Best Cornbread Dressing with Bacon
This warm, fluffy cornbread dressing has the perfect combination of sweet cornbread, crispy bacon and savory herbs. Perfect for Thanksgiving dinner!
You can consider this part two of my skillet cornbread recipe post. If for some reason you made cornbread and have leftovers (leftovers? what are those?), then you have the fixings for some homemade Cornbread and Bacon Dressing!
Standard whole wheat bread and homemade cornbread join forces with crisp bacon to create the best Thanksgiving dressing ever. I've been making this for at least a decade (I think longer though, tbh) and it never gets old.
When it's fresh out of the oven, the smell of warm sage will make you feel all the feels. It's comforting, it's homey, and for me it's the essence of Thanksgiving more than turkey.
Do you call it stuffing or dressing? I grew up calling it stuffing because dressing is for salads. And yes, it was always ranch dressing. Good grief I'm Midwestern.
But if we're going to be technically correct, this is a dressing recipe – not stuffing.
Why is it called dressing instead of stuffing?
Stuffing is when the mixture is actually shoved inside the cavity of the turkey and cooked in there at the same time you're cooking the turkey itself.
Dressing is made on its own, and additional liquid is added for moisture and flavor.
Can you mix cornbread and regular stuffing?
Heck yeah, you can! And that's exactly what we're doing in this recipe. We're using both cornbread and whole wheat bread.
How to dry out cornbread for stuffing
We're going to make it quick and easy by placing the cubed cornbread (and whole wheat bread, since we're using a mix) on a baking sheet and baking them until dry and golden, about 12-15 minutes.
Ingredients for cornbread stuffing
- Cornbread – You'll need about 4 cups of cubed cornbread. I highly recommend making my easy cornbread recipe, using half the recipe for this dressing, and serving the rest at dinner!
- Whole wheat bread – Storebought is fine, also cubed. But if you have a great homemade recipe you love, definitely use that.
- Bacon – I recommend avoiding thick-cut bacon for this one, as you want it to get crisp. You'll use the bacon grease in the pan to saute the rest of the ingredients.
- Leek – You can also use 1/2 a white or yellow onion instead, diced.
- Garlic – I call for 1 tablespoon garlic, but feel free to use as much as your heart desires. I say 1 tablespoon instead of a certain number of cloves because the size can vary so much, but it will likely be around 3 cloves.
- Celery – This adds a lovely crunch!
- Sage – I adore the warm, cozy feeling the sage adds to the final product.
- Egg – This helps bind all the ingredients together a bit before baking, as well as providing some moisture.
- Chicken broth – Adds flavor and moisture to the mixture before baking.
- Parsley – Parsley tends to be seen only as a garnish, but it does actually add a little flavor to the dressing as well, so we mix it in instead of just adding it to the top before serving.
How to make cornbread dressing from scratch
Step 1: Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Spread cornbread and whole wheat bread on each baking sheet and bake until dry and golden, about 12-15 minutes. Transfer to a large mixing bowl and set aside.
Step 2: In your preferred method, cook bacon until crispy. If cooked in a pan or skillet, do not drain bacon fat. If baked in the oven, reserve bacon fat and pour into a medium-sized skillet.
Step 3: Add leeks and garlic and cook over medium heat for 3 minutes. Stir in celery and cook another 2 minutes.
Step 4: Remove from heat and transfer mixture to the bowl of bread. Add sage, egg, broth parsley, salt, and pepper to taste.
Step 5: Stir to combine everything well.
Step 6: Transfer mixture to an 8×8″ baking dish that has been prepared with nonstick spray and bake for 20 minutes at 375°F, or until the top is golden brown.
FAQs
Can cornbread stuffing be made ahead of time?
Definitely. You can bake it per recipe instructions and then store it in the fridge the night before Thanksgiving and then reheat it in the oven at 375°F until warmed through.
Can you freeze cornbread dressing?
Yes! You can freeze this dressing ahead of Thanksgiving either by preparing the recipe all the way up to the point where you would bake it, but cover it tightly and place it in the freezer instead. Then you can let it thaw to room temperature before baking per the recipe instructions.
