This Cornbread Stuffing is the ultimate holiday side dish! It’s savory, has an incredible texture, and is a major crowd-pleaser. It’s not your average stuffing and you’re going to love it!
Thank you That’s Tasty for sponsoring this post.
Alright, it’s officially November, my friends, which means we all have one thing on our minds – Thanksgiving! The holidays! The FOOD!!!!
At least if you’re pregnant like I am…I pretty much always think about food. Ha!
But specifically, my heart has been fixated lately on this cornbread stuffing. I’ve always loved stuffing during the holidays – there is something about the savoriness and the way it pairs perfectly with the turkey.
However….I must admit, my family always just used boxed stuffing. So this year I wanted to challenge myself to make it homemade!
And I am so very glad I did because it turned out INCREDIBLE!
Why You’ll Love This Stuffing:
I love classic holiday side dishes like this stuffing. However, as I mentioned above, sometimes it can get a little stale – but for this Cornbread Stuffing, that was not the case!
I wanted to be sure to liven up this dish – to make it taste incredibly fresh and That’s Tasty Living Organic Thyme and Sage helped me do that!
These herbs are as fresh as you can get – I mean, you can literally buy the plant at the store and clip the herbs as needed. Talk about fresh!
Did I mention that they’re also organic!? You can taste the difference with these herbs so I highly recommend you buy them!
Another reason you’ll love this stuffing? CORNBREAD! I love the subtle sweetness and texture this adds to the stuffing. It’s SO delicious. The sausage is incredibly savory and coats each bite.
The apple is the perfect seasonal fruit added for crunch as well as the pecans! You must add the pecans. Even my husband, who isn’t a huge fan of adding nuts into recipes *loved* the crunch and added texture.
I love the crispy top but the soft, moist inside. It’s so perfect and you get every ingredient in each bite. You’re going to love it! So let’s get into what you need to make it!
Ingredients You Need:
- That’s Tasty Living Organic Thyme and Sage
- Cornbread (can be store-bought or homemade, whatever is easiest for you!)
- Sweet Italian Ground Sausage
- Yellow Onion
- Celery
- Gala Apple
- Pecans
- Chicken Broth
- Eggs
- Salt, pepper, and garlic powder to taste
Best Tips for Making Cornbread Stuffing:
Start off by preheating the oven to 400 degrees.
Next, make sure you have your cornbread ready to go! You can use store-bought or homemade – whatever works best or is easiest for you! Whatever you use, just be sure to dice it into cubes.
For this recipe, I think it’s personally best to have day-old cornbread! If it’s not a day old, no worries. You can always toast the cubes in the oven to let them have more of a “stale” texture.
Once the cornbread is diced into cubes, be sure to add it to a large bowl – and I’m talking large! Lots of ingredients are going to be added to this bowl.
Dice up the celery and onion and add it to a pan with butter – cook that down for a few minutes and then add in the ground sausage. I chose a sweet Italian sausage but if you wanted to spice things up a little, you could always use hot Italian sausage or even country sausage.
Let the sausage cook until it’s fully done. Then add it directly into the bowl with the cornbread.
Dice up an apple as well as roughly chop pecans. Add both into the bowl.
Add in the chicken broth and beaten eggs.
Then add the freshly minced Living Organic Thyme and Sage, picked straight from the plants.
Add a pinch of salt and pepper as well as garlic powder – about ½ tsp salt, ½ tsp garlic powder, and a dash of pepper to taste – but I always say to season with the heart! 🙂
Mix all together in the bowl! It’s going to look weird and maybe a little mushy but just trust me, the end result will be amazing!
Finally, grab your favorite 13×9 baking dish and butter it well. Add the mixture directly to the pan and spread it out evenly.
And time to bake! Bake for 35-40 minutes, until the middle, has just set. The top will be crispy and golden brown and the middle will retain that perfectly soft and delightful stuffing texture you hope for.
And of course – for both aesthetic and flavor, you must top with extra herbs! Adding more Living Organic Thyme adds a pop of both freshness, flavor, and beautiful color!
Time to serve it up!
Dishes to Serve Alongside:
Butternut Squash Mashed Potatoes
Enjoy every bite! – Haylie
Thank you so much for following along here, friends! Want to see more? Be sure to follow ourbalancedbowl on Instagram and tag me with your photo if you end up making a recipe! You can also post a photo of your recipe to the Our Balanced Bowl Facebook page! Like a recipe that you saw? Follow me on Pinterest here! I always love to see your re-creations! If you do make a recipe, it would make my whole day if you were to rate and comment so I can get your feedback! Lots of love! – Haylie
Cornbread Stuffing
This Cornbread Stuffing is the ultimate holiday side dish! It’s savory, has an incredible texture, and is a major crowd-pleaser. It’s not your average stuffing and you’re going to love it!
Ingredients
- 8 cups cooked cornbread (store bought or homemade, preferably one day old)
- 1 large yellow onion, diced
- 2 medium stalks celery, diced
- 1 lb. sweet Italian ground sausage
- 1 gala apple, diced (about 2 cups worth)
- 1/2 cup chopped pecans
- 2 cups chicken broth
- 2 eggs, lightly beaten
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ tsp garlic powder
- Black pepper to taste
- 1.5 tsp That’s Tasty Living Organic Thyme, minced (and more to garnish)
- 1.5 tsp That’s Tasty Living Organic Sage, minced
- 2 tbsp butter (divided)
Instructions
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Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Take the prepared cornbread and dice it into small bite-size cubes - about 1 inch. Add to a very large bowl and set aside for now.
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Chop up the onion and celery. Add 1 tbsp of butter to a pan and let it melt on medium heat. Once melted, add the celery, onion, and a pinch of salt. Stir around and let cook for 2-3 minutes.
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Next, add the ground Italian sausage to the pan. Cook until it’s fully done and then add the mixture to the bowl of cornbread.
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Dice up an apple as well as roughly chop the pecans. Add those to the large bowl.
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Lightly beat two eggs and add those to the bowl as well as the chicken broth.
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Mince the That’s Tasty Living Organic Thyme and Sage and add those to the bowl, along with the salt, pepper and garlic powder.
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Finally, mix it all together until everything is combined.
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Take a 13x9 baking dish and spread 1 tbsp of butter around to make sure it is greased properly.
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Add the cornbread mixture directly to the pan and spread it evenly.
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Bake for 35-40 minutes or until the middle has just set. It will have a golden crispy topping but the middle will be soft and moist still.
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Garnish with extra fresh That’s Tasty Living Organic Thyme and serve! Eat while hot! Enjoy!