How to Make Cornbread Dressing for Soul Food Dinners

Cornbread Dressing is a table must have for all major US Holidays, especially Friendsgiving or “Thanksgiving” as it was traditionally called.

Cornbread Dressing is pretty simple to make and equally simple to mess up. It’s such a delicate moody fixing. Before we get started, please note that stuffing and cornbread dressing or “dressing” as us southerners call it are absolutely NOT the same. They weren’t ever the same and won’t be the same, they aren’t Irish twins either. I know many used the terms interchangeably but let me tell you, they are not the same especially not Stovetop Stuffing. *duke it out in the comments among yourselves.

In my households, dressing is made from their heart. The measurements are guided by the ancestors, therefore there’s not a lot of exact measurements going on. The ingredients are measurements below are estimates as I rarely measure when making this. My mother, grandmothers, nor great-grandmothers measured either, so keep an eye on it and taste often.

Cornbread Dressing Recipe Ingredients

• 1 cast iron skillet of cornbread (You may use homemade or boxed depending on your preference. If you use boxed, use two boxes. Do not use two Jiffy boxes because it will be too sweet. Use one Jiffy box and another brand)
• Chicken stock or broth (You may used homemade or boxed. I prefer homemade to control the sodium content.
• 2 celery stalks
• 1/2 yellow or white onion
• 1/2 green pepper
• 2 boiled eggs (optional)
• 1 tablespoon poultry seasoning
• 3 teaspoons sage (to taste)
• 1/2 red pepper flakes
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
• 1 egg
• 1 can of Cream of Mushroom Soup (You may use Cream of Chicken [more salt] or Cream of Celery)

Easy Cornbread Dressing Steps

1. In a greased, with butter, casserole or tin dish, crumbled the baked cornbread as finely as you like. Try not to leave huge chunks of cornbread.
2. Add the finely chopped vegetables: celery, green peppers, onions and mix well
3. Add whole can of Cream of Mushroom Soup, egg, and mix evenly
4. Add broth slowly. This part isn’t measured, add and mix until you reach your desired consistency. You do not want this too soupy or too dry.
5. Add spices to taste, the suggested measurements are above
6. Once you’ve reached the desired taste, cover and let it rest in the refrigerator for 30 mins to one hour
7. Pre-heat oven to 375
8. Remove dressing from the refrigerator and allow to warm to room temperature
9. Place in the oven for 45 minutes to 1 hour or until desired doneness is achieved (no soupiness or residue to the fork)
10. Allow dressing to cool slightly before serving
11. Giblet gravy is most desired but not required.

There are two videos below to illustrate an overview. I didn’t record the entire process as it would have been too long and maybe boring.

Cornbread Dressing Video on Youtube

Cornbread Dressing TikTok