Traditional Cornbread Dressing Recipe

Southern Cornbread Dressing in a white serving bowl.

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4.59 from 17 votes

Traditional Cornbread Dressing Recipe

Moist and flavorful, this southern cornbread dressing recipe is a classic Thanksgiving side dish.

Prep Time10 mins

Cook Time1 hr

Total Time1 hr 10 mins

Course: Bread, Side Dish

Cuisine: American, Southern

Servings: servings

Calories: 390kcal

Author: Sharon Rigsby

Ingredients

9 inches round of cornbread purchased or homemade
1 cup unsalted butter melted
1 sweet onion medium, chopped
1 green bell pepper medium, seeded and chopped
3 stalks celery chopped
4 hard-boiled eggs peeled and chopped
1 teaspoon poultry seasoning
3 cups chicken broth divided
2 raw eggs beaten
1 teaspoon Kosher salt
½ teaspoon ground black pepper

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Add butter to a large skillet over low heat. Stir in onions, celery, and green bell pepper; saute vegetables for 10 minutes or until softened.
While the vegetables are cooking, crumble cornbread in a large bowl. Add hard-boiled eggs, two cups of chicken broth, and poultry seasoning.
Add the cooked vegetables and mix well to combine everything. You can use a spoon, but your hands work best for this task. Taste and add kosher salt and ground black pepper.
Add beaten eggs and mix well. Don't be alarmed if the mixture is soupy. If it's not, add up to one more cup of chicken broth, a little at a time, until it is soupy. It should be about the consistency of thick cornbread batter.
Pour the mixture into a well-greased 9 x 13-inch baking dish or large baking dish.
Bake uncovered 45 to 50 minutes, or until the dressing is set and golden brown.

Video

Notes

If you get in a bind and run out of time to make cornbread for the dressing, around the holidays, most grocery stores and bakeries sell pre-made cornbread or corn muffins, which you can use instead of making your own. Just try to avoid cornbread with sugar added.

My easy Traditional Southern-Style Cornbread recipe is perfect for this recipe. Just click on the link for the recipe.

To make this dressing gluten-free, use my gluten-free Old-Fashioned Southern Buttermilk Cornbread recipe. It doesn't contain any flour and is made with just cornmeal.

If making ahead, cover and refrigerate the unbaked cornbread dressing for up to three days or freeze for up to two months. Let it thaw overnight before baking.

It's best to make or purchase your cornbread two days or so ahead of making the dressing to allow it to dry out.

It's essential to taste the dressing before adding the raw eggs to add more poultry seasoning or salt and pepper if you think it needs it.

Check your dressing about halfway through the cooking time. If it starts looking dry, sprinkle a few tablespoons more of chicken stock evenly over the top.

Nutrition