Rustic Cornbread Dressing
E
By Emma
Certified Culinary Professional
•
Recipe tested & approved
A Creole-style cornbread dressing with a hearty sausage base and veggies. Uses golden cornbread crumb, swapped cream of celery soup for mushroom soup to deepen earthiness. Slight timing shifts to coax out richer textures. Cooking cues focus on aromas, crisp edges, and tender centers rather than clocks. Offers practical fixes for dry or soggy results. Tony Chachere’s seasoning anchors the flavor, but hints at smoky paprika or cayenne can add dimension. A hands-on, sensory-driven approach that values feel and smell, not just precise measures.
Prep:
25 min
Cook:
50 min
Total:
Servings:
10 servings
#Creole
#cornbread
#dressing
#sausage
#holiday side
#comfort food
#easy weeknight
Ever wrestled with dry dressing? Happens when too much broth or too little binding. Got burned edges? Oven too hot or sprayed the dish excessively. Learned to trust sight and smell more than watch. Saute technique is huge—sweating veggies without color releases their gentle sweetness while fat from sausage carries flavor. Swap mushroom soup for cream of celery some days, adds a woodsy note, something deeper, earthier. Cornbread, a staple, crumbled day-old gives structure and crumb. Combining textures while managing moisture balance means dressing that holds shape, yet cozy soft inside. Tony Chachere’s seasoning is my go-to punch but smoky paprika plus cayenne works wonders too. I avoid over stirring—too mushy felt sloppy. You’ll hear skillet sizzle, smell onion sweetening, and spot edges darkening as signposts during cook. Waiting for that golden crust… might take a few more minutes but worth the patience.
Ingredients
- 6 cups crumbled cornbread (preferably day-old, homemade or store-bought)
- 1 pound mild pork sausage (bulk or link, casing removed)
- 1 medium onion, finely chopped
- 1 medium green bell pepper, diced
- 2 ribs celery, diced
- 1 can mushroom soup (10.5 oz), substitute for cream of celery soup
- 1 can cream of chicken soup (10.5 oz)
- 1 1/4 cups chicken broth, add more if needed to moisten
- 1 tbsp Tony Chachere’s Creole Seasoning (use smoky paprika if unavailable)
- Nonstick cooking spray
- Optional: pinch cayenne for extra heat
About the ingredients
Cornbread quality matters; stale, day-old preferred for structure. Fresh homemade or sturdy store-bought works, but soggy breads kill the texture. Mild pork sausage works best, fatty enough to render flavor but not overwhelming. You can swap for turkey sausage if you want leaner; add a touch of butter in skillet to make up fat difference. Onion, celery, and bell pepper must sweat gently—no browning or bitter edges allowed. Cream of celery soup swapped to mushroom adds earthy depths, recommend not skipping. Use broth to moisten but add in increments—too much and the mix sogs out. Tony Chachere’s seasoning packs punch but unavailable? Smoke paprika plus pinch salt and cayenne hits close. Keep things in balance, taste regularly.
Method
Setup
- Set oven to 355°F to allow slight browning edge development without burning. Grease a 13x9 inch dish with nonstick spray generously but don’t overdo it or risk soggy crust.
Saute and sweat
- Heat a large skillet medium heat. Throw in sausage without oil (it’ll render fat). Cook till edges just brown, about 4-6 minutes. Don’t overcook or dry out. Remove sausage with slotted spoon, keep fat in pan.
- Add diced onion, celery, and green bell pepper to fat. Sweat gently 9-11 minutes. Look for limp softened veggies with shiny, translucent bits. Avoid color—burnt flavor kills this dish’s balance.
Mix and bind
- In a large bowl mix crumbled cornbread, mushroom soup, cream of chicken soup, broth, smoked sausage, and sautéed veggies. Stir with hands or big spoon till combined but not mushy. Add broth gradually to avoid sogginess.
- Toss in Tony Chachere’s, or smoky paprika with a little cayenne if adventurous. Mix robustly. Texture should be moist but hold shape when squeezed.
Bake
- Transfer stuffing to prepared dish. Press lightly, creating an even layer. Bake uncovered for 25-40 minutes, watching for golden crust edges and top bubbling softly. Center should feel springy, not wet. Color shifts from pale yellow to deeper golden brown with crispy edges.
- Pull from oven and let rest 10 minutes before serving; this helps set moisture and finish melding flavors.
Cooking tips
Start with good heat control when sautéing sausage and veggies. Fat is flavor carrier; keep it, avoid washing pan fat out. Saute veggies slowly—listen for faint sizzling, watch them soften and translucently glisten. Stir mix gently, no over-mixing, just enough to bind. Pour into greased pan; don’t pack too tight or the center will steam instead of bake. Oven temperature adjusted slightly lower from the usual 350°F to 355°F—more crispy crust, less burnt corners. Check after 25 minutes; look for bubbling, golden color at edges. Stick a finger or toothpick to check moisture; wet means a few more minutes. Resting after bake lets juices redistribute, prevents crumbling. If dressing looks dry on surface but is moist inside, cover loosely with foil for last 10 minutes.
Chef's notes
- 💡 Sauté sausage without extra oil. Fat renders slowly, edges just brown about 4-6 min. Overcooked dries it out fast. Keep skillet medium heat. Use slotted spoon to remove sausage; keep rendered fat in pan for veggies.
- 💡 Veggies must sweat gently, not brown. Onion, celery, bell pepper soften till limp and shiny, 9-11 minutes. Smell sweet onion roasting, no burnt edges allowed. This releases gentle sweetness, no bitter tones.
- 💡 Mix cornbread and soups with cooked sausage and veggies. Use hands or big spoon; avoid over mixing or mush. Add chicken broth in stages. Too much broth turns mixture soggy, too little makes dry crumbly texture.
- 💡 Bake at 355°F, slightly higher than usual 350, for crisp crust without burnt corners. Press mixture lightly in pan. Watch for golden edges, bubbling top. Center should feel springy, not wet, after 25-40 min bake.
- 💡 Resting after bake is key. Let sit 10 minutes to settle moisture and meld flavors. If dry on top but moist inside, loosely tent with foil last 10 minutes. Leftover? Reheat with a splash broth to soften edges.
Common questions
How to avoid dry dressing?
Add broth gradually, mix gently but enough. Day-old cornbread holds moisture better. Don’t overbake. Rest 10 minutes to let juices settle. If dry serve with gravy or broth on side.
Can I swap sausage for turkey?
Yes but turkey leaner needs added butter or oil to replace fat. Fat renders flavor. Without it, veggies and stuffing lack depth. Sauté turkey gently, avoid drying out.
What if edges burn quickly?
Oven too hot or sprayed pan too much. Lower temp slightly or reduce spray. Use nonstick spray sparingly. Watch after 25 min, check bubbling and golden color.
How to store leftovers?
Cool completely, then refrigerate in airtight container. Reheat covered with foil to keep moisture. Freeze in portioned containers up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in fridge before reheating.
