Sausage Cornbread Stuffing

We love cornbread dressing in the South and this easy Southern sausage cornbread stuffing recipe includes tender sausage baked with homemade cornbread and veggies and seasoned with chicken stock and sage.

Whether you call it cornbread stuffing or cornbread dressing (we call it dressing), we love this scrumptious side dish down in the South. In fact, this is definitely not the first cornbread stuffing recipe on Southern Plate. I’ve already posted recipes for keto cornbread dressing, crockpot cornbread dressing, and chicken and cornbread stuffing. But today I’m turning my attention toward sausage cornbread stuffing.

This recipe includes tender cooked pork sausage combined with celery, onion, homemade cornbread pieces, seasoned dried bread chunks (or stale bread), chicken broth, poultry seasoning, and crushed dried sage. The chicken broth soaks into each bread chunk as the stuffing bakes in the oven and the seasoning adds just the right amount of flavor. The instructions couldn’t be easier, either. All you need to do is cook the sausage and combine it with all the other ingredients before baking. 

The final result is a Southern side dish that’s so filling and delicious, don’t be surprised to see it on every holiday dinner table. I’ve included lots of serving suggestions and FAQs below, so you can perfect this and every stuffing recipe. Are you ready to give it a go?

Recipe Ingredients 

• Ground pork sausage (if you use pork sausage with sage omit the dried sage) 
• Celery 
• Onion
• Cornbread (here’s my homemade cornbread recipe)
• Seasoned dried bread chunks or toast some old bread (can combine white and wheat). 
• Chicken broth 
• Poultry seasoning 
• Crushed dried sage

How to Make Sausage Cornbread Stuffing

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). 

Cook sausage in a skillet over medium-high heat.

Cook, stirring often and breaking sausage up with a spoon until sausage is evenly brown and crumbly (7 to 10 minutes).

Remove from the heat and drain. 

Transfer the sausage mixture to a large bowl.

Add crumbled cornbread…

Toasted bread cubes…

Chicken broth…

Poultry seasoning…

Celery…

Chopped onion…

And sage.

Mix until well combined.

Season with salt and pepper to taste.

I love to use seasoning salt and fresh ground black pepper (the mixed peppercorns are great).

Transfer to a 9×13 baking dish.

Cover with foil. 

Bake in the preheated oven until the stuffing is well set and cooked through (about 45 minutes). 

There’s plenty of sausage cornbread dressing to go around.

How perfect will this look on the Thanksgiving table?

Enjoy!

Storage

• Store leftover stuffing in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days and reheat in the oven or the microwave.
• Freeze leftovers for up to 2 months and thaw overnight before reheating in the oven or microwave.

Recipe Notes

• Here are some easy variations and additions to make this sausage cornbread dressing recipe work for you:
  • Use spicy sausage or Italian sausage instead.
  • Add more veggies, like 1/2 cup of green bell pepper, mushrooms, and/or butternut squash.
  • Add 3/4 cup of chopped walnuts, chopped chestnuts, or chopped pecans.
  • Use fresh sage instead of dried sage or substitute it for dried/fresh parsley.
  • Add 1 cup of dried cranberries or golden raisins.
• As mentioned, if you use sage sausage, omit the additional sage seasoning.
• Feel free to cook your cornbread a few days ahead of time, wrap it tightly, and store it in the fridge. It dries out which is good for making stuffing.
• Speaking of, you can make homemade cornbread or use a store-bought cornbread mix.
• If you are running short on time or don’t like all the chopping, omit all the veggie chopping and use chicken broth with herb seasoning. 
• You can saute the onion and celery in the skillet after cooking the sausage if you like. However, I find it cooks up just fine in the oven.

Recipe FAQs

What’s the difference between stuffing and dressing?

Traditionally, stuffing is cooked inside poultry like turkey or chicken and dressing is cooked outside as a separate dish. However, in the South we call it dressing whether or not it’s cooked in or out of poultry, just to keep ya on ya toes!

How do you serve cornbread sausage stuffing?

This is a popular holiday side dish, so it tastes great when served alongside turkey breast or baked ham. But throughout the year, don’t be afraid to serve it alongside a main dish like grilled chicken, slow-cooked pork roast, or meatloaf.

Can I make sausage cornbread stuffing ahead of time?

Yes, you can either prepare it according to the directions and leave it covered and unbaked in the fridge for up to 2 days. Alternatively, the baked stuffing will last in the fridge for up to 5 days and you can simply reheat it briefly in the oven before serving.

Can I use breadcrumbs instead of dried bread chunks?

I find that bread crumbs are too fine. I get a bag of dried bread cubes (also called stuffing cubes) from the grocery store or toast stale bread (white/wheat combo is fine) and add that instead. The best stale bread to use for stuffing is good old white sandwich bread. And no, you don’t need to cut the crusts off the bread before adding it to the dressing.

How moist should the cornbread dressing be before baking?

You want to finish off the stuffing mixture with enough broth that it’s sticky but not dripping wet.