This Cornbread Stuffing recipe is a family favorite during the holidays. Filled with zesty sausage, mushrooms, dried apricots and cranberries, this sweet and savory dressing always disappears!
8cupsbaked cornbread, cubed and slightly stale (see notes below)
1 ½cupschicken broth, divided
1egg, beaten
Instructions
Grease a 3 quart baking dish. Set aside.
Heat oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add sausage; cook until no longer pink. Add onions, mushrooms, crushed red pepper and sage to the pan. Stir together and cook until onion is translucent.
Remove from heat. Stir in dried fruits and ½ cup broth. Cool to room temperature so fruits can soften and absorb some of the broth, at least 30 minutes.
½ cup chopped dried apricots, ½ cup dried cranberries, 1 ½ cups chicken broth,
Preheat oven to 350°F.
Place sausage mixture and cornbread in a large bowl. Whisk together egg and remaining 1 cup broth and pour over contents of bowl. Season with salt and pepper. Stir to combine. Pour stuffing into prepared baking dish.
You can prepare this dish through step 3 several hours ahead of time. Combine all ingredients just before baking.
Prefer a drier stuffing? Use less broth. If you like a moist stuffing, use the suggested amount or more.
Check your stuffing at 30 minutes. If it’s browning too quickly, lightly tent with foil for remaining bake time.
Recipe adapted from Kowalski's Markets.
How to dry cornbread for stuffing:
You don't need rock hard bread cubes to make stuffing but slightly stale helps the cubes hold their shape better when combined with the remaining stuffing ingredients. Here are two options for making stale bread cubes:
Place cubed cornbread on a baking sheet and allow to dry out on the countertop for several hours. Turn cubes as needed so all sides dry out.
You can also place the bread cubes in a 275°F oven for 30 minutes, turning occasionally.
Dry your bread cubes a few days in advance and store in a sealed container until ready to use.