Do you cover dressing with foil when baking?
I've never needed to, but if you find that yours isn't warmed all the way through after 20 minutes, you can cover it in foil to prevent the top from burning and bake it longer to fully cook through.
Why put eggs in cornbread dressing?
The egg helps bind all the ingredients together a bit before baking, as well as providing some moisture.
What can you use as a binder instead of eggs in stuffing?
A flax egg or liquid egg substitute are the best swaps for egg in stuffing or dressing.
And this may sound odd, but about 1/4 cup white wine is actually a good substitute for the egg in dressing. You could also use chicken stock. It won't be as fluffy as with eggs, but should get the job done.
Is cornbread stuffing gluten free?
Nope, it's not. There's gluten in the cornbread as well as the whole wheat bread.
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Best Cornbread Dressing with Bacon
Ingredients
- 4 cups cornbread, cut into small cubes (about 1/2 skillet's worth cornbread)
- 4 slices whole wheat bread, cut into small cubes
- 4 slices bacon, chopped
- 1 stalk leek, chopped (can substitute 1/2 a small onion)
- 1 tablespoon garlic, minced (about 3 cloves)
- 1 stalk celery, diced
- 1 tablespoon sage leaves, chopped
- 1 large egg, lightly beaten
- 1 ½ cups chicken broth
- ½ cup fresh parsley, chopped
- Salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375°F.
- Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Spread cornbread and whole wheat bread on each baking sheet and bake until dry and golden, about 12-15 minutes. Transfer to large mixing bowl and set aside.4 cups (½) cornbread4 slices whole wheat bread
- In your preferred method, cook bacon until crispy. If cooked in a pan or skillet, do not drain bacon fat. If baked in the oven, reserve bacon fat and pour into medium sized skillet.4 slices bacon
- Add leeks and garlic and cook over medium heat for 3 minutes. Stir in celery and cook another 2 minutes.1 stalk (1) leek1 stalk (1) celery1 tablespoon garlic
- Remove from heat and transfer mixture to the bowl of bread.
- Add sage, egg, broth and parsley and stir to combine. Add salt and pepper to taste.1 tablespoon sage leaves1 large (1) egg1 1/2 cups (352 ½ g) chicken broth1/2 cup (30 g) fresh parsleySalt and pepper
- Spray an 8×8 baking dish with non-stick spray. Transfer mixture evenly to dish.
- Bake for 20 minutes until top is golden brown.
- Serve warm and enjoy!
Video
Nutrition Facts
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Old photos from the original post in 2015:
I love this recipe so much. It uses cornbread and wholegrains. So healthy and so delicious. I will definitely make this for my family. No more unhealthy stuffings.
YUM this looks delicious! I am obsessed with stuffing, but have never tried a cornbread and bacon combo, wow!! I am pretty excited to try it, and just in time for Thanksgiving :)
Oh my goodness does this look incredible! You had me at bacon! I can’t wait to try this!
The flavors in this stuffing is mind blowing. Sweet, salty and delicious stuffing. I get super excited to see savory stuffing recipes, I love this.
I love recipes like this that combine sweet and savory flavors! Definitely making this for Thanksgiving!
I mean…my mouth waters when you say bacon and cornbread. Yes please! It looks simple and I might make it for a Monday and eat it all myself!!
This stuffing recipe is so good! Perfect for the holidays.
Love the combination here. So yummy. Perfect for holiday !
This Cornbread and bacon stuffing looks really scrumptious. The combination of sweet cornbread, crispy bacon and savory herbs made it perfect!
What a great Thanksgiving side! I love cornbread but never made stuffing with it! Printing out to make this year – thank you!
I’ve never had bacon in my stuffing but I’m not sure why. It seems like an obvious choice because bacon is amazing on anything.
Looks delishious. I may make this along with the Hamburger stuffing that cooks in the turkey.
I’ve never heard of hamburger stuffing – I hope they both turn out great for you!