This cornbread sausage stuffing recipe is made with sweet cornbread, savory sausage and fresh herbs. This stuffing is synonymous with Thanksgiving and turkey. This is a southern favorite that uses cornbread as a staple ingredient mixed with sausage and sage.

cornbread sausage stuffing is easy to make for thanksgiving.

Stuffing tends to be a deeply personal Thanksgiving dish. Some families have stuffing recipes that have been passed down through generations, while others can’t wait to dig into the Stove Top boxed stuffing. No matter which holiday meal you sit down to, every gathering has a specific stuffing served.

What’s the Difference between Stuffing and Dressing?

Once and for all, what’s the difference between stuffing and dressing? Stuffing is prepared and then cooked and stuffed inside a cavity, such as poultry, like a turkey or chicken. Dressing is cooked and served on the side

So this recipe should technically be called Cornbread Sausage Dressing, but I’m so used to calling it stuffing that it’s become a habit. When I hear the word “dressing”, I think of something like a Caesar salad dressing.

Ingredients for Cornbread Stuffing

Cornbread: Cornbread is the cornerstone of this recipe. It’s best to used leftover cornbread, but if you have freshly made cornbread that you’re not sure what to do with (ie you made too much) just toast it in a pan until it crisps up a bit.
Sausage: Since this sausage will be mixed into the cornbread, you will need to remove it from it’s casing. I actually used a pound of Jimmy Dean sage sausage to compliment the sage that was added during cooking.
Fat: I used olive oil in this recipe, but you can also add a tablespoon of butter to the sausage while it’s cooking. Bottom line is that you will need lots of fat added to your sausage to make your cornbread stuffing nice and moist.
Herbs: While fresh herbs are not an absolute requirement, using fresh herbs does make a difference in your flavor profile.
Liquid: Wether you want to use bone broth, regular stock or a bullion cube mixed with water, you will need a liquid mixed into the stuffing.

Variations and Substitutions for Cornbread Sausage Stuffing

There are lots of different ways to make a stuffing for the holiday table. While this stuffing uses cornbread, a sourdough stuffing is also very popular on many Thanksgiving tables. Cornbread does tend to be sweeter but sourdough will give your stuffing a much more savory flavor. In my experience, sourdough stuffing is more popular on the West Coast and a cornbread based stuffing is more popular in the rest of the United States.

Also, this sausage stuffing has a lot of meat in it. If you are serving a meatless crowd, feel free to skip the extra protein. Or you can replace the sausage with something else. If you are serving this at the Thanksgiving or Christmas table, you can find a way to use part of the main dish that is being served. For example, take some of the giblets from the Turkey and fry those up instead of the sausage.

For this recipe, I added a lot of fresh herbs. If fresh herbs are not readily available, or you would prefer to use some of those dried spices you’ve been meaning to use, go right ahead!

Cornbread Sausage Stuffing

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Recipe by Sarah Course: Dinner, LunchCuisine: American, SouthernDifficulty: Easy

Servings

servings

Prep time

minutes

Cooking time

minutes

Calories

310

kcal

Ingredients

5 cups cornbread
1 lb sausage
1 onion
3 ribs celery
2 cloves garlic
2 cups chicken broth
2 tbsp olive oil
7 sprigs thyme
7 sage leaves
salt and pepper to taste

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Dice the onions, celery and garlic. Set aside.
Add the olive oil to a large stockpot and add the celery and onions. Let saute over medium heat until fragrant. Add the garlic and saute for another minute. Add the sausage and stir until it begins to brown. Add the thyme and sage. Cook until sausage is cooked through. Taste for seasoning and add salt and pepper to taste.
Toast the cornbread and then add it to a large bowl. Add the sausage mixture and add the broth. Knead with your hands until combined. The stuffing should be wet. Taste again and season with salt and pepper if need be.
Add the stuffing at an oven-proof dish. Cook for about 30 minutes, or until warmed through.