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Grandma's cornbread dressing baked golden in a white baking dish

Grandma's Cornbread Dressing

Buttery crumbled cornbread with onion, celery and plenty of sage, baked crisp on top and moist in the middle. The Southern Thanksgiving dressing Grandma made every year.
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Prep Time 25 minutes
Cook Time 45 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 10 minutes
Servings: 12
Course: Side Dish
Cuisine: American
Calories: 285
Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients
  

  • 8 cups crumbled day-old cornbread one 9-inch skillet
  • 2 cups soft white bread cubes torn small
  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter
  • 1 large yellow onion finely diced (about 1 1/2 cups)
  • 4 celery ribs finely diced (about 1 1/2 cups)
  • 3 1/2 to 4 cups chicken broth warmed
  • 2 large eggs lightly beaten
  • 1 tbsp rubbed sage or 2 tsp ground sage
  • 1 tsp poultry seasoning
  • 1 tsp kosher salt
  • 1/2 tsp black pepper

Method
 

  1. Heat the oven to 375°F (190°C). Grease a 9x13-inch baking dish with butter.
  2. Crumble the cornbread into a very large bowl and add the torn bread cubes. Toss together.
  3. Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and celery with a pinch of salt and cook 7–8 minutes, until soft and sweet but not browned.
  4. Scrape the vegetables and all the butter into the cornbread. Add the sage, poultry seasoning, salt and pepper and toss well.
  5. Pour in 3 1/2 cups of the warm broth and stir. Let it sit 5 minutes, then stir in the beaten eggs. The mixture should look quite wet — like thick pancake batter. If it still looks dry, add the remaining broth a splash at a time. Cornbread varies, so trust your eyes.
  6. Spoon the dressing into the prepared dish and smooth the top, leaving it a little craggy — the crags crisp up best.
  7. Bake 40–45 minutes, until the top is deep golden and crisp and the center is set (it should not jiggle like liquid when you nudge the dish).
  8. Rest 10 minutes before serving. Serve warm, straight from the dish.

Notes

Make ahead: bake the cornbread and chop the vegetables up to 2 days ahead. You can also assemble the unbaked dressing, cover and refrigerate overnight; add 10 minutes to the bake time.
Broth is the make-or-break: too little and the dressing is dry, too much and it's mush. Aim for wetter than feels right — it sets in the oven.
Nutrition is an estimate per serving.