Aunt Jemima Cornbread Dressing Recipe

Southern-Style Cornbread Dressing

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Everything I know about cornbread dressing — and Thanksgiving — I learned from my mother, which she in turn learned from her mother. It is a long line of resourceful Southern cooks, and I trust them with this important meal completely. The secret?

(Image credit: Joe Lingeman)

Butter It Up!

It's all about the butter! My very wise nanna once said, "Whatever the amount of butter called for in a dressing recipe, double it, triple it, heck, even quadruple it!"

So here it is: I am giving you our family recipe, a true American classic that has been passed down through the generations, and is the result of many years of tweaking, testing, and perfecting. This is truly as Southern as it gets. With two sticks of butter, five cups of chicken stock, and five eggs, I can promise you it's the moistest, most delicious cornbread dressing you'll ever taste. In fact, I guarantee it.

One more thing: Nanna's cooking lesson stuck with me as a little girl, long before I ever understood anything about calories, fat, diabetes, and heart disease. And while I don't double up on the butter every day, Thanksgiving is definitely not the time to be cutting out the good stuff. And besides, nanna lived to be a 103 and ate fried chicken until the very end. I'd say she was a very wise woman indeed.

shellfish-free
fish-free
alcohol-free
peanut-free
pork-free
tree-nut-free
soy-free
red-meat-free

Per serving, based on

servings. (% daily value)

Calories 534
Fat 29.2 g (44.9%)
Saturated 16.5 g (82.7%)
Carbs 54.7 g (18.2%)
Fiber 2.6 g (10.2%)
Sugars 10.3 g
Protein 13.1 g (26.3%)
Sodium 778.0 mg (32.4%)

Ingredients

For the buttermilk cornbread:

1 cup
yellow cornmeal
1 cup
all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons
granulated sugar
1 tablespoon
baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons
kosher salt
2
large eggs, lightly beaten
1 stick
(1/2 cup) unsalted butter, melted
1 cup
whole buttermilk

For the cornbread dressing:

1 (14 ounce) bag
herb-seasoned stuffing, preferably Pepperidge Farm*
2 sticks
(1 cup) unsalted butter, divided
2 cups
finely chopped sweet onion
1 1/2 cups
finely chopped celery
5 cups
chicken or turkey stock
5
large eggs, lightly beaten
2 teaspoons
dried sage
Salt and pepper

Instructions

Make the cornbread:

Grease a 10-inch cast iron skillet and place on center rack in the oven. Preheat oven to 425°F.
In a large mixing bowl, combine the cornmeal, flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. In a separate bowl, whisk the eggs, melted butter, and buttermilk. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir until just incorporated.
Pour the batter into the preheated skillet and smooth the top. Bake until cornbread is golden yellow, 16 to 19 minutes. Immediately remove the cornbread from the skillet and allow to cool.

Make the dressing:

For the cornbread dressing, preheat oven to 350°F.
Crumble the cornbread into small pieces (makes about 5 cups). Combine the crumbled cornbread and stuffing mix in an extra large mixing bowl (or stock pot) and toss to combine.
Melt 1 stick butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and celery and sauté, stirring frequently, until soft and translucent, 10 to12 minutes. Add the onion and celery to the cornbread mixture.
Melt the remaining stick of butter. In a large mixing bowl, combine the butter, chicken stock, eggs, and sage, and whisk to combine. Add to the cornbread mixture and mix until thoroughly incorporated. Season generously with kosher salt and pepper.
Pour into a greased 9x13-inch casserole dish. Bake, uncovered, until the dressing is set and golden brown, about 45 minutes to 50 minutes.

Recipe Notes

Make ahead: The cornbread can be baked up to 2 days in advance. Store at room temperature in an airtight container.

Storage: Leftovers can be refrigerated in an airtight container up to 4 days.

*Pepperidge Farm stuffing may not be available to everyone or you may prefer not to use it; biscuits (homemade or store bought) make a good substitute.

Nealey Dozier

Contributor

Nealey Dozier is a former wedding planner turned chef, culinary instructor, recipe developer, and food writer. She is based in Atlanta. You can find more of her Southern adventures in eating and entertaining at www.dixiecaviar.com.