simply that stuffing is cooked inside the turkey, while dressing is cooked on its own. And yet another answer lies in bread. As in, dressing is made with cornbread and stuffing is made with other breads.

No matter what you call it, this classic bread side dish must be present at the holiday table. Although, since cornbread is a southern tradition, we will of course be calling in a dressing. 

Other Holiday Sides To Try

• Cornbread Dressing with Sausage and Apples
• Buttermilk Cornbread
• Jalapeno Cornbread
• Easy Stuffing Recipe
• Green Bean Casserole
• Cheesy Potato Casserole

All images and text ©Lyubov Brooke for ©Will Cook For Smiles. Please do not use my images without prior permission. If using my posts in collections and features, please link back to this post for the recipe.
Disclaimer: Nutrition information shown is not guaranteed to be 100% accurate as most ingredients and brands have variations.