Old fashioned Cornbread Dressing
Old Fashioned Cornbread Dressing’ recipe – an easy and delightful dish packed with an intense flavor. This classic cornbread dressing, much like your mom and grandma’s recipe, is perfect not just for thanksgiving, but any occasion that calls for a cozy, hearty meal. Get ready for a savory revelation!
I know there are zillions of stuffing or dressing recipes out there but we are a traditionalist kind of peoples. Our family likes an old fashioned Cornbread Dressing recipe like mom made. Our Old Fashioned Cornbread Dressing recipe evokes nostalgic family gatherings with its rich, savory flavors, elevated by the unique intensity of Rubbed Dalmatian Sage. Perfect for Thanksgiving or any hearty meal, it features sautéed celery and onions mixed into crumbled cornbread, moistened with chicken broth for a pudding-like texture, and baked to a golden crust. From its thick pudding-like consistency to the golden crust, this dressing is an epitome of culinary delight. Bonus: It can be made a day ahead, giving you ample time to enjoy the holiday!
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Get ready to enjoy some delicious nostalgia this Thanksgiving? Our family’s traditional cornbread dressing recipe is here, right from Mom’s kitchen to yours. It’s old fashioned, it’s easy, and it’s perfect! One of the changes we made to this old fashioned cornbread dressing was adding a unique dried sage. My daughter and I found and tried this sage called, “Rubbed Dalmatian Sage” a few years ago and now we always use it. We believe it’s totally packed with intense sage flavor and is perfect for our dressing. It really makes a difference for all you sage lovers out there. We jokingly call it, “The sage that was rubbed on the dog”! Seriously it’s simply the best in our book. If you can’t find it in your local market, it can be ordered from Amazon right here, Rubbed Dalmatian Sage.
Old Fashioned Cornbread dressing Recipe:
Ingredients:
- 3 cups chopped celery
- 2 cups chopped white onions
- 1/2 cup butter
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 3 Tbsp dried sage (Rubbed Dalmatian Sage)
- 6 cups chicken broth
- 6 eggs
- Cornbread (recipe for 9 X 13 pan)
Equipment Needed:
- Large Skillet
- Large Mixing Bowl
- 9 X 13 baking pan
🥣 Recipe Tips
- Achieve the perfect pudding-like texture by adding the chicken broth gradually, one cup at a time, while stirring the cornbread mixture. This prevents it from becoming too soggy and ensures a moist yet firm result after baking.
- Prep ahead for stress-free holidays by assembling the entire dressing a day in advance, covering it tightly, and refrigerating until ready to bake. This allows flavors to meld overnight for even deeper taste.
- Elevate with Rubbed Dalmatian Sage for an intense, aromatic boost—use this finely ground variety instead of regular sage to mimic that classic Southern depth without overpowering the dish.
How to make old fashioned cornbread dressing:
Sauté the celery and onions in butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat until the veggies are tender. Set aside and let cool
In a very large mixing bowl or pot, crumble the cornbread into small pieces.
Add the salt, pepper, sage, and the cooled cooked celery and onions to the crumbled cornbread.
Start adding the broth to the cornbread mixture 1 cup at a time until very moistened. This is the time to check your seasons for additional salt or pepper. Also, we like a little more sage than called for so add more sage is you wish.
Beat the eggs and mix them into the cornbread mixture and it should be similar to a thick like pudding consistency.
Gently spoon into a large baking dish and smooth out evenly. And then bake at 350 degrees for an hour, uncovered.
This is a traditional cornbread dressing recipe that can be made the day before from cornbread made the day before that. So it should give you a giant jump on Thanksgiving. We used our own cornbread recipe but you could use a box mix for the cornbread if you choose. We may have changed a few things but we believe that just enhances this traditional cornbread dressing recipe. And since mom never wrote it down, we may have nailed it exactly the way she made it. The subtle tweaks we’ve made only heighten the authentic taste. Also, our secret ingredient – the ‘Rubbed Dalmatian Sage’, which we discovered and fell in love with – that takes this dressing to a whole new level of deliciousness!
