Homemade Southern Cornbread Dressing Recipe ~Soul Food Style~ (2024)

FAQs

How to make Paula Deen cornbread dressing? ›

In a large bowl, whisk together broth, soup, eggs, poultry seasoning, salt, and pepper; stir in vegetable mixture. Crumble cornbread into broth mixture and stir until well combined. Pour mixture into prepared pan. Bake until center is set, 45 to 55 minutes.

So stuffing is cooked inside the bird. Dressing is cooked outside the bird, usually in a casserole dish.

Bolster it with warm broth

For every four cups of dressing, drizzle the dish evenly with ½ cup warm turkey or chicken broth. Toss to mix it in evenly, cover with foil, and allow the dressing to sit and rehydrate. Alternatively, to keep warm, return the dish to an oven at a low temperature.

Avoid bland dressing by making sure to include plenty of onions, celery, and herbs in your recipe. Now is not the time to go easy with the sage, thyme, and pepper. The dressing should taste different from your cornbread.

Stir occasionally to ensure even drying. And if your dressing is still too mushy after baking, you can add more crumbled cornbread, dry bread, or even dry breadcrumbs or croutons to absorb excess moisture. Mix it in gently, so you don't compress the dressing too much.

If your cornbread dressing is mushy, be sure you baked it in a wide enough pan. Plenty of surface area will help the top crisp and the bottom bake completely. Also, be sure you measured your ingredients properly and didn't add too much liquid.

The thing that distinguishes Southern cornbread from, say Yankee cornbread, or any other cornbread one is likely to eat outside of the southern states, is that it is savory, not sweet, and it is made mostly with cornmeal.

The bread in the stuffing absorbs moisture, but if it's dry (as it should be, see above), it takes some time for the liquid to settle in. I suggest adding a little at a time, say 1 cup of broth for every 4 cups of dry mix. Give it a good stir, then let it sit for a minute. The stuffing should be moist but not wet.

Eggs: Two lightly beaten eggs help hold the dressing together and add moisture. Water: You can add a few tablespoons of water, if you'd like, to achieve your desired consistency. Seasonings: This turkey dressing recipe is seasoned with salt, pepper, rubbed sage, and garlic powder.

We recommend adding stock a little at a time--1/2 cup to 1 cup, depending on how much stuffing you're making--and waiting for the bread to absorb the liquid before adding more. Once the bread is moist but not sitting in a pool of stock, it's ready.

Is it OK to make cornbread dressing ahead of time? ›

You can refrigerate the cornbread dressing in an airtight container if you want to use it within the next three to four days. Before refrigerating, make sure to let it cool to room temperature.

Be sure to leave enough time — the cornbread needs to sit out overnight to harden slightly before you make the dressing.

You can use either stock or broth for keeping dressing moist or as a basis for gravy, but a strong flavor will give you better results.

Add sautéed onion and celery to the crumbled cornbread. Stir in chicken stock, eggs, sage, salt, and pepper until well combined. Pour dressing into the prepared baking dish. Bake in the preheated oven until dressing just starts to turn golden brown around the edges, about 30 minutes.

CORNBREAD CRUMBS (ENRICHED WHEAT AND SEMOLINA FLOUR, CORNMEAL, SUGAR, SALT, PARTIALLY HYDROGENATED SOYBEAN OIL, YEAST, CALCIUM PROPIONATE (FOR FRESHNESS), DRIED NONFAT MILK); DRIED VEGETABLES (ONION, CELERY, PARSLEY); SALT; SUGAR; DRIED CHICKEN (FAT, MEAT); YEAST EXTRACT; SPICES; HYDROLYZED SOY/WHEAT PROTEIN; TURMERIC ...