Cornbread Dressing with Sausage & Pecans

Our food guru Christine shares her recipe for a Southern Thanksgiving tradition, cornbread dressing.

I am not typically a traditionalist in the kitchen by anyone’s definition of the word. The things that people get all grouchy about with don’t usually bother me in the least. Sugar in cornbread? Hey, whatever floats your boat. Beans in my chile con carne? Yes, please! My favorite birthday cake? How about some coconut cream pie, or banana ice cream, or a cheese plate! I will never argue with anyone’s grandmother over the “right” way to make anything.  When it comes to food, I guess I just don’t like too many rules, man.

However!!!! When it comes to Thanksgiving dinner, deep in my heart of hearts I love the traditional dishes the best. Thanksgiving dinner is such a cozy meal, like your most snuggly pajamas in dinner form. I feel like Thanksgiving dinner is best when it is delicious and satisfying but not so experimental that it makes people stop their conversations, look thoughtfully at their forkful of food and say in puzzlement, “what IS this?”

Not that I judge though, so if you want to try making a cranberry foam or – I don’t know – make some kind of turkey sushi roll, go for it. I’ll just be over in the corner stealing spoonsful of my favorite Thanksgiving side dish, cornbread dressing. Don’t tell anyone. I’m calling this dressing instead of stuffing because that’s what we always called it growing up and also because it is made to be baked in a separate casserole and not stuffed into the turkey. It gets nice and crispy on top that way. 

While sausage is delicious, mushrooms cooked with the traditional seasonings will be a really delicious alternative for a meat-free dish. Just cook them in a large skillet with plenty of room and plenty of butter until they are crisp on the edges and golden brown.

And finally, a word on the cornbread: as I mentioned before, people can get a little sensitive on the subject of cornbread so I’ll just say use the version you like best keeping in mind that I typically use a variation of Southern style cornbread: not very sweet, crisp and crumbly. If you like a sweeter, cakier cornbread, you’ll want to add a little more sage and salt and a little less broth.

Serves 4-6

1 recipe cornbread to make 4 cups crumbled cornbread

8 ounces sage breakfast type sausage, mild or hot depending on your preference

4 tablespoons butter (add additional 2 tablespoons if using vegetarian version)

1 cup diced onion (about 1 large onion)

1 cup diced celery  (about 2 stalks)

¾ cup pecans, roughly chopped

½ teaspoon salt

Pinch chile flakes or to taste

1 teaspoon dried sage or about 6 leaves fresh sage chopped

½ teaspoon black pepper

1-2 cups chicken broth

2 eggs

Vegetarian version:

8-10 ounce package crimini mushrooms cleaned, quartered. Sauté in butter, sage, black pepper, and chile flakes until golden brown and crisp.

Vegetable stock

DIRECTIONS:
Cube the cornbread into large 1-inch chunks. Since it will crumble more as it is incorporated into the other ingredients, I like to leave the cornbread chunks large for more texture, but if you like a denser dressing, cut the cubes into smaller pieces.

In a large skillet- I like my cast iron skillet- sauté the sausage, breaking it up into crumbles until it is cooked through and beginning to brown. Remove the sausage and all but a teaspoon of the rendered fat from the skillet and then return it to the heat.

Add the butter to the skillet and allow it to melt. Add the onions and celery and stir, cooking until they become fragrant. Add the pecans, black pepper, sage, and chile flakes and stir until the pecans are toasted, about 1 minute. Add the sausage back to the skillet and mix to combine the ingredients.

In a large mixing bowl, combine 1 cup of chicken broth with 2 eggs and whisk to combine.  Add the sautéed vegetables, pecans, and sausage to the broth and eggs. Gently toss the cornbread into the mixing bowl and combine with the broth and vegetables. I like to use my hands for this to keep the cubes of cornbread intact, but a large spoon and a gentle touch works well too. If the mixture feels dry, add 1/3 cup of broth at a time until the mixture sticks together somewhat but isn’t sopping wet. I’m not giving exact measurements here because cornbread recipes vary so much- some are very dry and crumbly while others are softer and more cake-like.

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