Other Thanksgiving Recipes:
🥣 Recipe
Ingredients
- 3 cups celery chopped
- 2 cups white onions chopped
- ½ cup butter
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 3 Tablespoons Rubbed Dalmatian Sage
- 6 cups chicken broth
- 6 eggs
- Cornbread recipe for a 9 x 13 pan
Instructions
- Saute the celery and onions in butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat until the veggies are tender. Set aside and let cool
- In a large mixing bowl, crumble the cornbread and add the salt, pepper, sage and the sautéed veggies
- Add the broth to the cornbread mixture 1 cup at a time until the mixture is a thick like pudding. This is the time to check your seasonings. Add more salt or pepper if needed and we love more sage so add more of it if you wish.
- Beat the eggs and mix them into the cornbread mixture. Gently spoon into a large baking dish and bake at 350 degrees for an hour, uncovered
Notes
Nutrition
Click HERE to save this Traditional Cornbread Dressing to Pinterest
That looks delicious! Thanks for sharing at Share Your Stuff Tuesdays. Have a great day!
Your recipe is making me hungry! =)
Thanks for sharing!
This look yummy. thanks for sharing!!!
Evelyn, your cornbread stuffing sounds great. I like traditional recipes for the holiday. Hope you have a lovely day.
YUM!! I love cornbread stuffing. Thanks for sharing… Found this recipe on Wednesday What's Its
Lori
Lori's Culinary Creations
Mmmmm, can I have an extra big serving? Looks fantastic! Thanks for sharing at Simple Supper Tuesday.
Hi Evelyn,
Thank you God for Cornbread Dressing (Stuffing), how could we have Thanksgiving without it? Thank you so much for taking the time during this busy season to share your wonderful post with Full Plate Thursday. Have a wonderful weekend and hope to see you again real soon!
Miz Helen
Yum. I'm getting excited for Thanksgiving. Thanks so much for sharing with Wednesday's Adorned From Above Link party.
Debi and Charly at Adorned From Above
http://www.adornedfromabove.com
Well, we don't do Thanksgiving here in New Zealand, and here the stuffing is always inside the bird, not separate to the bird. But your stuffing does sound wonderful, and would be great for stuffing the Xmas turkey.
I am laughing so hard over the sage that was rubbed on the dog that my husband thinks I'm crazy. I love sage and think it gets overlooked way too much.
Thanks for sharing your cornbread stuffing. I love holiday sides.
Congratulations!
Your recipe is featured on Full Plate Thursday this week. Hope you have a great weekend and enjoy your new Red Plate.
Miz Helen
OH I LOVE cornbread stuffing but have never made it; your recipe looks awesome! YUM!
This recipe is almost identical to the recipe I have been using for years that I got from my mother. The only thing I did differently was to cut back on the sage and use poultry seasoning, but after reading about the Rubbed Dalmatian Sage I may use it next year – it sounds wonderful!
I've never had cornbread stuffing…traditional sausage stuffing for me. 🙂
Looks so yummy!
Is this just one loaf of cornbread? I love cornbread stuffing and want to make this
Yes, I used my recipe that makes a 9 X 13 pan of cornbread right here
https://www.myturnforus.com/2013/11/corn-bread.html
Thank you so much for sharing! This is the most delish stuffing I've ever made and had!!!
Thank you so much for telling us! We have used this recipe for years and it is our favorite! Hugs!
Can u use jiffy cornbread mix from a box or will that make it to sweet?
This is my first time making this since my mom past this July.
Yes, you could. My daughter uses Jiffy cornbread mix with this recipe every year. Sending extra hugs about your Mom
How many does this serve? I’m cooking for 15 this year and wondering if one pan is enough. It looks delicious!!
Thanks so very much, it is one of our family’s favorite recipes. This should serve 8-10 and if you are like us, we like to make plenty for leftovers so you will need more than one pan for 15. Happy Thanksgiving,
Made this recipe three times already this year. I flipped the measurements on the celery and the onions and add pretty much a bulb of garlic. Also I use vegetable stock as we have vegetarians in our groups. Have had more than one person say they thought they didn’t like stuffing or cornbread but they’ll have to rethink that after have this.
Awe. So sweet for you to take time to let us know. We love the flavor of this Southern Style cornbread dressing and we are so glad you and yours enjoyed it. Hugs
Can you make the mixture the day before and cook the next day?
Yes you can. I have cooked the cornbread the day before and then made the dressing the next day. And I have also made the dressing the day before, covered it, placed it in the fridge. And then the next day allow it to come to room temp and then place it in the oven.