Turkey may be the holiday superstar, but this savory, sweet Apple & Cranberry Cornbread Dressing will steal the show!
Make your grandmother proud with a lightly sweet, savory Apple and Cranberry Cornbread Dressing! This sausage and sage stuffing, with celery, onions, apples, and cranberries, is mouthwateringly delicious! This Thanksgiving recipe is sure to take center stage at your family feast!
The Best Thanksgiving Dressing Ever!
Let’s face it – the fuss is always over the turkey. But really, turkey is just the foundation for all the fun flavors surrounding it! Corn pudding, green bean casserole, mashed potatoes and gravy, buttery dinner rolls, sweet potatoes with marshmallows…and pie! Pumpkin, pecan, apple…mmmmmmmm!
This cornbread dressing combines all the best ingredients from other stuffing recipes to give you a tasty, lightly fruity side dish to satisfy every appetite! It’s fluffy yet moist, smooth but with substance, crunchy and soft all at once! If I could only have one side dish for Thanksgiving, this would be it!
Other Recipes to Serve with Cornbread Stuffing
- Super Juicy, Brined Roasted Turkey is an easy recipe for the juiciest, tastiest turkey ever!
- Turkey Gravy – the perfect finishing touch for all your holiday dishes!
Ingredients
Bread: All dressings/stuffings start with good bread! The foundation for this Apple Cranberry Dressing is simply packaged cornbread stuffing mix!
Protein: Breakfast sausage, chicken stock, milk, and eggs bring a quadruple punch of savory goodness to this holiday favorite!
Fruits and Veggies: Onion and celery add crunch and tang, while green apples and dried cranberries bring in some sweetness. The combination is fantastic!
Seasonings: To finish this Thanksgiving masterpiece, you’ll need dried sage, paprika, poultry seasoning, fresh parsley, salt and pepper.
How to Make Apple Cranberry Cornbread Dressing
STEP ONE: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Over medium-high heat, cook the sausage in a large skillet, breaking it into crumbles as it cooks. When fully browned, remove the sausage to a large mixing bowl.
STEP TWO: Add the onions and chopped celery into the skillet with the sausage grease (if the sausage is lean, add a Tbsp of olive oil to the pan). Cook the onions and celery until soft, stirring occasionally, for about 5 minutes. Add to the bowl with the sausage.
STEP THREE: Add all the remaining ingredients into the large bowl with the sausage, onions, and celery. Wash your hands thoroughly, then push up your sleeves and mix all these ingredients by hand. (Yes, you can use gloves if you prefer.) The mixture will be very moist. You should be able to make patties or balls that hold their shape.
STEP FOUR: Put the dressing mixture into a greased baking dish. Cover and bake it in the oven for 3o minutes. Remove the cover and bake for 15-20 minutes until the top gets lightly brown with a crisp top.
STEP FIVE: Remove the dish from the oven and let the dressing rest for 5 to 10 minutes before serving with your favorite holiday meals!
Tips for Success
- If you use pre-made cornbread, dry it by toasting it in the oven on low (250 degrees F) until it’s dry and crumbly.
- Jiffy Corn Muffin Mix is NOT the same as cornmeal. It’s great for making corn pudding but has multiple ingredients, is not gluten-free, and is not ideal for holiday dressing.
- Use a gluten-free cornbread stuffing mix to make a gluten-free and delicious dressing!
- Make sure to peel the apples, as the green peel will not give the right taste or texture.
- Dried cranberries (also called craisins) are sweet and yummy! They’re also a great addition to your charcuterie board.
Are Stuffing and Dressing the Same Thing?
This is the eternal holiday question, right? Just what IS the difference between holiday stuffing and dressing? The honest answer is that it depends on where you live! If you’re from the North, you probably call it stuffing. If you’re from the South, you probably say dressing.
Now, if you ask the experts, they will tell you there is a difference between them. Stuffing is cooked inside the turkey and is made from stale white bread, while dressing is cooked in a baking pan and is always made with cornbread. Whatever you call it, and however you make it, it’s always a family favorite!
Can You Freeze Cornbread Dressing?
Yes, you can! If you are making dressing ahead of time, the best way to freeze it is to follow the recipe up to the cooking step. Instead of cooking, cover it air-tight and freeze until the day before you eat. Simply thaw in the refrigerator overnight and follow the original cooking instructions.
If you are freezing leftovers, cover them with an airtight seal (I cover the dressing with plastic wrap, then foil or the original lid to the container). Freeze for up to 3 months. To reheat, remove the cover (or plastic), add a bit of broth or water to rehydrate, then microwave or oven-bake until thoroughly warmed.
Other Favorite Holiday Feast Recipes
- Thanksgiving Stuffing
- Apple Sausage Stuffing
- Pear Pomegranate Stuffing
- Roasted Turkey Tenderloin with Stuffing
- Cornbread Dressing
*This post originally posted on 11/14/2013.
Ingredients
- 1 pound breakfast sausage
- ½ large yellow onion peeled & diced
- 4 stalks celery ends removed & diced
- 12 ounces cornbread stuffing mix (2 packages)
- 1 cup dried cranberries
- 1 cup green apples peeled, cored, and chopped
- ½ cup fresh parsley chopped
- 1 ½ cups chicken stock
- ½ cup milk
- 4 large eggs beaten
- 1 teaspoon poultry seasoning
- 1 teaspoon dried sage
- ½ teaspoon paprika
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9-inch x 13-inch baking dish and set aside.
- Cook the breakfast sausage in a large skillet over medium-high heat, breaking it up into small pieces as it cooks. Once cooked, use a slotted spoon to transfer the sausage to a large mixing bowl. Set aside. (Reserve the sausage grease in the skillet.)
- To the same skillet, add the onions and celery. Cook until softened, about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Pour the veggies into the bowl with the sausage.
- Add the stuffing mix, dried cranberries, apples, parsley, chicken stock, milk, eggs, poultry seasoning, dried sage, paprika, salt, and pepper to the mixing bowl.
- Use your hands to mix everything together until evenly moistened and combined. The mixture will be wet; you should be able to form little patties and have them hold their shape.
- Transfer the dressing mixture to the prepared baking dish and spread it into an even layer. Cover with aluminum foil.
- Bake for 30 minutes, covered. Carefully remove the foil and cook for another 15 to 20 minutes until a nice crunchy top is formed.
- Remove from the oven and cool for 5-10 minutes before serving.
Frances Quinn says
What do you mean by the 6oz cornbread dressing? Do you mean something like the Pepperidge farm cornbread dressing in a bag or is another brand you use? Many recipes call for crumbled cooked cornbread. This is where I get confused.