Cornbread Dressing with Sausage and Apples
on Nov 08, 2019, Updated Mar 15, 2024
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This Cornbread Dressing is a flavor-packed holiday side dish that’s simple to prepare and delicious to enjoy! Made with cornbread, sausage, onions and apples, this stuffing is full of fall flavors and is majorly easy to whip up for your Thanksgiving feast or Christmas dinner.
I used my homemade cornbread recipe as a base for this stuffing. It is seriously the BEST cornbread EVER!
Table of Contents
- Easy Cornbread and Sausage Dressing
- How do you dry cornbread for dressing?
- Do you put eggs in cornbread dressing?
- Can you make cornbread dressing the day before Thanksgiving?
- How do you add flavor to cornbread dressing?
- What is the difference between stuffing and dressing?
- How to make cornbread dressing:
- Cornbread dressing ingredients:
- How to make toasted cornbread cubes for cornbread dressing:
- Cornbread Stuffing Recipe Recipe
Easy Cornbread and Sausage Dressing
Thanksgiving wouldn’t be Thanksgiving without a little dressing action. And this one is a great option if your family loves cornbread like mine does. My cornbread dressing recipe is a little out of the box compared to traditional dressings, but we absolutely love the crumbly, crunchy texture, flavorful ground pork, and medley of fall produce favorites that are included in this dish. And if you’d like to make the texture more sticky like a traditional dressing, I made sure to include a note in the recipe card below so you can easily adjust the recipe to your texture preferences!
The best part about cornbread dressing is it’s so incredibly simple to make! You can make the cornbread ahead of time (double this recipe, EXCEPT for the sugar — just use the amount called for in the single batch), and freeze it for even easier prep.
The sweet and savory flavors of cornbread dressing are so delicious beside turkey, mashed potatoes, gravy, and all your other favorite holiday dish staples. Plus, with apple, celery, and onion, the flavors are rich and well-rounded for an ideal dressing situation that you’ll fall head over heels for! Take the stress out of holiday prep with simple, flavorful, and quick dishes just like this one, and I bet you’ll be volunteering to host holidays every year.
How do you dry cornbread for dressing?
Take your favorite cornbread, and cut it into 2-inch cubes. Place the cubes on a baking sheet, and bake at 325 degrees F. for about an hour, or until the bread crumbs are dried out a bit and browned. They won’t be as dry as traditional bread cubes. This can be done up to a day in advance — just let the cornbread cool in the pan, and wrap it with a little plastic wrap. I wouldn’t transfer it to a bowl unless it’s the one you are going to make the stuffing in. The cornbread will fall apart if you move it around too much.
Do you put eggs in cornbread dressing?
You can certainly add eggs to this dressing recipe if you prefer a stickier, bound-together stuffing consistency of traditional stuffings. I actually prefer this recipe without eggs because I like the crumbly pieces of it.
Can you make cornbread dressing the day before Thanksgiving?
Yes! Just prep and make everything according to the instructions below, and after it’s baked in the oven, let the stuffing cool completely before covering it tightly and storing it in the fridge overnight. Reheat by baking at 400 degrees F. uncovered for 20 minutes.
How do you add flavor to cornbread dressing?
This is one of my most favorite and the most flavorful dressing recipes I’ve made, I think in part due to the cornbread, ground sausage, apples, onion, poultry seasoning, and stock. Be sure to use the correct amount of seasonings to get great flavor!
What is the difference between stuffing and dressing?
The main difference between stuffing and dressing is how they are prepared. Stuffing is used to stuff another food, usually the turkey, prior to cooking it, while dressing is cooked in a regular dish or pan outside of the turkey. But many people use them interchangeably and I won’t be offended if you do, too!
How to make cornbread dressing:
- Brown the sausage in a large skillet or Dutch oven.
- When the sausage is mostly cooked through, add the onions, celery, and apple.
- Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions are tender, about 5 minutes.
- Add the salt and pepper, and stir to combine.
- Place the dried cornbread cubes in a large mixing bowl.
- Add the sausage mixture to the bowl.
- Sprinkle the poultry seasoning over the sausage, drizzle with the chicken broth, and stir again gently to combine.
