This cornbread dressing with sausage is savory and flavorful, with golden edges and a soft center. It’s a classic Southern dish that belongs on the Thanksgiving table, and you can prep most of it ahead to make the holiday cooking easier.
My Favorite Cornbread Dressing Comes From a 1970s Recipe Clipping
I learned to make this cornbread dressing with sausage from Debbie, my mother-in-law, who’s from New Orleans and has kept a newspaper clipping of the original recipe in her recipe box since the 70s. Here in the South, we call it dressing because we bake it in a dish and serve it alongside the turkey, although many of my readers have also stuffed half of it inside their turkeys and loved it.
It’s my favorite Thanksgiving side dish and one of those non-negotiable Thanksgiving recipes I make every year. I love that it’s reliable, makes enough for a gathering, and I can prep most of it ahead of time, taking one thing off my list on turkey day. My father-in-law claims it’s just as good as Debbie’s, and that’s the highest compliment this recipe can get.
How to Make Cornbread and Sausage Dressing
- Make and toast the cornbread.
Bake the cornbread using a mix or your favorite homemade recipe. Once completely cooled, crumble it onto a sheet pan and toast it to dry it out so it can absorb the flavorful broth without getting soggy. - Combine with the sausage.
Brown the sausage with the celery and onion, then transfer to a large bowl. Add the toasted cornbread, parsley, and poultry seasoning. Pour in the chicken broth and beaten egg, then mix everything together.
- Bake the dressing.
Bake in a 9×13 baking dish or other oven-safe serving dish, covered with foil until the last 10 minutes to brown the top.
Laura’s Tips for Great Cornbread Dressing and Reader FAQs
Absolutely! You can use 4 cups of crumbled homemade cornbread (up to 6 cups) or two boxes of Jiffy Corn Muffin Mix for this recipe. In the recipe card, I’ve linked a previous version of this recipe made with homemade cornbread.
I use Italian sausage with the casings removed because it’s already seasoned and adds great flavor. Pork sausage is easy to find, and chicken sausage is a leaner option. Breakfast sausage (in bulk, not patties) also works well. If you can’t find loose sausage, simply squeeze the meat out of one end of the casing before cooking.
Let the cornbread cool completely, then crumble and toast it before making the dressing to remove excess moisture. Drier crumbles absorb the broth without becoming mushy. The egg and broth provide just enough moisture, so avoid adding more liquid than the recipe calls for or your dressing could turn out soggy.
Yes! This is one of my favorite things about this recipe. You can bake, crumble, and toast the cornbread up to 3 days ahead. Let it cool completely before storing it in a zip bag so it doesn’t trap moisture. You can also cook the sausage, celery, and onion up to 3 days ahead and refrigerate them in an airtight container. On Thanksgiving Day, combine everything with the broth and beaten egg, then bake as directed.
More Thanksgiving Sides
Other sides that always make an appearance at my table are these Southern mashed potatoes and this sweet potato casserole. My cranberry sauce with orange juice is a Thanksgiving must and any turkey sandwiches that might follow.
Cornbread Dressing with Sausage
Watch how it’s made:
Ingredients
For the Cornbread
- 2 boxes Jiffy Corn Muffin Mix, or homemade cornbread recipe below
- 2 large eggs
- ⅔ cup milk
For the Dressing
- Baked cornbread, crumbled and toasted
- 1 lb Italian sausage, casings removed
- 3 stalks celery, chopped
- 1 cup onion, finely chopped
- ¼ cup fresh chopped parsley, 2 tablespoons dried
- 1 teaspoon poultry seasoning, or 1 teaspoon thyme
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 1 large egg, beaten
Instructions
Make the cornbread:
- Preheat the oven to 400F and grease a 9×13 baking dish.
- In a large bowl, whisk the eggs and milk. Add the cornbread mix and stir to combine. Pour the batter into the prepared pan.
- Bake for 15 to 18 minutes, until the cornbread is fully cooked and golden brown. Remove it from the oven and let it cool completely.
- Remove the cornbread from the baking dish onto a sheet pan, then break it up into small pieces with a spatula.
Toast the crumbled cornbread:
- Preheat oven to 400F.
- Bake for 8 to 10 minutes, until the crumbles appear toasted and light brown. Remove it from the oven and set aside. This helps remove the moisture/dry out the cornbread before you make the dressing.
For the dressing:
- Reduce oven temperature to 325F. Grease a 9×13 baking dish or a 3-quart oven-safe serving dish of any shape.
- In a large pan, cook the sausage, celery, and onion for 10 minutes, using a spatula to break up the sausage as it cooks. Use a slotted spoon to transfer it to a large mixing bowl, leaving the drippings behind.
- Add the toasted, crumbled cornbread, chopped parsley (or dried herbs), and poultry seasoning to the bowl, then toss to combine. Next, pour the chicken broth and the beaten egg over the top and mix to combine. Transfer the mixture into the prepared baking dish and cover with foil.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 40 to 45 minutes. In the final 10 minutes, remove the foil to brown the top.
- Remove it from the oven, cover with foil, and keep warm until you're ready to serve.
Notes
- Bake and toast the crumbled cornbread up to 3 days in advance. Once it’s fully cooled, transfer it into a zip bag. If you store it before it’s fully cooled, you’ll trap moisture in the bag and defeat the purpose of toasting it. If you do this step the day before, simply leave it out on the counter overnight.
- Brown the sausage and veggies up to 3 days in advance. Once they cool, transfer to an airtight container and refrigerate.
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Dru says
Can you bake this ahead the day before and reheat while the turkey is resting? If so what temperature and for how long? Thank you!
Laura Fuentes says
To avoid over drying, I would make the cornbread ahead, assemble the dressing, and keep it unbaked. Bake it following the recipe while the turkey rests. But yes, otherwise, you can reheat it at 350 for 20minutes.
CJ says
Great recipe! I skip the cornbread part – I make mine in an 8 inch cast iron skillet it the way I learned years ago. For the dressing, I use 1/2 of the cooled cornbread and freeze the other half, and do half the dressing recipe, with the exception of the one cup chicken broth and one egg. I use a heavy stoneware casserole quiche dish that holds 3 quarts and bake covered for 30 min, then uncovered for approx 25 minute. Comes out perfect! For the sausage, I use our grocery store bulk Italian mild sausage – it’s not in casings, quick and easy. I cook 1/2 the pack and freeze the rest for next time.
Monica Sigler says
This is very tasty with Jimmy Dean sage sausage. I added half a cup of leftover dressing crumbs to use it up and 2 biscuits I had left from breakfast. Tasted the mixture before adding the eggs. Added some pepper flakes too.
Laura Fuentes says
I’m so glad you enjoyed this! I use JD all the time too. Delish!
Debbie Line says
Hi Laura, does it matter if I use 1% milk? Same amount if that’s okay?
Laura Fuentes says
You can absolutely use 1%, the same amount. Enjoy!
Patricia Carbon says
Hi – Does your cornbread recipe yield exactly 4 cups of crumbles? Cooking for a large crowd and I’d like to increase the dressing recipe by 50% – does that mean making another batch of cornbread?
Thank you!
Laura Fuentes says
I would make 1.5x the recipe.
Marti Brightwell says
Hi Laura, you mentioned Italian sausage in the beginning of the recipe. The ingredients list is pork sausage. Which one do I use?
Thank you for your help.
Laura Fuentes says
Either will work. Italian sausage is made with pork sausage (typically). I’ll change it to reflect it. Thank you!