Cornbread Stuffing Recipe

Table of Contents

1. Cornbread Stuffing Ingredients
2. How to Dry Out Bread for Stuffing
3. Substitutions and Additions
4. How to Make Cornbread Stuffing
5. Tips for Success
6. Make Ahead, Storage, and Reheating
7. Cornbread Stuffing FAQ
8. JUMP TO RECIPE

This cornbread stuffing recipe uses two breads instead of one. The cornbread brings the sweetness and the soft, tender crumb everyone loves in a good stuffing, and the cubed baguette keeps it from falling apart once the liquids go in.

This recipe is made in a 9x13 casserole dish and bakes in the oven. It only needs to bake for about a half an hour, but the bread cubes do need to dry out, so you'll need to prep the bread, likely the day before.

Do I need to use two kinds of bread?

If you make stuffing with only cornbread, it'll turn into something closer to spoonbread, and will lose its classic texture.

Cornbread is naturally soft and a little crumbly, so it soaks up liquid quickly and loses its shape. But if you add a firmer bread alongside the cornbread, it helps maintain the texture you're used to.

Everything here is easy to find, and most of it you may already have. Here's what you'll need:

Breads

• 6 cups cubed cornbread, dried out
• 8 cups cubed baguette, dried out

Vegetables and Aromatics

• ½ cup unsalted butter
• 1 medium white onion, diced
• 1 cup diced celery (about 4 stalks)
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic

Liquid and Seasoning

• 4 cups low-sodium chicken stock
• 2 tablespoons Italian seasoning
• 1 teaspoon cracked black pepper
• ½ teaspoon salt

Fresh Herbs

• ½ cup chopped fresh parsley
• ¼ cup chopped fresh sage

A few ingredient notes:

The Bread Ratio: There's more baguette than cornbread here, 8 cups to 6. That proportion is deliberate, and it's the reason the stuffing holds together so well.

Low-Sodium Stock: Four cups is a good amount of liquid going into dried bread, and it will all get absorbed. Four cups of regular stock will probably make the dish too salty, so that's why I use the low-sodium version.

FRESH SAGE AND PARSLEY: Dried sage turns dusty and a little bitter in this quantity. Fresh herbs will keep their softness and give you a clean flavor.

Substitutions and Additions

CORNBREAD: Homemade cornbread or store-bought both work. A boxed mix is fine, and it's usually best to follow the ratios on the package. Whichever you use, let it sit out to dry the same way you would the baguette.

WHITE BREAD: French bread, Italian bread, or plain thick-cut sandwich bread can stand in for the baguette. Just choose something with a firm crumb, so it holds up against the stock.

CELERY: Diced carrots or bell peppers work if celery isn't your thing. Both bring the same crunch and a little color, but change the flavor.

NUTS: Toasted pecans or walnuts, tossed in before baking, add a nice bit of texture.

DRIED FRUIT: Dried cranberries, apricots, or raisins give you a sweet-tart bite against all that savory. Stir them in just before baking.

SAUSAGE: Sausage is a common addition to stuffing, and andouille is a popular pick. I haven't tested this version with meat in it, so treat it as your own experiment.

Once your bread is dried out, the rest comes together quickly.

FIRST STEP: Dry out the cornbread and baguette cubes using either method above. Give yourself about 12 hours if you're going the counter route.

SECOND STEP: Preheat the oven to 350°F.

THIRD STEP: Put the bread cubes in a large bowl and set it aside. You'll want something roomy, 5 quarts or bigger, so you have space to toss everything without it going over the sides.

FOURTH STEP: In a frying pan over medium-high heat, cook the butter, onion, garlic, and celery for two to three minutes, until tender.

FIFTH STEP: Turn the heat down to medium-low. Add the chicken stock, Italian seasoning, salt, pepper, parsley, and sage. Stir it together and let it simmer over low heat for five minutes.

SIXTH STEP: Pour half the broth mixture over the bread cubes and toss. Then pour the rest over and toss again. Adding it in two rounds gets the liquid distributed more evenly than a single pour does.

SEVENTH STEP: Transfer everything to a 9x13 baking pan.

EIGHTH STEP: Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until the top starts to brown and look slightly crisp. Let it sit for a few minutes before serving.

Tips for Success

Measure the stock carefully. Four cups is the right amount for 14 cups of dried bread, and it's critical that you don't eyeball it. Too little and the middle stays dry. Too much and you've got soggy stuffing.

Decide on your top before it goes in the oven. For a softer stuffing, cover the pan with foil and take it off for the last 10 minutes. For a crisp, browned top all the way across, leave it uncovered the whole time.

Taste the broth mixture before it hits the bread. That's your only chance to adjust the seasoning. Once the stock is absorbed, you can't really add in more salt.

Give the vegetables the full two to three minutes. If your onion and celery go into the pan firm, they'll stay firm through the entire bake. Cook them to the consistency you want them to be in the final dish.

This cornbread dressing makes a lovely holiday dish, but I love stuffing all year round. A few things that pair well:

Roast turkey is the obvious partner, and this is a good side dish to bake up while you carve and plate everything else.

Gravy is always good on top, and the crisp bits will soak up all its flavor.

Cranberry sauce cuts through all that butter and stock with a bright and tart flavor.

Mashed potatoes and green bean casserole round out the sides nicely, and both can be made ahead the same way this one can.

MAKE AHEAD: You can assemble this up to a month in advance. Bake it, let it cool completely, then cover it well and freeze. Thaw it fully before you reheat it on the day.

IN THE FRIDGE: Leftovers keep for three to four days in a sealed container.

IN THE FREEZER: Baked stuffing holds for up to a month.

REHEATING: Cover the pan with foil so it doesn't dry out, and warm it in a 325°F oven until it's heated through, likely 15 minutes. Take the foil off for the last few minutes if you want the top to crisp back up.