- Place the cornbread mixture in a bottom of a large baking dish that has been greased well.
- Cover tightly with foil, and bake at 400 degrees F. for 25 minutes. Remove the foil, and bake uncovered for an additional 10 to 15 minutes or until golden-brown.
- Serve hot.
Cornbread dressing ingredients:
- Toasted cornbread cubes: See the directions below for how to make these! They totally elevate and make this dish. The cornbread is crumbly and delicious alongside the rest of the ingredients.
- Ground sausage: Sausage is a fantastic, savory, salty addition to dressing. It gives the dish a kick of both protein and flavor.
- Onion: Adds those subtle nutty notes.
- Celery: For a little bit of green freshness and light saltiness.
- Apples: This gives it a little kick of sweet among a heavily salty and savory dish.
- Salt, pepper, and dried poultry seasoning: For more flavor! Find dried poultry seasoning near where you find all your other spices at the store.
- Chicken or turkey stock: To bind and moisten the whole dish prior to baking.
How to make toasted cornbread cubes for cornbread dressing:
- Make a double batch of my famous cornbread recipe, but don’t double the sugar.
- Bake in a greased 9×13 inch pan for around 40 minutes, and allow to cool.
- Cut cornbread into 2-inch cubes.
- Place the cubes on a baking sheet, and bake at 325 degrees F. for about an hour.
- Use prepared cornbread cubes in the following cornbread dressing recipe or in your favorite recipe.
Cornbread Stuffing Recipe
Ingredients
- 10 cups toasted cornbread cubes*
- 1 pound ground sausage
- 2 cups chopped onion, white or yellow
- 2 cups chopped celery
- 2 sweet apples, cored and chopped (no need to peel)
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 2 teaspoons dried poultry seasoning
- 1 1/2 cups chicken or turkey stock
Instructions
- In a large skillet or dutch oven, over medium-high heat, start to brown the sausage. It’s okay to let it brown up nicely on the bottom of the pan — the brown bits are flavor!
- When the sausage is mostly cooked through, add the onions, celery, and apple.
- Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions are tender, about 5 minutes.
- Add the salt and pepper, and stir to combine.
- Place the dried cornbread cubes in a large mixing bowl.
- Add the sausage mixture to the bowl.
- Sprinkle the poultry seasoning over the sausage, drizzle with the chicken broth, and stir again gently to combine. Over-stirring will break of the cornbread too much — be gentle.
- Place the cornbread mixture in a bottom of a large baking dish that has been greased well (a 9×13 or 11×15-inch pan work great).
- Cover tightly with foil, and bake at 400 degrees F. for 25 minutes. Remove the foil, and bake uncovered for an additional 10 to 15 minutes or until golden-brown.
- Serve hot.
Notes
- *To make toasted cornbread cubes: Make a double-batch of my famous cornbread recipe, doubling everything EXCEPT the sugar. Just use the 2/3 of a cup for the whole batch. Bake in a greased 9×13 inch pan for about 40 minutes, or until baked through in the center. Let the cornbread cool for an hour or so (or overnight), and then cut the whole plan into 2-inch cubes. Place the cubes on a baking sheet in a single layer, and bake at 325 degrees F. for about an hour, or until the bread crumbs are dried out a bit and browned. They won’t be as dry as traditional bread cubes. This can be done up to a day in advance. Just let the cornbread cool in the pan, and wrap it with a little plastic wrap. I wouldn’t transfer it to a bowl unless it’s the one you are going to make the stuffing in. The cornbread will fall apart if you move it around too much.
- I used normal breakfast sausage from our pig. It’s a lot like traditional Jimmy Dean pork sausage. Feel free to use what you like.
- Cornbread stuffing does not stick together like traditional dressing or stuffing recipes. It’s more crumbly like cornbread. But if you want it to stick together more, beat 4 eggs together in a small bowl and drizzle the beaten eggs over the cornbread mixture once it is in the baking dish. This gives you a cornbread stuffing that sticks together more. I prefer it without the eggs, but it all depends on the texture that you like.
Win! This is a yummy change from traditional stuffing. I’d definitely eat it again!
So glad you liked it Robert!