This is not your typical Southern cornbread dressing recipe (or cornbread stuffing, if you prefer). Sure, it has plenty of melted butter, onions, celery, and sage-rich breakfast sausage. And yes, the top bakes up golden and crisp, while the interior stays tender and almost-but-not-quite custardy. But in our Making Perfect: Thanksgiving series, Rick Martinez and Chris Morocco gave the Thanksgiving staple a wake-up call via hot chiles and something perhaps even more unexpected: corn nuts.
But don’t worry about hard little nuggets in your dressing; we’re after the flavor, not the crunch. Pulverized into a fine powder and bloomed in butter with the aromatics, the corn nuts bring an earthy sweetness and seriously amp up the corn flavor.
You can use store-bought cornbread or a box mix, but we developed our Buttermilk Cornbread recipe specifically with stuffing in mind. Whichever you choose, drying the cubes in the oven helps them hold their shape as they soak up the stock. If the liquid pools when you first add it, let the cornbread absorb it for a few minutes before transferring everything to the baking dish.
Cornbread dressing FAQs
What kind of cornbread is best for dressing?
A sturdy cornbread that holds its shape when soaked with stock is ideal. Molly Baz’s buttermilk cornbread recipe was developed specifically for making stuffing, but store-bought cornbread works too. Just don’t skip the oven-drying step, which helps keep the dressing from turning mushy.
Are there any substitutes for the corn nuts?
If you can’t find corn nuts, try finely ground Fritos, which have a similar earthy flavor, or another plain corn chip. Several readers have reported good results with this swap. You can also leave the corn nuts out altogether, though you’ll lose some of the concentrated corn flavor that makes this dressing distinctive.
Can I make this cornbread dressing without sausage?
Yep! But you’ll need to make a few other adjustments. If going for a totally vegetarian stuffing, you can easily swap in vegetable stock, but since the sausage provides a host of savory flavor, you’ll need to compensate. Add 1–2 Tbsp. soy sauce or a pinch of MSG in with the wine. You can also double up on the dried herbs—especially the sage—since breakfast sausage brings in those flavors as well.
Watch Rick and Chris make cornbread dressing
What you’ll need
3-Qt. Baking Dish
$17 At Amazon
Sheet Pans
$119 At Bon Appétit Bazaar
Large Skillet
$74 At Amazon
Wooden Spoon
$7 At Amazon
Large Bowl
$18 At Amazon
Medium Bowl
$17 At Amazon
Heavy-Duty Aluminum Foil
$12 At Target
Recipe information
Total Time
2 hours
Yield
8–10 servings
Ingredients
1
1½
1
2
4
3
2
¾
¾
1
2
3
3½
Need to make a substitution?
Preparation
Step 1
Preheat oven to 325°. Divide 1 batch Buttermilk Cornbread or 3 lb. store-bought cornbread, cut into pieces (about 14–16 cups of ¾" cubes) evenly between 2 large rimmed baking sheets and bake, tossing occasionally, until dried out and lightly browned around the edges, 40–50 minutes. Let cool at least 10 minutes. Increase oven temperature to 350°.
Step 2
Meanwhile, cook 1½ lb. breakfast sausage, casings removed if needed, in a large skillet over medium-high heat, stirring and breaking up with a spoon, until lightly browned and cooked through, 6–8 minutes. Transfer to a plate.
Step 3
Reduce burner to medium heat and melt 1 cup unsalted butter (2 sticks) in same skillet. Add 2 medium onions, chopped, and 4 celery stalks, chopped; season with kosher salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until softened but not browned, 8–10 minutes. Add 3 garlic cloves, finely chopped, and 2 Thai chiles or 1 jalapeño (with seeds), chopped. Cook, stirring once, until very fragrant, about 1 minute. Add ¾ cup corn nuts, finely ground in a food processor, blender, or mortar and pestle (about ½ cup) and cook, stirring often, until very fragrant and vegetables are starting to brown around the edges, about 3 minutes. Add ¾ cup dry white wine and cook, stirring occasionally, until almost completely evaporated, about 3 minutes. Add 1 Tbsp. finely chopped sage and 2 tsp. finely chopped thyme and toss to combine. Remove from heat.
Step 4
Combine cornbread, sausage, and sautéed vegetable mixture in a large bowl. Whisk 3 large eggs and 3½ cups turkey stock or low-sodium chicken broth in a medium bowl until very well combined. Pour over cornbread mixture and let sit, gently stirring every minute or so, until cornbread has absorbed all or virtually all of the liquid. Season with kosher salt (about 1 Tbsp. Diamond Crystal or 1½ tsp. Morton kosher salt) and freshly ground black pepper.
Step 5
Lightly butter a 3-qt. or 13x9x2" casserole dish. Transfer stuffing to dish and tap dish lightly against counter to distribute and compact stuffing. Cover tightly with aluminum foil and bake until stuffing is very hot throughout and bubbles appear around sides, 40–45 minutes. Increase oven temperature to 425° and remove foil. Continue to bake stuffing until top is lightly browned, 15–20 minutes longer.
Do ahead: Stuffing can be baked at 350° 3 days ahead. Let cool, then chill. Reheat in a 350° oven before increasing temperature to 425° and removing foil.
Editor’s note: We first published this cornbread dressing recipe in October 2019 as “Cornbread Stuffing With Sausage and Corn Nuts” as part of our Absolutely, Positively Perfect Thanksgiving Menu. Head this way more of our favorite Thanksgiving sides →