Paula Deen Southern Cornbread Dressing with Sausage starts with homemade buttermilk cornbread, crumbled and mixed with breakfast sausage, butter-sauteed vegetables, and eight eggs. It feeds 8 to 10 and takes about an hour and 45 minutes. This is the dressing that belongs at every Southern Thanksgiving table.
The cornbread has to cool completely before you crumble it. If it goes in warm, it turns to mush the second you add stock. You want dry, firm chunks that soak up the chicken broth and butter without falling apart. That texture is the whole difference between dressing that holds on a plate and dressing that slides off.
Bake the cornbread a day ahead and leave it uncovered overnight to dry out. Start with 3 cups of stock and only add more if the mixture looks too thick. Beat the eggs lightly so the dressing stays tender, not rubbery.
Paula Deen Southern Cornbread Dressing with Sausage
Course: Side DishCuisine: American, SouthernDifficulty: Medium8
servings20
minutes1
hour25
minutes790
kcalA rich, savory baked dressing made by crumbling homemade buttermilk cornbread and folding it with browned breakfast sausage, celery, onions, garlic, chicken stock, and eggs until set and golden on top.
Ingredients
2 cups self rising cornmeal
1 cup self rising flour
1 1/2 cups buttermilk
1/4 cup Vegetable oil
1 lb bulk breakfast sausage
3 sticks butter (1 stick softened, for the cornbread)
3 chicken bouillon cubes
4-5 stalks chopped celery
1 large chopped onion
8 green onions, white and green parts chopped
3 tablespoons chopped parsley
2 cloves finely chopped garlic
3 cups (up to 4 cups) chicken stock
Salt, to taste
Pepper, to taste
8 eggs
Directions
- Make the cornbread: For cornbread: Preheat oven to 350 °F. Combine cornmeal and flour in a bowl and 1 stick of softened butter, vegetable oil, buttermilk and 4 eggs in another bowl. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix well.
- Bake and cool: Pour batter into a greased 13x9x2 baking dish and bake for approximately 25 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from oven and let cool.In a large bowl, crumble corn bread, then set aside.
- Cook the sausage and vegetables: In a large pan over medium heat, add sausage. Brown for 5 minutes, then remove from pan, leaving some of the drippings. Add the butter and let melt. Add the chicken bouillon, celery and onion and cook until translucent, about 5-10 minutes. Add the green onions, garlic and parsley. Stir and cook for 2-3 minutes more.
- Combine the dressing: Pour vegetable and sausage mixture over crumbled cornbread. Add chicken stock, stir to combine, then add salt and pepper to taste. In a separate bowl, lightly beat 4 eggs along with a little bit of the cornbread mixture.
- Assemble and bake: Add eggs to cornbread/sausage mixture, then pour everything into a 13x9x2 greased baking dish. Bake at 350 °F until dressing is cooked through, about 45-60 minutes.
FAQs
Can you use store-bought cornbread instead of homemade?
You can, but the texture changes. Store-bought cornbread is usually sweeter and softer, so it breaks down faster when you add stock. If you go that route, let the bread dry out overnight so it holds up better in the dressing.
How long does leftover cornbread dressing keep in the fridge?
It stays good for 3 to 4 days in a sealed container. Reheat it covered at 350 degrees with a splash of chicken stock to bring the moisture back. It also freezes well for up to 3 months.
Can you assemble this dressing the night before and bake it the next day?
Yes. Mix everything together, pour it into the baking dish, cover tightly, and refrigerate. Add about 10 to 15 extra minutes of bake time since the dish starts cold. Let it sit on the counter for 20 minutes before it goes in the oven.
How do you know when the dressing has enough stock?
The mixture should look wet before it goes in the oven. If you can press a spoon into it and see liquid rise to the top, you are in the right range. Start with 3 cups and work up to 4. The eggs and cornbread absorb a lot of liquid as the dressing bakes.
Why does the recipe split the 8 eggs between the cornbread and the dressing?
Four eggs go into the cornbread batter to give it structure so it holds up when crumbled. The other four go into the dressing to bind everything together. Beating the dressing eggs with a bit of the cornbread mixture tempers them so they blend in evenly.
