Looking to bring a little southern flavor to your Thanksgiving? It’s time to give this sage and cornbread stuffing a try. It’s a delicious mix of herbs, sweetened cornbread, bread, and veggies that cooks up perfectly every single time!

Sage and Cornbread Stuffing in white casserole dish.

My favorite part of Thanksgiving will always be stuffing.

When I was a kid I would pile up my plate with all the stuffing, all the cheesy potatoes, and a sliver of turkey. It was a dream meal.

This sage and cornbread stuffing was the stuffing my stepmom made every. single. Thanksgiving.

It’s packed full of sage flavor, sweetened cornbread, white bread, celery, and onion. It’s very simple to make and is sure to make any stuffing lover happy.

Plus, I like to take a shortcut and just make a box of Jiffy the night before and use that as the cornbread. However, you could use any cornbread recipe that you love for this recipe.

Sage and Cornbread Stuffing in a dish with a scoop taken out.

Table of Contents

What is the difference between stuffing and dressing?

Technically speaking stuffing is a bread-based mixture used to stuff and cook inside the turkey while roasting.

Dressing is made and cooked outside the bird.

However, nowadays it’s used pretty interchangeably.

I almost always use the term stuffing and have never stuffed a bird.

I’m a rebel like that.

In this recipe, I made a fairly simple classic Southern stuffing made with a mix of cornbread, regular bread, herbs, celery, and onions.

Sage and Cornbread Stuffing in a dish with a spoon.

What cornbread do I use for stuffing?

Years ago I made Pumpkin Cornbread Chicken Sausage Stuffing which was a specialty cornbread stuffing made with homemade Pumpkin Sage Cornbread.

However, this stuffing I went with an even easier route – boxed cornbread.

I know, but listen, sometimes taking a quick shortcut can make cooking a big holiday meal just a little more enjoyable and doable. The food is still made with love and that’s all that matters.

My family always used Jiffy cornbread mix but you can pretty much use any cornbread mix that you like. In fact, the only time I like sweetened cornbread is when using it in this stuffing mix.

If you have a family favorite cornbread recipe feel free to use that in place of a box mix.

You can also simply buy already prepared cornbread that you can find in your store’s bakery section.

I like to buy or make the cornbread the night before and let it sit out uncovered overnight. This helps dry it out slightly.

Sage and Cornbread Stuffing in a dish with a large scoop taken out.

Can I make changes to this recipe?

Of course! Feel free to add more vegetables (carrots and mushrooms are a great addition!), a few fresh herbs, or even ground sausage.

You likely won’t have to add more liquid but just adjust accordingly.

How do I store leftover sage and cornbread stuffing?

You can store leftover stuffing covered in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.

Love this sage and cornbread stuffing?

Why not try a few of my other delicious holiday stuffing recipes?

Feeling a little fancy? Try my Pancetta Apple Fennel Brioche Stuffing.
Love all things bacon and corn? Try my Bacon Corn Sourdough Stuffing.
Craving a little garlic bread as a stuffing base? Try my Texas Toast Stuffing.
Is soft potato bread your favorite? Try my Potato Bread Sausage Cranberry Stuffing.
Want something a little different? Try my Sourdough Kale Sausage Bacon Stuffing.
Need more spice in your life? Try my Chorizo Sheet Pan Stuffing.
Are you a fan of all the flavors of stuffing but in dip form? Try my Thanksgiving Stuffing Topped Hummus.

Sage and Cornbread Stuffing

Author: Brandy O’Neill – Nutmeg Nanny

5 from 3 votes

Print Pin

Prep Time 20

Cook Time 50

Total Time 1 10

Servings x13 dish

Equipment

Ingredients

1/2 cup unsalted butter
2 cups small diced celery
2 cups small diced yellow onion
4 cups small diced toasted white bread about 1/2 inch squares
4 cups crumbled cornbread
2 tablespoons minced fresh sage
2 teaspoons dried poultry seasoning
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon fresh cracked black pepper
2 large eggs
2 tablespoons milk
Turkey or chicken stock

Instructions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. and spray a 9×13 pan with non-stick spray.
In a 12-inch skillet add butter and set over medium-high heat.
When the butter is melted add the celery and onion and stir to combine.
Cook for the vegetables for about 10 minutes or until the onion and celery are starting to soften and turn translucent.
Remove from the heat and add the vegetables and any remaining butter to a large mixing bowl.
To the mixing bowl add diced toasted bread, crumbled cornbread, fresh sage, poultry seasoning, kosher salt, and black pepper and stir to combine.
In a small mixing bowl whisk together 2 eggs and 2 tablespoons of milk.
Pour over the bread mixture and stir to combine.
Drizzle in turkey or chicken stock just until the bread is wet and moistened but not soggy.
Put the stuffing mixture into the prepared baking dish and add to the preheated oven.
Bake for 40-50 minutes or until the top of the stuffing is lightly browned but the inside is still moist.

Notes

In our family, we use Jiffy cornbread that we make the night before and let sit out to use the next day. This is a sweet cornbread but you can use unsweet if you desire.
The amount of turkey stock will depend greatly on how dry your bread is. That is why there is not a precise amount.
You can use 1-2 teaspoons of dried sage in place of fresh sage.
You can use vegetable stock instead of meat stock if desired.

Nutrition

Course Side Dishes

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