Cornbread Stuffing
This homemade cornbread stuffing is made with grainy and buttery from-scratch cornbread and flavored with savory herbs. The subtle sweetness from the cornbread makes this a perfectly balanced side dish for your Thanksgiving spread or any special holiday menu.
Servings: 8 servings
Ingredients
CORNBREAD
- 10 Tablespoons (142g) unsalted butter melted and divided
- 1 cup (120g) cornmeal
- 1 cup (120g) all-purpose flour be sure to measure properly
- ⅔ cup (132g) granulated sugar
- 1 Tablespoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 cups (480mL) milk1 any
- 2 large eggs lightly beaten
STUFFING
- ¼ cup (57g) unsalted butter
- 2 medium stalks of celery chopped
- ½ medium onion white or yellow; diced
- ¼ cup (15g) dried parsley leaves
- 1 and ½ teaspoons dried thyme
- 1 teaspoon dried sage
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- 2 and ½ cups (600mL) chicken broth or chicken stock2
- 1 large egg lightly beaten
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
Need to keep track of your ingredients?Check out my Printable Ingredient List!
Instructions
CORNBREAD
- Preheat the oven to 400ºF (204ºC). Pour 5 Tablespoons of the melted butter into an 8" or 9" square or round baking pan. Set aside.10 Tablespoons (142g) unsalted butter
- In a large bowl, whisk together the cornmeal, flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Add the remaining 5 Tablespoons of melted butter, the milk, and the lightly beaten eggs, then stir gently until batter just comes together.1 cup (120g) cornmeal, 1 cup (120g) all-purpose flour, ⅔ cup (132g) granulated sugar, 1 Tablespoon baking powder, 1 teaspoon salt, 2 cups (480mL) milk1, 2 large eggs
- Pour the batter into the prepared skillet, then bake for 38-40 minutes or until the top is nicely browned and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with moist crumbs. Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely to room temperature or ideally overnight to dry out a bit.
STUFFING
- Preheat the oven to 400°F (204°C). Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat and set aside.
- Cut the cornbread into 1" cubes (you will have approximately 8 cups of cubes). Spread the cubes onto the prepared baking sheet and bake for 25-30 minutes or until the cubes are slightly crisp on the edges (the middles may still be buttery, and that's ok-- look for toasted brown edges). I like to flip some of my larger pieces about halfway through to make sure all the sides are getting some color.
- Remove the toasted cubes from the oven and set them aside to cool as you prepare the rest of the stuffing. Do not turn the oven off.
- Spray a 9" x 13" baking dish with nonstick spray, then set aside.
- In a large skillet over medium heat, melt the butter. Add the celery and onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened (about 8-10 minutes). Add the parsley, thyme, sage, and oregano, and continue to cook until fragrant (about 1 minute), then add to a large bowl.¼ cup (57g) unsalted butter, 2 medium stalks of celery, ½ medium onion, ¼ cup (15g) dried parsley leaves, 1 and ½ teaspoons dried thyme, 1 teaspoon dried sage, ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- Add the chicken broth/stock, egg, salt, and pepper to the cooked vegetable mixture and stir everything together until completely combined. distribute until all of the bread is coated and the herbs are well-combined.2 and ½ cups (600mL) chicken broth or chicken stock2, 1 large egg, ½ teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon black pepper
- Add the toasted cornbread cubes to the large bowl, then stir gently until everything is coated and the herbs are evenly distributed. It will look like you have too much liquid, but it will absorb into the cornbread as it cooks.
- Pour the coated bread cubes into the prepared dish, then bake uncovered for 40-45 minutes. Check on the stuffing about halfway through and cover with foil if it's browning too much for your liking. Allow the stuffing to cool for 15 minutes before serving. Store leftovers covered tightly in the refrigerator up to 5 days. See notes3 for freezing instructions.
- Make ahead: this stuffing can be assembled and wrapped tightly with plastic wrap and kept in the refrigerator up to 24 hours before baking. When you are ready to bake the stuffing, allow the stuffing to sit at room temperature for about 20 minutes. Remove the plastic wrap and proceed with baking directions.
Video
Notes
- Milk: my original recipe calls for 12 ounces of evaporated milk and 4 ounces of water. I have made this with many different combinations of milk and water such as how it was originally written and also 2 cups of regular milk, 1 cup of heavy cream and 1 cup of water, and I have also used non-dairy milk. The recipe is very forgiving and can accommodate whatever milk you have or want to use.
- Chicken broth or stock: this is personal preference or whatever you can find. Chicken stock tends to have a more flavorful taste and heartier mouthfeel, but I find it doesn't matter too much in this stuffing recipe.
- Make ahead: I have also frozen completely baked stuffing, thawed, and baked covered at 200ºF (93ºC) until heated through (about 25-30 minutes). You can also freeze unbaked stuffing up to 3 months. Bake frozen and add 5-10 minutes to the initial bake time.
Nutrition Disclosure
All nutritional values are approximate and provided to the reader as a courtesy. Changing ingredients and/or quantities will alter the estimated nutritional calculations.
Serving: 1serving | Calories: 444kcal | Carbohydrates: 48g | Protein: 9g | Fat: 25g | Saturated Fat: 15g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 7g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 123mg | Sodium: 920mg | Potassium: 243mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 21g | Vitamin A: 978IU | Vitamin C: 3mg | Calcium: 196mg | Iron: 2mg
