Cornbread Sausage Stuffing

Cornbread with sausage stuffing in a casserole dish.

4.88 from 8 votes

Cornbread Sausage Stuffing

This sausage cornbread stuffing has a crusty top and a soft, moist interior. It's a balanced blend of savory and sweet with a mild spice everyone loves. Try my cornbread dressing with sweet or spicy Italian sausage to suit your tastes.

Course Side Dish

Cuisine American, Southern, Southwestern

Keyword cornbread, hatch chiles, herb dressing, sausage, stuffing

Prep Time 45

Cook Time 1 20

Servings

Calories 431kcal

Author Lisa Lotts

Equipment

1 2-quart casserole dish or baking pan

Ingredients

6-7 cups leftover cornbread cut into 1' cubes) (use my hatch chile cornbread recipe or your favorite version)
1 pound spicy Italian sausage or Jimmy Dean Sage sausage
1½ cups celery diced
1½ cups onion diced
5 large cloves garlic minced
8 ounce can diced green chiles or 1 cup fresh fire roasted hatch chiles (peeled, seeded, diced)
½ cup corn kernels fresh, from one ear -- or frozen
1½ tablespoons fresh thyme chopped
1½ tablespoons fresh sage chopped
⅓ cup white wine
1½ cups chicken stock from rotisserie chicken or low-sodium broth
1 extra large egg
2 tablespoons butter cut into small cubes

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 325°. Place 6-7 cups leftover cornbread on a sheet pan and bake for 30 minutes, tossing a few times. You want to dry out the cornbread, so it's crusty. Set aside.
Turn the oven up to 350°.
In a large skillet over medium-high heat, add 1 pound spicy Italian sausage and break it apart with the back of a wooden spoon. Cook until browned.
Stir in 1½ cups celery, 1½ cups onion, and 5 large cloves garlic and cook for 2-3 minutes until the vegetables start to get tender.
Add ½ cup corn kernels and 8 ounce can diced green chiles to the sausage mixture and stir to combine. Cook for 2-3 minutes, then add 1½ tablespoons fresh thyme, 1½ tablespoons fresh sage and ⅓ cup white wine. Cook for 2-3 minutes to cook off most of the alcohol. Remove from heat.
In a small bowl, whisk together 1½ cups chicken stock from rotisserie chicken and 1 extra large egg.
In a very large bowl, combine the toasted cornbread, sausage mixture and chicken stock mixture. Carefully fold the ingredients together, trying not to break the cornbread apart.
Let it rest for 1-2 minutes, then fold it again. The cornbread will soak up the chicken broth as it rests, but folding it again will ensure that it all gets moistened.
Spray a 2 quart casserole dish with vegetable spray and transfer the stuffing to the casserole. Dot the top of the cornbread sausage stuffing 2 tablespoons butter and bake for 30-35 minutes or until the top of the casserole is hot and crusty.

Notes

Kitchen Tips:

- - Use an extra large, wide, shallow bowl to dry out the cornbread and assemble the stuffing. The wider the bowl, the more surface area there is for the cornbread to come into contact with air. It's also easier to mix than in a tall, narrow mixing bowl.
  - Buy or make your cornbread at least one or two days ahead to give it time to dry out and become stale. This will ensure it will hold up better to the sausage, vegetables and broth mixture.
- - I recommend using low-sodium broth and unsalted butter to better control the sodium content of the sausage cornbread stuffing. The Italian sausage and cornbread have enough sodium to flavor the casserole.
- - Taste a bit of dressing before baking. If you think it needs more herbs, seasonings, etc., add them now.
- - Use a large spoon, rubber spatula, or clean hands to mix the cornbread stuffing evenly.

Nutrition